Samu’s Sanlam SA Amateur charge still on track

South African number one Ivanna Samu is still on track to defend her Sanlam SA Women’s Amateur title, making it through to Wednesday’s semi-finals at Kloof Country Club.

Samu beat two of her friends in Tuesday’s third round and quarterfinals.

In the morning she knocked out Woo-Ju Son 5&3, and then in the afternoon she had to work hard to beat Natasha Carlsson 1Up.

“It’s tough playing against all my friends. But it happens. As they say, no mercy on the golf course,” said Samu, who still couldn’t help herself from saying “Sorry” to Carlsson as they walked off the 18th green on another chilly day.

“Natasha played such great golf and she’s so strong in match play. We literally matched each other shot for shot. But I don’t mind having tough matches in a tournament like this. It keeps you on your toes and you can never get ahead of yourself.”

Samu will play Kloof’s Brittney-Fay Berger in Wednesday morning’s semi-final. Berger beat Crystal Beukes 4&3 in the third round and then Jacqui Akers 4&2 in the quarters.

The other semi-final will see Carrie Park up against Mae Cornforth, a 20-year-old golfer who grew up in Vryburg, the same hometown as Sunshine Tour legend Des Terblanche and who used to be coached by the big man.

Park beat Lejan Lewthwaite 3&2 in the third round and then Zethu Myeki 2&1 in the quarters. She looked full of confidence against Lewthwaite, and then had to dig deep in a tough match against Myeki only a few days after playing her in the Gauteng North Championship that Park won.

“It was a very tight match against Zethu. When either of us won holes, we had to do so with birdies. I played against Zethu in the Gauteng North Championship last week and I beat her on the 19th, so I knew this would be a tough match,” said Park, who won holes 14 and 15 to secure the match.

Cornforth could be another tough encounter for Park. She was in top form in her third round match against Eleonora Galletti and made a string of birdies to win 5&4. In the quarters she beat Shawnelle de Lange 3&2 following De Lange’s 1Up victory over Ethel Ruthenberg.

“I think I made seven birdies in my match against Eleonora, and I felt like I had to because she was making putts from everywhere,” said Cornforth, who is hoping for a fairytale finish of her own on Wednesday.

Back on a break from her studies in America at the Florida Institute of Technology, she won the Limpopo Open this year but has never won a major national title.

Click HERE for results and tee-times

Written by Michael Vlismas on behalf of Sanlam

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