Former Affie again best amateur at SA Open golf tournament
Although he made history with his second Freddie Tait Cup as best amateur at the SA Open golf championship, a young rising golf superstar from Pretoria was disappointed that inclement weather deprived him of the opportunity to achieve an even greater feat by potentially being crowned champion.
The 21-year-old former learner of the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) in Pretoria, Christiaan Maas, became only the second player in history to win the prestigious Freddie Tait Cup twice when he finished joint fourth at the SA Open golf tournament at the Durban Golf Club this past weekend.
This prestigious trophy is presented to the amateur player who performs best at the tournament.
Maas is the second player since Neville Clarke (1991) to win this trophy more than once after he also lifted it at the SA Open in December 2022 on the Blair Atholl course in Centurion, when he was only 19 years old.
Maas, who is currently a Sport Management student at the University of Texas in Austin, USA, has been considered a future golf superstar since his high school days in Pretoria.
Despite this achievement, the Pretoria Country Club player was slightly disappointed with his performance after the tournament, which was shortened due to inclement weather and heavy rain when the fourth day’s play was cancelled.
The tournament was ultimately won by Dylan Naidoo of The Club at Steyn City, who beat Englishman Laurie Canter in a playoff round.
Maas, who at one point emerged as a strong candidate to be crowned champion, had mixed feelings. The rising young star from Pretoria had a shot at becoming the first amateur since Denis Hutchinson in 1959 to win the South African Open, but cutting the tournament to 54 holes denied him the opportunity.
“I’m not really sure how to feel right now. I’d say I would have been happier if we’d played a little bit today. Especially after yesterday. I felt I played very well then, and I didn’t finish the way I wanted to,” said Maas while receiving the trophy in the pouring morning rain.
According to Maas, it is a massive honour to win the Freddie Tait, but he still feels a little disappointed that they couldn’t play on day four.
“The Freddie Tait was already in the back of my head. After playing pretty well yesterday with Laurie Canter, I was hoping we could play today… or at least tomorrow,” he concluded.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
