Nail-biting duel at Prince’s Grant tournament
The 20th annual Prince's Grant National Invitational Tournament was a nail-biting tug-of-war between Luke Jerling from Port Elizabeth Golf Club and Matt Sualez from Durban Country Club.
Contrary to last year’s tournament where Andrew van der Knaap ran away with the title, setting a new tournament record of 14 below par, this year the competition was tight until the very last hole.
The 20th annual Prince’s Grant National Invitational Tournament held from May 2 to 4, was a nail biting tug-of-war between Luke Jerling from Port Elizabeth Golf Club, ranked 15th in the SA Open Amateur rankings and Matt Sualez from Durban Country Club, ranked 16th.
Sualez held a one shot lead over Jerling from day one but squandered it when he double bogeyed on the 15th on the final day.
Jerling had a two shot lead over Sualez on the final hole of the tournament (the par five 18th) and Sualez could still force a play-off if he birdied and Jerling bogeyed.
To his horror, Jerling sliced his tee shot off the 18th into the hazard on the left and dropped a shot. Laying up his third and leaving his fourth six feet from the pin, Jerling handled the pressure well and sunk his fifth to make par and end the day on 73, one over par.
The only way for Suarez to force a play-off would be to make an eagle.
Sualez’s got off the tee well and his second overshot the green, from where it all went downhill.
His third landed in the bunker, and he proceeded to leave himself a tough 12 foot putt to make par. Unfortunately Sualez needed two putts to close out a round of 77, leaving him on level par 288 for the tournament, three shots behind Jerling who finished off a great tournament on three below par 285.
Bruce Pritchard caused a flurry of excitement when he aced the par three 17th on the second day.
This was only the second hole-in-one ever recorded in the tournament’s 20 year history and he will certainly treasure the certificate issued to him.
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