SA Team to play France Announced

Dylan FritelliFour players have been selected to play France in a test match to be played on the 2nd and 3rd of June at the Chantilly Golf Club, north of Paris, France, the South African Golf Association (SAGA) announced today. The Protea team is Derik Ferreira, Dylan Frittelli, Ryan Clarke and Jacques Blaauw. “These are arguably our top four performing amateurs currently,” said SAGA President, Neale Kunhardt.

“While in Europe, we have decided to enter the four players into two other international amateur competitions,” commented Kunhardt. The events are the French International Amateur Stroke Play Championship (Murat Trophy) and the St Andrews Links Trophy. The former is being played at the same venue as the Test Match, from 30 May to 1 June, and the latter at St Andrews in Scotland from 6 to 8 June.

“This all forms part of the preparation of our top players for the World Amateur Team Championships in Australia in October this year,” explained Kunhardt. “The team to represent South Africa at this event will only be announced at a later date, there is still opportunity for other players to play themselves into consideration,” he concluded.

Derik Ferreira, from Gauteng North, is currently ranked the top South African Amateur golfer on both the SAGA Player Rankings and the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), on the latter he is currently 7th. The 18 years old Centurion Country Club member recorded wins in the North West Open and Northern Amateur this year.

Dylan Frittelli, 17 years old and the youngest member of the team, plays out of Irene Golf Club in Gauteng North. He recently won the SA Boys and has recorded some good finishes in the Cape Province Open (5th), South African Amateur Stroke Play (5th) and Kwazulu Natal Open (2nd) this year. He is currently ranked 2nd on the SAGA Player Rankings.

Winner of the Gauteng North Open this year was 22 year old Ryan Clarke. The Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club member, and Central Gauteng’s top ranked amateur on the SAGA Rankings, currently in 4th place.

The final member of the team is current South African Amateur Stroke Play champion and the Glacier SA Amateur Champion 22 year old Jacques Blaauw of Boland. The Paarl Golf Club member has dominated the South African amateur scene since returning from a golf scholarship in the United States at the end of 2007. He is currently ranked 16th on the WAGR, the second highest ranked South African.

The Test Match will be played as Foursomes in the morning and Singles in the afternoon, on both days. Each match counting for a point, the team with the most points wins.

For further information please contact:
Neale Kunhardt (SAGA President) Cell: 082 374 3456
Bruce Younge (SAGA Executive Director) Cell: 082 374 3455
Enver Hassen (SAGA Vice President and Team Manager) Cell: 082 374 3454

Posted in