Schoolboy from Pretoria establishes himself as top golf amateur in South Africa
A seventeen-year-old emerging golf star from Pretoria tells how he had to adjust his swing during the lockdown period and how it benefited him after competitive golf became possible again.
There can’t be too many South African athletes who are able to draw positives out of the Covid-19 pandemic, but for GolfRSA National Squad member Christiaan Maas, the hard lockdown turned out to be an unexpected blessing in disguise.
The 17-year-old found himself at odds with his swing after a sudden growth spurt early in the year.
The subsequent cancellation of all the national and provincial tournaments bought the talented youngster the necessary time to work out all the kinks and when golf re-opened in June, Maas immediately headed to his home course – Pretoria Country Club – to fine-tune the improvements.
He began campaigning on the country’s golf development circuits in September to put the new swing under competitive pressure and the results have been outstanding.
Since late September, Maas racked up four titles in as many weeks – two victories against the professionals on the IGT Challenge Tour, a play-off triumph on the new Bushveld Tour and a win on the popular Bridge Fund Managers Junior Series, which qualified him for the Regional Finals.
A few weeks ago, at Irene Country Club, the youngster made it five for five with a masterclass performance in the Gauteng North Golf Union’s Silver Salver.
He scorched the par-72 layout in rounds of 65 and 64 to head into the final day with a five-shot lead and a third round 66 left him a staggering nine shots clear of the field. Maas sealed a 12-shot victory with a final-round 66 to win on 27-under-par.
He came within three shots of the 72-hole record set by Albert Kruger in the Ekurhuleni Open at ERPM in 2002. He did, however, equal the next best score, set by fellow GolfRSA National Squad member and SA No 1 Casey Jarvis in the 2018 edition of the Ekurhuleni Open at State Mines.
“It was quite funny in the end, because Casey told me the record was his 27-under at State Mines. Neither of us knew about the 30-under record, so I guess we both have something to shoot for now. I had set myself a target of 30-under and was going nicely in the final round until the wind started blowing quite strong. I dropped a shot on the seventh, but I birdied the eighth and then we got called off for dangerous weather,” Maas said after the tournament.
The field had to wait out the storm and the hour and 20-minute delay left Maas feeling stiff.
“I made a string of pars on the back nine, but it was really nice to finish it off with three birdies in a row. I have to admit that I was disappointed not to get to 30-under, but overall, I am really happy with the way my game is coming along,” he commented.
Given his current vein of form, it would not be unthinkable that Maas could have reached the top three with a few more provincial events on the schedule, but the Grade 11 Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool learner is putting golf on the back burner with the final exams approaching.
“I don’t think I will be able to play in any more events, which is a bit of a blow, but exams are my main priority first right now. Hopefully I won’t lose too many spots and I can come out fighting in 2021,” he concluded.
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