Mediocre day for Namibians at Leopard Creek
Golf
The Walvis Bay youngster Kyle Johnson had the best result among the five Namibian national men’s team members at the African Amateur Golf Championship yesterday.
Johnson completed the opening day’s 18 holes in 78 shots (six over par), which put him in tied 28th position among the 72 individuals from 24 countries that started the tournament.
On a day when the host nation’s golfers dominated at the Leopards Creek golf course in Mpumalanga with scores well under par, the Namibians struggled to adapt to the conditions.
Stefanus Bonifatius, Todd Parker and Kevin Wentzel each finished their rounds in 82 shots (ten over par), which put them in tied 54th position. Walter Heibeb had a nightmarish opening day, misfiring on plus-18 with 89 shots.
“I didn’t play great off the tee today, hitting some into the rough or out of bounds and picking up seven penalty shots,” Parker told the newspaper.
“I also missed a few putts that I would normally have landed. But I’m sure the next few days will go better.”
Leader board after day 1:
1st, Matthew Bramford (Zimbabwe), -7, 65 shots.
2nd, Ivan Verster (South Africa), -6, 66 shots
Tied 3rd, Simon du Plooy (South Africa), -3, 69 shots; Daniel Bennett (South Africa), -3, 69 shots; Jordan Burnand (South Africa), -3, 69.
6th: Altin van der Merwe (South Africa), -2, 70.
Tied 7th: Jack Buchanan (South Africa), -1, 71 shots; Amilkar Bhana (South Africa), -1, 71; Christiaan Maas (South Africa), -1, 71.
Absentee
The newspaper’s enquiries on the absence of Likius Nande, multiple Namibian Open champion who dominates most of the local tournaments, did not yield an official response yesterday.
The player’s reply: “I was part of the team selected by the Namibia Golf Federation to go represent, but they sent my invite to a wrong address. But I’m going to qualify for the Sunshine Tour in April, so I might be turning pro after that.”
Opportunity
South Africa’s Jordan Burnand commented on the tournament: “The African Amateur Championship and the importance of it to all golfers in Africa is just spectacular.
“It gives us an opportunity to play for a spot in a major (The Open) and get into other big amateur events across the world. It’s just incredible. There are similar events around the world, which is incredible, but for Africa it’s unbelievable. It’s such an awesome opportunity for all the African players to play against each other.”
Johnson completed the opening day’s 18 holes in 78 shots (six over par), which put him in tied 28th position among the 72 individuals from 24 countries that started the tournament.
On a day when the host nation’s golfers dominated at the Leopards Creek golf course in Mpumalanga with scores well under par, the Namibians struggled to adapt to the conditions.
Stefanus Bonifatius, Todd Parker and Kevin Wentzel each finished their rounds in 82 shots (ten over par), which put them in tied 54th position. Walter Heibeb had a nightmarish opening day, misfiring on plus-18 with 89 shots.
“I didn’t play great off the tee today, hitting some into the rough or out of bounds and picking up seven penalty shots,” Parker told the newspaper.
“I also missed a few putts that I would normally have landed. But I’m sure the next few days will go better.”
Leader board after day 1:
1st, Matthew Bramford (Zimbabwe), -7, 65 shots.
2nd, Ivan Verster (South Africa), -6, 66 shots
Tied 3rd, Simon du Plooy (South Africa), -3, 69 shots; Daniel Bennett (South Africa), -3, 69 shots; Jordan Burnand (South Africa), -3, 69.
6th: Altin van der Merwe (South Africa), -2, 70.
Tied 7th: Jack Buchanan (South Africa), -1, 71 shots; Amilkar Bhana (South Africa), -1, 71; Christiaan Maas (South Africa), -1, 71.
Absentee
The newspaper’s enquiries on the absence of Likius Nande, multiple Namibian Open champion who dominates most of the local tournaments, did not yield an official response yesterday.
The player’s reply: “I was part of the team selected by the Namibia Golf Federation to go represent, but they sent my invite to a wrong address. But I’m going to qualify for the Sunshine Tour in April, so I might be turning pro after that.”
Opportunity
South Africa’s Jordan Burnand commented on the tournament: “The African Amateur Championship and the importance of it to all golfers in Africa is just spectacular.
“It gives us an opportunity to play for a spot in a major (The Open) and get into other big amateur events across the world. It’s just incredible. There are similar events around the world, which is incredible, but for Africa it’s unbelievable. It’s such an awesome opportunity for all the African players to play against each other.”
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