Ekurhuleni junior Liam van Deventer, a Grade Six pupil at St Catherine’s Primary School, was over the moon when he placed first at the recent Nomads SA U-13 Golf Championships.
Van Deventer, coached by Robbie Stewart, who is also a member of the Germiston Golf Club, also helped his team to clinch the team prize, at Wingate Park Country Club.
Van Deventer was two off the pace from Southern Cape’s Jordan Duminy at the start of the final round, but the Germiston youngster reeled in four birdies to offset three dropped shots, for a one-under-par 71 to set the clubhouse target at four-over-par 221.
Duminy, from Mossel Bay birdied the second and bogeyed the fifth to stay in front, but, after 12 straight pars, the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy member dropped a shot on the par-five 18th, to finish in a tie for lead at the end of regulation play.
The leaders finished the first extra hole in par, but during the third trip down the 18th, van Deventer turned the tide in his favour. He timed his second shot perfectly and finished 20m before the green, while Duminy overshot the pin.
The Ekurhuleni junior chipped to six feet and drained the birdie putt for victory.
Meanwhile, Yurav Premlall carded a 79, Zamokuhle Nxasana returned 82, Casey Jarvis registered an 82 and Jaryd Venter contributed an 84 to win the team competition.
The runners-up of last year, Ekurhuleni, scored 392 in the first two rounds and combined for a 399 in the final round to defeat Central Gauteng by two shots.
