SA trio and British duo share African Amateur logjam

Albert Venter clung to his overnight lead, but the Gauteng North golfer shares centre stage in the inaugural African Amateur Stroke Play Championship with fellow South Africans Kyle McClatchie and Jason Rossiter, Jamie Savage from Scotland and England’s Jamie Bower, while the RSA Juniors took control in the Team Competition at Leopard Creek Golf Estate on Thursday.

McClatchie, who was South Africa’s first golfer to debut at the Youth Olympics in 2014, was also the first player to hunt down Venter.

The Ekurhuleni player deleted a double bogey at 11 with a string of four birdies from the par three 12th. He reeled in birdies at 17 and 18 to turn four under and birdied the par five second to eliminate a bogey at one.

McClatchie boxed another birdie putt at the short fifth to get to six under and played the last four holes in pars for a 67 to set the clubhouse target at six under 138.

Savage mixed sandwiched a bogey at four and double bogey at five between birdies at three and six to turn one over. The Cawder golfer added another brace of gains at 11 and 12 and made four birdies on the trot from 14 to match McClatchie with a 67.

Rossiter from Central Gauteng took advantage at 13, 14 and 15 to get to seven under.

The Krugersdorp golfer could have finished alone at the top, but a double bogey at the par-five 16th put the brakes on his run and a birdie at 18 handed him a share of the five-way tie for the lead.

Bower started just one off the pace from Venter, who followed a blistering first round 65 with one-over-par 73.

The recent Gauteng North Open champion turned one over, but offset a pair of bogeys on his front nine with birdies at two, six and nine to slip into joint first with an even-par 72.

Meanwhile the South African junior team pushed two shots clear of Scotland in the 54-hole Team Competition.

Ross Sinclair fired a 66 to help the RSA Juniors close the gap on England, who led the first round with a combined score of 223.

Dylan Naidoo contributed a 72 and Luca Filippi added a 74 to give the team a second round total of 212 and a two shot lead over Scotland.

France finished nine strokes back on 439 with rounds of 222 and 217, while the RSA Seniors share fourth with India and England.

The local side posted rounds of 222 and 220, India returned rounds of 227 and 215 and England combined for 226 in the second round.

ROUND 2 – STROKE PLAY (top 20)
138 Kyle McClatchie 71 67; Jamie Savage SCO 71 67; Jason Rossiter 69 69; Jamie Bower ENG 66 72; Albert Venter 65 73
139 Rosswell Sinclair 73 66; Craig Ross SCO 66 73
140 Herman Loubser 67 73
141 Ludovic Bax 72 69; Andrew van der Knaap 68 73
142 Altin van der Merwe 69 73
143 Jack McDonald SCO 73 70; Connor Syme SCO 73 70
144 Kieran Vincent ZIM 74 70; Garrick Higgo 74 70; Siyanda Mwandla 73 71; Philip Geerts ITA 72 72; Dylan Naidoo 72 72; Michele Cea ITA 72 72; Kyle Barker 71 73
145 Robin Roussel FRA 75 70; Calum Fyfe SCO 75 70

ROUND 2 – TEAM COMPETITION
430 RSA JUNIORS 218 Dylan Naidoo 72 Rosswell Sinclair 73 Luca Filippi 73; 212 Rosswell Sinclair 66 Dylan Naidoo 72 Luca Filippi 74

432 SCOTLAND 223 Jack McDonald 73 Connor Syme 73 Bob MacIntyre 77; 209 Grant Forrest 69 Jack McDonald 70 Connor Syme 70

439 FRANCE 222 Ugo Coussaud 73 Victor Veyret 74 Robin Roussel 75; 217 Robin Roussel 70 Ugo Coussaud 73 Anthoine Auboin 74

442 INDIA 227 Yashab Chandra 73 Samarth Dwivedi 77 Aman Raj 77; 215 Samarth Dwivedi 69 Veer Ahlawat 72 Yashab Chandra 74

442 RSA SENIORS 222 Herman Loubser 67 Tristen Strydom 77 Marco Steyn 78; 220 James du Preez 70 Herman Loubser 73 Tristen Strydom 77

442 ENGLAND 216 Jamie Bower 66 Paul Kinnear 75 Alfie Plant 75; 226 Jamie Bower 72 Paul Kinnear 76 Nicholas John Elliott 78

447 MAURITIUS 224 Ludovic Bax 72 Ian Espitalier Noel 74 Phil Minkley 78; 223 Ludovic Bax 69 Ian Espitalier Noel 76 Phil Minkley 78

449 SWITZERLAND 227 Jeremy Freiburghaus 75 Robert Foley 76 Neal Woernhard 76; 222 Robert Foley 72 Neal Woernhard 73 Valerian Huelin 77

459 ZIMBABWE 230 David Amm 72 Kieran Vincent 74 Tafara Mpofu 84; 229 Kieran Vincent 70 David Amm 75 Tafara Mpofu 84

488 KENYA 249 Kenneth Bollo 79 Alfred Nandwa 82 Edwin Mudanyi 88; 239 Kenneth Bollo 76 Edwin Mudanyi 79 Alfred Nandwa 84

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.