Samu notched her fifth title this season when she edged out Casandra Hall from Ekurhuleni by lone shot on seven-over-par 223 with rounds of 76, 70 and 77.
Newly-minted Nomads SA Girls Championship winner Danielle du Toit from Gauteng North took third on 228, while fellow Gauteng North player Larissa du Preez and Cara Gorlei from Western Province shared fourth on 230.
Samu was relieved, but also pleased to be pushed to the limit by Hall ahead of the Sanlam SA Women’s Amateur Championship, which tees off at Ebotse Golf and Country Estate on Sunday.
“I really had to push myself to win this one,” said the 17-year-old Ruimsig golfer.
“The course set-up was tough and the greens were very hard and slick. It was a really good test before the Sanlam SA Women’s Match Play and I must applaud Casandra. She piled on the pressure and really pushed me right up to the end.”
Samu led Hall by five shots at the start of the final round and the difference was still five after the Ebotse golfer bogeyed the first and Samu dropped a shot at the third. But Hall pounced with a birdie at the fifth to join Samu in the lead at six over when the leader dropped four successive shots from the fourth hole.
Hall bogeyed eight, but took the outright lead with a birdie at the 10th while Samu dropped two at the par four. Both players bogeyed 13, but Samu got within a shot of Hall when she birdied 14. She dropped another shot at 16, but retaliated with back-to-back birdies and clinched victory when Hall bogeyed the closing hole.
“My putting really let me down on the front nine and I tried too hard to play the perfect shot at 10 when I just should have gone for the middle of the green,” Samu said.
“It got a little better down the back nine, though. I hit a solid drive down the fairway at 14 and a gap-wedge to eight foot and holed the putt for birdie at 14. That birdie and seeing my coach (Graeme Francis) arrive, gave me that positive kick I needed down the last couple of holes.
“I thought I needed two birdies to tie Casandra for a play-off, so that’s what I played for. I hit my tee shot slightly left and a great approach to 50 feet and two-putted for birdie at 17.
“At the final hole, I drove it down the middle of fairway and hit a sand-wedge from 87 metres into the green. The ball pitched past the flag. I still don’t know how I got back spin on that slick green, but the ball spun back to about six feet. I put a really positive stroke on the putt and boxed it for birdie.
“It was only after Casandra came to congratulate me that I realised I had won. She put up a huge fight and I think she will be tough to beat at her home course.”
The Ladies division of the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Championship was played concurrently with the Liberty Gauteng North Championship. Ekurhuleni’s Sarah Bouch, representing HPC Tuks Golf Academy, won title with a winning score of 238.
Western Province’s Jessica Green wrapped up a seven shot victory in the B-Division in the Liberty-sponsored event. The Clovelly golfer carded rounds of 88, 85 and 89 to triumph on 262.
LIBERTY GAUTENG NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
A-DIVISION RESULT
223 Ivanna Samu 76 70 77
224 Casandra Hall 75 76 73
228 Danielle du Toit 75 77 76
230 Larissa du Preez 86 73 71; Cara Gorlei 80 75 75
232 Caitlyn Macnab 79 73 80
233 Kajal Mistry 76 77 80
234 Kaiyuree Moodley 81 79 74; Catherine Lau 76 76 82
235 Woo-Ju Son 81 82 72
238 Sarah Bouch 83 82 73
240 Lenanda Van der Watt 84 81 75; Zethu Myeki 83 79 78; Symone Henriques 80 81 79
241 Shawnelle De Lange 77 82 82
242 Demi Flanagan 83 82 77; Chiara Contomathios 83 81 78
243 Chante Van Zyl 82 80 81
244 Crystal Cooper 88 81 75; Eugenie Clack 84 81 79
245 Bianca Wernich 89 82 74
247 Marne Clack 84 83 80; Ginger Delacretaz 81 82 84
248 Kiera Floyd 82 83 83
249 Zayb Fredericks 83 86 80
252 Aaliyah Abrahams 85 85 82; Lindi Coetzee 78 91 83
254 Caro Els 90 85 79
256 Kaylah Williams 86 86 84
258 Ethel Ruthenberg 92 80 86
260 Chante Boonstra 90 83 87; Jenefer Haw 87 88 85
262 Jamie-Lee Daniels 88 89 85; Kelsey Nicholas 85 88 89
265 Noluthando Mdanda 93 86 86
267 Samantha Whateley 90 86 91
272 Odette Booysen 95 85 92
273 Marinda Pretorius 89 93 91
276 Renee Joubert 94 93 89
277 Magdel Du Toit 104 93 80
287 Jacobi Du Toit 95 97 95
301 Magri Beukes 97 103 101
WD Zanele Mazibuko 92 WD WD; Kim De Klerk WD WD WD
DQ Adele Beytell DQR DQ DQ
B-DIVISION RESULT – TOP 10
262 Jessica Green 88 85 89
269 Zane Naude 100 87 82
270 Holly Lau 94 92 84
271 Liezel Heyns 86 93 92
272 Valda Ford 91 90 91
274 Jo-Lindie Richter 90 97 87
277 Rhona Topka 91 93 93; Kera Healey 91 93 93
279 Katya Henriques 99 90 90; Cleo Jordaan 98 89 92; Shanice De Gee 90 88 101
ARTICLE: LALI STANDER
