Van der Merwe victorious in GolfRSA International Amateur

GolfRSA No 1 Altin van der Merwe played one of the greatest shots in the history of the SA Swing of events to capture the GolfRSA International Amateur Championship in a dramatic sudden death playoff with Dutchman Jack Ingham at Houghton Golf Club; credit GolfRSA.

February 2024 – Altin van der Merwe played one of the greatest shots in the history of the SA Swing of events to capture the GolfRSA International Amateur Championship in a dramatic sudden death playoff with Dutchman Jack Ingham.

With both players having finished regulation play at 12 under par over the 72-hole championship at Houghton Golf Club, Van der Merwe and Ingham returned to the par-four 18th hole to settle the result in a playoff.

Ingham seemed to have the upper hand, having left his approach just short of the green, facing straight-forward chip shot. Van der Merwe, meanwhile, had short-sided himself in a deep greenside bunker and looked to be in some trouble.

Playing first, Ingham chipped it a couple of feet past the hole, before a touch of Van der Merwe magic saw the South African hole his bunker shot and walk off with the biggest title of his career.

“When he hit his chip close, I thought to myself, ‘I just need to get this close to the hole to give myself a chance,’” said Van der Merwe. “I caught it beautifully, and as it went in, I just lost it. I have never felt so electric in my life – I have had some good finishes but nothing like that. It was awesome.”

Earlier, it was a final-round charge by the GolfRSA National Squad member that set the tournament alight.

The 27-year-old fired five straight birdies from the second hole, added another at the eighth and eagled the par-five 10th to surge into an unlikely early lead, having started the day in a tie for eighth.

“I was five strokes behind the lead, and I needed to go low, so I set myself a target of 11 under,” he said.

Team South Africa celebrates with 2024 GolfRSA International Amateur champion Altin van der Merwe; credit GolfRSA

“It was make or break, so I went for a lot of flags on the front nine and fortunately it paid off. I was throwing darts and having short putts.

“Then, on the back nine, when I realised that I was tied for the lead, I played a bit more conservatively. I didn’t want to throw it all away – and luckily it paid off.”

By the time the tournament reached the closing stages, it was clear it was going to be tightly contested, with overnight leader Aston Wade Arthur, 17-year-old Dian Kruger, SA Amateur champion Gregor Graham, SA Stroke Play champion Jordan Burnand all in contention.

Ultimately, it was Ingham and Van der Merwe who held their nerves over the back nine, finishing two strokes clear of Graham, with Burnand and Kruger in a tie for fourth.

The playoff hole brought about a change in tactic from Van der Merwe.

“I changed club off the tee,” said the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member. “I’ve been hitting my 2-iron off that tee all week, but when Jack hit his tee shot into the rough, I clubbed down to a 4-iron. I hit what I thought was a great second shot, but I must have got the distance or the wind wrong because I came up short and in the bunker.”

He could hardly have guessed that he’d only need one shot from there to secure one of the biggest titles in South African amateur golf. Making it sweeter for the Bellville Golf Club member is that this is likely to be his final stretch in the amateur ranks.

“This really builds my confidence heading into the Africa Amateur,” he said. “I was feeling really good coming into these four big events. I’ve been working on something small in my swing and think I’ve got that right, so I’m feeling really good about my game. I love playing at Leopard Creek, so I can’t wait to bring this form there.”

The victory rocketed the GolfRSA No 1-ranked amateur 30 spots in the World Amateur Golf Rankings to a career-high 166th ahead of the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek, where the champion golfer will earn exemption into into The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, The Amateur Championship, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions