Young talents on the golfing front
The 2014 Nomads SA boys u/17 championship officially started last Monday morning with more than 120 of South Africa's finest young golfers teeing off.
POLOKWANE – The 2014 Nomads SA boys u/17 championship officially started last Monday morning with more than 120 of South Africa’s finest young golfers teeing off.
Wilco Nienaber timed a nine-iron from 133 meters at the par-three eighth perfectly to score a hole-in-one and dip to four under, but the Bloemfontein golfer lost his grip on the lead after a bogey, double bogey combination at the 12th and 13th holes.
Defending champion, Jovan Rebula finished within striking distance of early pace-setter, Luca Filippi as the first round action wrapped up last Monday.
Dylan Naidoo from Central Gauteng overtook Filippi, and charged into the halfway lead last Tuesday.
Naidoo hit the front with successive rounds of 71 to move one stroke clear of Filippi on a 36-hole total of two-under-par 142.
Naidoo got off to a solid birdie-birdie start, but dropped shots at third and fifth holes.
He rallied with six consecutive pars, knocked in a birdie putt at the par-five 12th and drained half-a-dozen more par putts to set the unchallenged club house target. The 16-year-old carried some good form into the event.
Filippi from Western Province kept in touch with a 74, and finished one shot ahead of the group at even-par, including Anuerin Gounden (70), Juan-Pierre Cooper (70), Zimbabwe’s Kieren Vincent (74) and reigning Nomads SA Boys u/15 champion, Herman Loubser from Boland, who also carded a 74.
Filippi had birdies at the 10th and second, but four bogeys cost him the overnight lead.
The final round of the championship will tee off today (5 July).
