Limpopo golfers shine at Sanlam Cancer Challenge

The annual Sanlam Cancer Challenge contested at Sun City in North West last week delivered a Limpopo champion in the men’s C-division and a runner-up in the women’s B-division.
Vernon Koekemoer of Swartklip Golf Club in Northam and Antoinette de Vos of Kameeldoring Golf Club in Mokopane finished in the top three in their respective divisions.
In a press release Michael Vlismas Media stated that Koekemoer, playing off a 28 handicap, earned a staggering 29 points on the front nine courtesy of five pars, three of them in succession, as he approached the turn. That gave him a 14-point lead halfway through the final round and he could afford a hat-trick of double bogeys midway through the back nine and still collect a 12-point win over Dean Ramey of Killarney Country Club.
A haul of 89 points also unsurprisingly gave Koekemoer a win in the overall standings, seven points clear of the men’s B-division champion Alan Louw of Irene Country Club.
“My first nine in the first round was very good, but my second nine was a bit off, I just wasn’t hitting the ball like I want to, so in the morning before the final round I went to the driving range and there was a young guy standing behind me waiting to hit. He said to me, ‘You know what your problem is? You’re not swinging through the ball’. I was hitting everything with a fade, so I tried to focus on completing my follow-through and it made a big difference. I still thought it was brilliant to get 29 points on the first nine, but I didn’t try and attack the greens in two, I was happy to play short and then putt, even from 10 m away,” Koekemoer was quoted to have said.
Koekemoer finished third in the Sanlam Cancer Challenge two years ago. “But now my mom-in-law has cancer and I promised my wife and myself that I would also play in the finals this year and also donate money to Cansa,” he added.
Olebogeng Matshabela, who plays out of the Seasons Eco Golf Estate in Brits, collected an outstanding 48 points in the second round, finishing on 81 points overall, four ahead of De Vos.

Story: RC Myburgh
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