FORGET Rory, there’s another McIlroy ‘wunderkind’ on the block, in the form of 15-year-old Liam, who hails from Durban North and is a member at Royal Durban.
The young golfer won the Southern KZN Open at Port Shepstone Country Club last Sunday, with scores of 70 and 68 to win from veteran Gavin Sole of Southbroom by one shot.
Port Shepstone was playing as a par 70 as the 13th fairway is being worked on, and so is temporarily a par three of about 125 metres.
McIlroy took advantage of the perfect conditions to produce what has to be described as an upset.
The likable youngster did not seem to flustered by the occasion and, in his victory speech, thanked his dad for making sure they woke up on time.
Gavin Sole had an odd tournament, starting with a five-putt! And no, there was no back-handed stab or anything like that.
“They all came off the face of the putter,” said his playing partner Clayton Mansfield.
There were three players on level par 140, namely Greg McKay (Mount Edgecombe), Jason Ackerman (Southbroom) and Malcolm Mitchell (Howick).
McKay was desperately unlucky, and honest. On the third hole, he took a practice swing from behind the ball. Unfortunately, his divot moved the ball – and he did not replace it.
No one actually witnessed this, and the youngster called the penalty on himself. Impressive.
Luke Mayo, another talented youngster coming through the ranks (and who bears a startling resemblance to a younger Jared Harvey) was next on 141.
Altaaf Bux (Port Shepstone) was next on 142, followed by Jarrod van Wyk (Port Shepstone) and Phil le Roux (San Lameer).
Tied for 10th on 144 were Jens Hillerman (Noodsberg), Clayton Mansfield (Durban CC) and David Rush (Southbroom).
Eaton twins Nicola and Melissa, joined the men. Melissa, who hopes to join the LET next year, finished with scores of 67 and 72, playing off the men’s tees.
The B division played Stableford and was won by Emmanuel Mseleku (Drak Gardens) on 83 points, followed by Ganas Naicker on 81, who counted out Cedric Mngadi.
The only disappointment on the day was that some players failed to pitch, or excuse themselves.
This seems to be a growing trend, and one which is not a good one, as it makes life a nightmare for the starters, who are often club members giving of their free time early on a Sunday.
Looking ahead, the action returns to the South Coast this weekend for the KZN Interclub, which will be played at Margate, Southbroom and Port Shepstone.
The entry is way bigger than last year, which bodes well for a competitive event, especially in the B and Frog divisions.
The A division is not exactly oversubscribed, with many of the smaller clubs preferring to have a crack at winning the higher handicap divisions.
The matchplay finals will be held at Margate, the same venue for the finals as was the case in 2012.
After the recent rains, the courses have softened up nicely, although the greens are arguably a touch on the slow side.
