Southern Cape set for victory at SA U-19 IPT
Southern Cape may have an unassailable lead, but the Garden Route side will not go easy on Central Gauteng in Friday’s final round of the South African Under-19 Inter-Provincial at Worcester Golf Club.
Western Province moved to the top of the log with seven points on Wednesday, but Southern Cape rushed past the defending champions and stitched up the battle for glory with another commanding exhibition in round four.
The eight-man squad got off to a flying start in the Foursomes to lead Gauteng North 3 – 1 and Boland 3.5 – 0.5. They stretched their advantage in both matches to down Gauteng North 8 – 4 and defeat Boland 8.5 – 3.5 and took pole position on 10 points.
Alex van Wyk, Alan Lones, Julien Sale and Cameron Moralee scored the victories for Southern Cape against Gauteng North and Caylum boon and Martin Vorster added two half points to their tally.
Jovan Rebula and Moralee squared their matches against Boland and Voster, Van Wyk, Lones and Boon delivered the winning blows to give Southern Cape a two for two result.
“The Foursomes definitely laid a great foundation for us,” said manager Roger Wessels.
“These lads came here to win and they attacked when the opportunities presented itself. This was a tremendous team effort and their team spirit is amazing. They are determined to finish the week undefeated and they will fight till the last putt drops against Central Gauteng on Friday.”
Meanwhile KwaZulu-Natal started the Singles on the back foot, but showed their mettle when they rallied from 3 – 1 down to defeat Central Gauteng 6.5 – 5.5.
“It was a magnificent effort from all the players, especially after the Foursomes, and they are committed to giving the final round another great effort to try and finish in the top four” said manager Joseph Kunene.
Liam McIlroy, Chris Woollam, Jason Broomhead, Aneurin Gounden and Matt Saulez reeled in the points in the Singles. Luke Mayo, who aced the par-three seventh during the Foursomes, squared his game against Fritz Orren for the crucial half point.
But the men in black may have to do it all over again when they face a very determined Gauteng North team, who defeated Boland 6.5 – 5.5.
Gauteng North had to make a massive last ditch effort in the final round last year to avoid delegation, but two victories and two draws sees them ranked third with six points.
After losing the Foursomes 3 – 1, Kifentse Nukeri, Clifford Thompson, Estiaan Conradie and Keegan de Lange rallied to put Gauteng North on attack.
Etienne J van Rensburg knocked in a crucial birdie putt at 16 to square his game against Willem Boshoff and the pair halved the next two holes in pars and birdies to draw the match.
If Southern Cape can down Central Gauteng in the final round, a victory against KwaZulu-Natal would lift Gauteng North to second and they will throw everything into the final match.
“The guys were disappointed with the loss to Southern Cape, but they gained a lot of confidence from beating Ekurhuleni and Boland,” said manager Rohan de Beer. “They definitely want to finish this year’s tournament on a high and they will be hunting KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.
A-SECTION ROUND 4 RESULTS
Gauteng North 4 vs Southern Cape 8
Southern Cape 8.5 vs Boland 3.5
Gauteng North 6.5 vs Boland 5.5
Central Gauteng 5.5 vs KwaZulu-Natal 6.5
A-SECTION LOG
(Pos-Union-Played-Won-Drawn-Lost-Points-Matches won)
1 Southern Cape (5, 5, 0, 0, 10, 41.5)
2 Western Province (5, 3, 1, 1, 7, 32.0)
3 Gauteng North (5, 2, 2, 1, 6, 30.0)
4 Central Gauteng (5, 2, 1, 2, 5, 33.5)
5 KwaZulu-Natal (5, 2, 0, 3, 4, 27.5)
6 Ekurhuleni (5, 1, 1, 3, 3, 25.0)
7 Boland (6, 0, 1, 5, 1, 26.5)
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the South African Golf Association.