Lowveld ladies wrap up interclub golf competition
The competition is played throughout the year, at six different golf courses in the Lowveld.
The 2024 Women’s Interclub Better Ball (ICBB) Lowveld Competition wrapped up with a day of great golf competition at the Sabie Golf Club that ended victoriously for White River Country Club.
The competition started all the way back in January, and over the past 10 months, ladies teams have been battling it out for supremacy in the competition. Matchdays are held on six courses during this time, and they always culminate in the final, which this year was held at Sabie Golf Club on October 19.
There are a number of clubs that are represented in the league, but only six teams participate, which boils down to the fact that some of the smaller clubs do not have the necessary numbers to compete with the bigger clubs. White River Country Club, Mbombela Golf Club and Kambaku Country Club all have their own teams.
Malalane, Barberton and eSwatini combine into one MBZ team; the Sabie team is made up of players from Sabie and Lydenburg, with Highland Gate to join in future; and golfers from Hazyview and Hoedspruit combine into one HazyHoeds team.
The courses that are then played on throughout the year are Mbombela, Sabie Golf Club, White River, Malelane Golf Club and Kambaku, while the sixth spot is filled by either Kruger Park Lodge or Sabie River Sun, as they alternate each year. Every matchday competition is divided into better-ball and matchplay sections, with points available for both that ultimately contribute to the team’s overall score in the league.
There was a lot at stake on the final day of competition in Sabie, with glory on the line for the best in the league. The White River pairing of Margaret Finn and Sue Toplis were the best better-ball team on the final day, scoring 45 points. Wilma Griessel and Eileen Horak of Sabie were second on 43, while Celia Rustage and Marcilda Vogel, also of Sabie, were third with 43 points.
In the matchplay section, HazyHoeds beat Kambaku on the final day, Mbombela and Sabie tied, while White River beat MBZ. These scores contributed to some shake-ups in the final standings.
MBZ finished in sixth place, with Sabie ahead in fifth and Mbombela fourth. Kambaku claimed third spot for a place on the podium, while the HazyHoeds team finished with silver. It was, however, the ladies from White River who were victorious in the 2024 Women’s ICBB Lowveld Competition, coming together for the overall win.
Four pairings dovetailed perfectly throughout the year to amass over 200 points. These were Rose Powell and Roenel Basson of Kambaku (249 points), Joan Leinberger and Sue Field of White River (233), Estie Bessinger and Cyzelle Fincham of Mbombela (228), and finally, Marcilda Vogel and Celia Rustage of Sabie (224).
