GOLF NEWS - Reigning SA Amateur champion Christiaan Maas eclipsed Masters champion Charl Schwartzel’s tournament record with an eight-shot victory in the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play Championship at Waterkloof Golf Club.

Schwartzel’s 72-hole tournament record of 272, set in Benoni in 2001, had stood for almost 20 years until the 17-year-old prodigy rewrote the amateur golf history books with a masterful display to triumph on 23-under-par 265.

Over the first three rounds of the championship, Maas was composure and confidence personified.

He began with successive rounds of eight-under-par 64 to open up a six shot lead, and no one cut into that gap as he stayed at the summit with a third round 67. The Pretoria junior was briefly dismayed that he failed to reach the 30-under target he had set himself after posting a frustrating 70 in the final round, but his mood lifted with the news of the new tournament record.

“I had no idea. That is awesome news,” said the elated champion.

“To be honest, I was really annoyed with myself. The lowest tournament record is 30-under in the Ekurhuleni Open. I came so close in the Silver Salver last year and I thought this week I’d get there for sure.

“After going 16-under in the first two rounds, I felt I could shoot 15-under in the last two rounds, but the double in the third cost me. And I just didn’t play well enough in the final round. This was one that I really wanted to win and the record takes the sting out of the disappointment that I didn’t get to 30-under.”

Maas racked up 24 birdies and two eagles over the four rounds of the championship.

After a flawless first round, he had a single bogey in the second and made amends for the third round double bogey on the par 4 11th with a three at the par-5 15th. He also erased four bogeys in the final round, but he was brutally honest in his assessment of his performance.

“I didn’t play at my best on the last day,” said the GolfRSA National Squad member.

“The fairways here are generous and when I hit the driver hard, I take out all the trouble. Even when you miss a fairway, you can still make birdie or par. I hit driver on almost every hole and executed my strategy really well over the first two rounds.

“I was still on target in the third round until my ball ended up in a tree on 11. Yurav (Premlall) said he didn’t want to play over the trees in case his ball got stuck, and I should have taken his lead. I didn’t hit driver well in the last two rounds and I left too many makeable birdie and par putts out there in the final round. I’m really happy that I got the win, but I’ve got some work to do.”

Maas finished in the winner’s circle on the junior and open amateur circuit and professional golf development tours since competitive golf started up again last September, and the Waterkloof win boosts his winning tally to 13.

With the first hurdle crossed and the Nedbank Golf Challenge coming up next week, Maas has already set himself new goals for the Nomads SA Boys U-19 Match Play Championship, which tees off on Thursday.

“Winning the double has been a goal of mine for a long time. It’s the biggest junior event on our circuit and to become a double winner will be huge honour. But I also really want to win Nedbank Golf Challenge after missing the cut by one shot in the SA Open,” he said.

“I need to use the match play stage to straighten out the driver, because you have to hit it straight at the Gary Player; a lot straighter than I’m hitting it now.”

Maas won the gruelling SA Amateur Championship in February when he ousted Englishman Jack Dyer 3 & 2, but lost 4 & 3 to Premlall in the final of the ProShop Northern Amateur. He knows the next few days will be tough.

“Match Play is unpredictable and you have to know when to stick to your game plan and when to get more aggressive. It all depends on your opponent does. When someone comes out hot, you have to respond. But whatever the outcome, I’m looking forward to the battle.”

The Stroke Play winner will face fellow GolfRSA National Squad member Jaden Deltel in his first match of the day.

Premlall, meanwhile, carded a closing even-par 72 to finish alone in second. The Glendower golfer will go up against Morris Schiefner. Third-place finishers John-William Blomerus and Jordan Duminy will meet Jordan Wessels and Ivan Verster respectively in the first round.

Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play Championship Final Result

• 265 Christiaan Maas 64 64 67 70
• 273 Yurav Premlall 65 69 67 72
• 275 John-William Blomerus 68 69 68 70; Jordan Duminy 66 68 71 70
• 281 Dean Wilken 68 72 70 71
• 282 Jack Buchanan 76 67 65 74
• 283 Joshua Koekemoer 69 71 72 71; Werner Potgieter 67 71 70 75
• 284 Herman du Plessis 70 70 72 72
• 285 Hannes Strooh 70 73 72 70; Stefan Delport 69 73 73 70; Janko van der Merwe 72 70 71 72; Nico Els 69 69 72 75
• 286 Tristan Leonard 69 72 77 68
• 288 Daniel Bennett 71 70 75 72
• 289 Damian Osner 73 77 71 68; Malan Potgieter 74 72 73 70; Kayle Wykes 70 76 73 70; Christopher Bagnall 70 73 76 70; Stefan Jacobs 71 75 71 72
• 290 Jack Cubitt 73 71 77 69; Behn Heyns 74 72 71 73
• 291 Janus Roberts 72 68 78 73
• 292 Leonard Bevan 74 70 75 73; Wiehan van der Walt 74 72 71 75
• 293 Keagan Crosbie 75 73 73 72; Amilkar Bhana 75 75 70 73
• 294 Ivan Verster 78 71 73 72; Jordan Wessels 74 69 78 73; Marco Anderson 80 69 71 74
• 295 Nico Booyens 73 73 78 71; Bernard Meyer 74 75 72 74; Jaden Deltel 73 72 75 75; Morris Schiefner 75 73 67 80
• 296 Dylan Kayne 79 68 76 73; Murray Boast 73 75 75 73; Jaime Clive Lewis 72 75 75 74; Tiaan Hugo 73 71 74 78
• 297 Divan Mostert 74 77 73 73
• 298 Juan Engelbrecht 74 74 77 73; Aiden Leeb 73 77 74 74; Tiaan Tibshraeny 74 70 79 75; Sean Tsipa 73 74 73 78
• 300 Luke Truter 76 74 73 77
• 301 Gabriel de Jongh 75 74 78 74; Craig Jacobs 73 75 77 76; Matthew Bramford 81 70 72 78
• 302 Astin Wade Arthur 76 74 79 73; Nash de Klerk 77 69 80 76; Jack Brugman 76 74 75 77; Jean Louis du Plessis 71 76 77 78; Reagan Kraft 78 73 72 79
• 303 James Alan Jarvis 74 72 79 78
• 304 Brandon Weir 72 73 83 76; Michael Nortje 74 75 77 78; Brayden Dahl 76 74 75 79; Blake Botes 74 75 73 82
• 305 Stefano Marchetti 75 76 79 75; Michael Dalton 74 77 76 78
• 307 Wandre Snyman 76 74 80 77; Romeo le Roux 75 76 78 78; Keegan Shutt 71 77 80 79
• 316 Luc Gavagnin 80 71 85 80
• 317 Misha Loots 75 74 83 85
• 318 Hugo Pienaar 76 75 92 75

'We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news'