NATIONAL NEWS - Every great golfer can flash back to a defining moment in his career; an experience that kicked his career into a higher gear.
For BMW SA Open champion Brandon Stone it was a shot off the beach during the final round of the Challenge Tour’s NBO Golf Classic Grand Final that helped him secure his European Tour card for 2016.
For Joburg Open champion Haydn Porteous, the kicker was Stone’s victory at Glendower. For Zander Lombard – the runner-up at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington on Sunday – it was a third place finish in the Australian PGA Championship late last year.
And, on Sunday, Porteous and Lombard flipped the switch for South Africa’s reigning number one amateur Tristen Strydom.
“You don’t need any more encouragement to step it up than watching two of your best friends finish one and two on golf’s biggest stage,” said Strydom after signing for an opening four-under-par 68 and a sole second place in the IGT Tour’s Wingate Park Country Club Open on Monday.
“I was gutted when I didn’t crack an invitation for the Joburg Open, but it was fate. I ended up watching every shot on the weekend and there were some big lessons to be learned. When I was coming through the junior ranks, I played a lot of golf with Haydn and Zander.
“Watching the way they handled themselves in Sunday’s final round was all-inspiring. It was like a switch flipped for me. Haydn said this week that you can’t practice like an amateur in the professional game and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.”
Lombard, who won multiple events on the IGT Tour as an amateur, unexpectedly turned up at Wingate Park and spent some time before the start of the first round celebrating his 21st birthday with the aspirant professionals.
“Zander chatted to us about the Joburg Open experience and he encouraged us to work harder on the course, in the gym and to set goals for ourselves,” Strydom said.
“I am very fortunate that I will have a lot of support in the Golf RSA National Squad, but if I don’t put in the hard work, it will come to nothing.”
One of the things that impressed Strydom was the accuracy with which Porteous navigated the East Course on Sunday.
“Haydn didn’t miss one single green all day,” he said. “He usually plays with a lot of feeling and flair and it was amazing to see how conservative and methodically he played.
“I started today’s round with that in mind. I tried to hit every fairway and green in regulation and I did a pretty good job. I hit 14 fairways and missed just three greens. I made a 20-footer for birdie at the fourth, but I hit the rest of my approaches pretty close.”
Strydom claimed his first victory on the country’s premier development Tour at Benoni Country Club last year and he is going all out to collect a second trophy this week.
“Pieter Kruger is leading and he is a fierce competitor. He won the Race to Q-School last year and he won’t be easy to catch, but I’m going to give it an almighty try,” Strydom said.
FIRST ROUND SCORES
All competitors RSA unless otherwise specified and amateurs are indicated as (AMA)
67 - Pieter Kruger
68 - Tristen Strydom (AMA)
69 - Estiaan Conradie (AMA), Hennie Du Plessis, Jeff Hopkins (IRE), Juan Langeveld, CJ du Plessis, Gary Daoust (AMA)
70 - Eric Nel (AMA), Eddie Taylor, Arthur Horne (SWA), MJ Daffue, Sean Bradley (AMA)
71 - Ruan Conradie (AMA), Tyrone Ryan, Matthew Vogel, Toby Tree (ENG), Conway Kunneke, Michael Kok (AMA), Jaco Prinsloo, Divan Marais (AMA), NJ Arnoldi, Thabang Simon, Terence Boardman, Stephan De Beer, Stephan Erasmus (AMA)
72 - Ruan Korb (AMA), Ockert Strydom, Dayne Moore (ZAM), Damian Naicker, Jonathan Waschefort, Teboho Sefatsa, Calvin Caldeira, Christiaan Pretorius, Pieter Cooper (AMA)
73 - Matthew Adams (AMA), Clinton Cheia, Callum Mowat, Wayne Stroebel, Teaghan Gauche, Paul De Beer, Wynand Dingle
74 - Siphiwe Siphayi, Coert Groenewald, Matthew Spacey, Romano Saincic
75 - Walter Behr (AMA), Russel Franz, CJ Levey, Ruan Huysamen (NAM), Joubert Van Eeden, Simon Kruger, Duane Keun
76 - Driekus Gous (AMA), Etienne J V Rensburg (AMA), Reynhard Reynecke (AMA), Louis Taylor, Christo Hattingh, Keegan Steyn (AMA), Quintin Crause (AMA), Langley Perrins, Fanie Wolmarans (AMA)
77 - Alpheus Kelapile, Bryce Myburgh, Werner Van Niekerk, Michael Jooste (AMA), Dylan de Beer, Yngve Nilsson (SWE), Sean Coomer (AMA)
78 - Andrew Ilsley (AMA), Juan Pierre Cooper (AMA), Gerard Du Plooy, Irvin Mazibuko, Rodger Govender, Hayden Griffiths (AMA)
79 - Jason Ackerman (AMA), Estiaan De Jager (AMA), Jaco Van Der Merwe (AMA), Reggie Van Der Merwe (AMA)
80 - Marais Visagie, Sarel Boshoff (AMA), Thabi Ngcobo (AMA), Jordan Parsons (AMA), Philip Geerts (AMA) (ITA), Steven Le Roux (AMA), Dwayne Coetzee
81 - Brendan Britten (NAM), Mark Lennox, Ruan Potgieter (AMA), Terence Mogapi, Tiaan Bronkhorst (AMA), Jandre Fullard (AMA), Sam Botham (ENG)
82 - Nicklas Van Wyk (AMA), Sam Metcalfe (AMA)
83 - Wesley Baptiste (AMA), Darryl Maistry, Philip du Preez, Kyle Beattie (AMA), Wayne Walker (AMA), Igor Milicic (SRB)
84 - Etzard Grimbeek (AMA), Duan Nagel (AMA)
85 - Heinrich Stoop (AMA), Liam Bezuidenhout (AMA), Leon Visser (AMA)
86 - Jabu Radebe
87 - Tommie Brits (AMA)
89 - Tristan Nel (AMA)
90 - Wilhelm Coetzee (AMA)
93 - Charles Grobler (AMA)
ARTICLE: LALI STANDER.
