British Amateur champ shoots five under par to take lead at Leopard Creek

Reigning British Amateur champion, Aldrich Potgieter, showed serious restraint as he swept into the lead on a windy opening day at the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in Malalane on Monday.

The 18-year-old Potgieter put on a superb ball-striking display to fire a five under par 67 and lead a jampacked leaderboard.

His closest challenger, Fabrizio de Abreu, carded 68, while two more fellow GolfRSA national squad members, Dan Bennett and Pascal Gunther, tied for third on three under. England’s Gregor Graham and Morris Schiefner shared fifth on two under, with five players a further stroke back.

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When Potgieter made his debut on South African soil in the GolfRSA SA Swing opener just 12 months ago, the young prodigy was impressive, and soared into striking distance of 54-hole leader Casey Jarvis with a seven-under-par 65 on moving day. He got within two shots of Jarvis with two holes to play in the final round, but his aggressive style of play proved costly and he dropped seven shot shots on the closing holes.

“I chased the lead, got too aggressive and I paid for it,” he said after having to settle for third.

The more mature version that pitched up this week still attacked the fairways, but the experience gained last year and during the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December resulted in a more constructed and patient performance.

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“It was a slow start this morning, but those two par threes with the water play difficult when the wind picks up,” said the Louis Oosthuizen, Junior Golf Academy member, who offset a brace of bogeys with two birdies on the front nine.

“The birdie on 10 got things rolling and the eagle on 13 helped.”

The GolfRSA Proteas started their title defence in the 54-hole team competition strongly, chiefly thanks to the Pinnacle Point golfer’s 67 and the 69 from new cap Bennet.

Reigning SA Stroke Play champion Jono Broomhead returned a level par round to put the team at the top of the leaderboard on eight under.

Captain Kyle de Beer, the 2022 SA Amateur champion and only member of last year’s victorious team to return for duty, opened with 76.

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“It’s great to have some new blood on the team and I was really impressed by Dan, our new cap, and Aldie as well, but we’ve come to expect this kind of golf from Aldie,” De Beer said.

“Jono never stopped fighting. Hopefully I can sort a few things out on the range and help the team over the next two rounds. It was really tricky out there in the two-club wind, and I think the course was set up very fair in anticipation of the weather. A lot of tees were pushed up, but the flags were still in really tough positions and it was a challenge, as always.”

The South Africans sit at top spot on the leaderboard after the opening round of the championship, followed by Scotland and Sweden.