Strydom sharp and focused for Sanlam SA Amateur

South Africa’s number one ranked amateur, Tristen Strydom, is full of confidence ahead of next week’s Sanlam SA Amateur Championship at Silver Lakes Country Club after sharpening his game alongside the professionals in the Joburg Open.

Strydom was invited to tee it up in one of the biggest tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, allowing him the opportunity to test his game against an international field of professionals.

“The Joburg Open has been a great experience for me and has been really good in terms of keeping me sharp for the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship,” he said.

“Playing in the Joburg Open as an amateur is unbelievable. Both golf courses at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington are in such great condition and you learn so much from the professionals. In my first round I played with two professionals who shot 66 and 65, so it was a good experience to see how they managed their games.”

Managing the pressure of wanting to perform to his best in the most prestigious amateur tournament in South Africa will also be a challenge for Strydom. He came into the Joburg Open on the back of representing South Africa in their test defeat against Scotland, and feels he learnt a valuable lesson there.

“I didn’t have a great test against Scotland because I think I put too much pressure on myself to perform there. But playing in the Joburg Open has made me feel like I’m back on form going into the Sanlam SA Amateur. I’m really swinging well again.”

There is no doubt that Strydom wants to add the Sanlam SA Amateur to his already impressive list of victories, and it would be a natural progression for him after ending his junior career last year with a victory in the Glacier Junior Series National Final.

“The Sanlam SA Amateur Championship is a dream tournament for every amateur in South Africa. My match play record was pretty good last year, so I think I have a good chance this year.

“But as a whole, I’m really looking forward to this year. I want to improve my world ranking a lot, so I’m playing the big amateur tournaments overseas such as the Amateur Championship and the Lytham Trophy. As for the future, who knows? I’m still only 18 so I feel I’ve got time to make those decisions.”

The tournament tees off on Sunday with the first of the qualifying rounds.