SOUTHERN KwaZulu-Natal’s two league teams held their nerve in two very tight league games last Sunday.
The premier league team scraped a half against Umhlali Country Club at Southbroom, which means they have in all likelihood avoided relegation for the season.
The margins between success and failure are slim, and the team has not always been at full strength, so the depth of golf in the region has been tested somewhat.
On Sunday, Southern KZN went down 2,5-1,5 in the foursomes, with only Sipho Shusha (on debut) and Elvis Khawula winning their games.
Chris Poole and Graham Fabricius halved their game, with Poole unlucky that a quality bunker shot on 18 stopped dead, instead of running out towards the hole.
David Rush and Gareth Olivant lost heavily, while Gavin Sole and Marc Bormann succumbed to a rare defeat.
However, the singles was better for the home team, and they rallied to halve the match.
It came down to Shusha and Khawula, on the 18th, watched by the rest of the players, ironically all dressed in bright green shirts (seems to have been a popular colour this year),
To set the scene: Sole, Rush and Fabricius had won their games, while Bormann, Poole and Olivant had lost.
This meant that the hosts needed two wins to beat Umhlali. But going down the last, Shusha was only 1-up, and Khawula, after making an eagle on the 17th, all square.
Shusha produced a solid par, despite a slightly wayward tee shot.
Khawula snap-hooked his tee shot into the trees and, in the end, did well to make a bogey.
His opponent, Mike Matthews, also had his share of tree trouble after hooking his approach nearly onto the 9th green.
To cut to the chase – he had to hole a putt of about 10ft to win, but it slipped agonisingly past the edge, much to Southern KZN’s relief.
Meanwhile, the central league team had to travel all the way to Maritzburg Golf Club for their clash against Cato Ridge.
The central team currently tops the C league, and held on to halve the match, and keep their position, with one match to go.
Missing a few key players, the reserves came to the party, with Robert Sikobi winning his match 1-up to seal the half.
Other singles wins were produced by evergreen Gary Purtell, Robert Mavundla, Douglas Sima and back-in-form Derick Zolyomi.
The only win in the foursomes came from Patrick Mavundla and Ronnie Mtshaka, so it was a fightback of note.
The central team now just needs to beat Durban Golf Club at the Papwa Sewgolum course on August 16 and they will be C division champions.
It would be well-deserved after coming close a number of times. They should be back at full strength for that crucial game.
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