Van Heerden edges ahead at KZN Amateur

Mpumalanga golfer Andre van Heerden fired a nearly flawless 66 in blustery afternoon conditions at Selborne Country Club to open up a slender one stroke lead in the first round of the 36-hole Stroke Play Qualifier of the KwaZulu-Natal Amateur Championship on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Walker Park player eagled the par five third and reeled in five birdies against a lone bogey to edge ahead of Gauteng North’s James du Preez.

Du Preez dropped shots at 13 and 17, but the Pretoria Country Club player was equally impressive over the first 12 holes with five birdies and an eagle.

Mohit Mediratta from Central Gauteng and Gauteng North par Reinhardt Blaauw and Teaghan Gauche finished four shots off the pace.

Mediratta and Blaauw took advantage of the benign conditions in the morning to set clubhouse target and Gauche joined the threesome at two under after navigating the par-72 layout with four birdies and a brace of bogeys.

Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s Mediratta used a pair of eagles to wipe out two double bogeys in his trip around Selborne, while Centurion’s Blaauw carded birdies at one, seven and 14 to grab a share of third.

Central Gauteng trio David McIntyre, Tyron Gibb and Darrin de Smidt finished a further stroke adrift.

Meanwhile newly-minted Southern Cape Open champion Carlo O’Reilly from Western Province joined the bus at even-par alongside Gauteng North’s Albert Venter and Philip Kruse, Aubrey Beckley from North West and local amateur Warren van Heerden to complete the top 10.

36-Hole Stroke Play Qualifier: Round One Scores (top 20)
66 Andre van Heerden
67 James du Preez
70 Mohit Mediratta; Reinhardt Blaauw; Teaghan Gauche
71 David Mcintyre; Tyrone Gibb; Darin de Smidt
72 Warren van Heerden; Carlo O’Reilly; Albert Venter; Philip Kruse; Aubrey Beckley
73 Nicholas Botha; Eric Wowor; Keagan Thomas; Malcolm Mitchell; Jason Viljoen; Andi Dill; Clayton Mansfield; Samuel Gouma

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

Posted in