Western Province Amateur – Tyrone Ryan does the double

The final pitted WP Stroke-Play Champion Tyrone Ryan against former SA Champion, JG Claassen. Ryan was attempting to join Thomas Aitken (2001) and Ryan Tipping (2002) as winners of both the stroke-play and match-play titles in the same year.

The final got off to a scrappy start when Claassen played the wrong ball on the opening hole and then put his tee shot in the hazard on the 2nd. He then got the match even by the turn with a birdie on the 8th. Ryan drove the short par four 14th to go 1up but Claassen squared the match with an eagle on 15. A Ryan bogey on 16th saw him fall behind before a birdie on the 18th meant they took lunch all square.

The second 18 saw both players birdie 2 of the first 3 holes, but Claassen 3 putted 8 and when Ryan birdied 9 he held a two hole advantage after 27.

The 10th was halved in birdies before a weak Ryan bogey on 12 and a Claassen birdie on 14 saw the game back even. Claassen then 3 putted both the 15th (for par) and the 17th (for bogey) to hand the title to Ryan.

Tyrone Ryan thus joined an select band of golfers win both the stroke-play and match play titles.