Serengeti’s golfer achieves SA amateur double

Serengeti golfer and South Africa’s number one-ranked Caitlyn Macnab became the 12th woman to successfully defend her SA amateur title since 1906.

Macnab won her second title in style with a convincing 11 and 9 victory over Swellendam’s Megan Streicher at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington’s East Course.

The 2020 champion, who had relinquished her SA Stroke Play title to Streicher last week, showed no mercy to her opponent as she racked up an eagle and 10 birdies to comfortably wrap things up by the 27th hole of the 36-hole final.

While Streicher may have initially contributed to her demise with a smattering of bogeys, she simply had no answer to the brilliance of Macnab, who played the last 14 holes in an incredible 10 under par.

With the win, Macnab became the first player since Ashleigh Buhai (nee Simon) in 2007 to achieve the SA Amateur double.

The 19-year-old started the week slowly, posting an opening round of 75 in the Stroke Play, but got consistently better as she put more rounds under the belt.

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“I hadn’t played a lot of tournament golf in the last year, so it took a while for me to warm up,” said the Serengeti golfer. “I peaked just in time for the match play.”

Reaching the turn at five up, one could have forgiven Macnab for playing conservatively and protecting her lead. Instead, she went the other way. “Match play is not over until it’s over,” she said.

“Even though I had the lead I wasn’t going to take my foot off the pedal and luckily the putts started to drop.” Macnab, who had a hole-in-one during her semi-final round, followed up an eagle on the 19th hole with a pair of birdies to put her in an almost unassailable position at eight up.

Three birdies later and Streicher’s suffering was over, with Caitlyn Macnab writing her name in the history books of South African amateur golf.

“This is huge; it’s massive,” said the GolfRSA Elite Squad member. “The first win last year was very special, but this one is huge. I am incredibly proud of this achievement and it’s hard to put into words what this means to me.

“To have done this gives me so much confidence and self-belief. I hope to win a few more titles on the amateur circuit and contest on the Sunshine Ladies Tour before I take up my golf scholarship at the Texas Christian University in August.”

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