Family win for McKay at Margate
Having support from family can be like a 15th club in the bag.
GREG McKay, 18, (Mount Edgecombe) emerged victorious at the Southern KwaZulu-Natal Open played at Margate Country Club.
The young golfer had a pair of 70s for a score of -2 and a one shot win from former pro Tom Lovett (Prince’s Grant).
Hailstorms lashed the Durban area on Saturday but it held at Margate and golf was possible all weekend.
Sunday’s golf was played under overcast skies and a nippy southwesterly wind.
McKay was solid, and where others made unforced errors, he kept those off the card.
He enjoyed the support of his family – dad Russell, mom Shelley and little boet Scott, who all walked 36 holes.
(Sister Megan didn’t make the trip).
Russell spent the day on the bag. You can’t really say he provided any calm as Greg is one of those guys who appears mature beyond his years.
But he is not without a sense of humour. Greg, that is.
“Thanks Dad,” he said at prize-giving, “I thought you did well, making it through all 36 holes, good effort.”
After 18 holes there was a packed leaderboard.
McKay, Walter Malevu (Kilbarchan) and Lovett had 70s while Gavin Sole (Southbroom) and Malcolm Mitchell (Kloof) lurked on 71.
Local Margate Country Club favourite Robert Mavundla was not far off on 72, and Brendan Adlam (Cotswold Downs) was steady on 73.
Mitchell made a run after lunch and got to two under and the lead after six holes.
However he had bogeys on the 7th, 8th and a double on the 9th despite a magnificent tee shot there.
His second shot was not altogether awful but ended up on the cart path and out of bounds.
Mitchell kept the pressure on McKay with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 13th. And when McKay bogeyed 14 they were back level on -1.
But a McKay chip in on the 15th and a Mitchell bogey turned things again.
Meanwhile, defending champion Sole’s putting let him down, with too many squirting past the left edge.
Sole’s pre-tournament favourite Graham Fabricius (Port Shepstone) let him down, too.
Last year Sole won the tournament at Southbroom.
Earlier this year Fabricius won the Southern KZN Closed at Port Shepstone.
But when the Big Fish sent the Closed trophy off for engraving, he inadvertently sent the Open trophy.
So Fabricius arrived to find he had already won the tournament!
He started in reverse and went out and shot 85, before restoring some sanity with an afternoon 71.
Lovett fought hard the whole day and will be a great asset for the country districts and probably main IPT teams next year.
Malevu, who got it to four under at one stage in the morning, hit the ball beautifully all day, but his putter got chilly in the afternoon.
Still, you get the feeling a win is not far off for the big-hitting youngster.
Adlam appeared to be enjoying his golf and has renewed purpose.
If he keeps this up he could make a return to the KZN mid amateur team next year.
Mavundla unfortunately got himself disqualified when it emerged he had been carrying 15 clubs and had signed for a lower score in the morning round.
Down the road at Southbroom Golf Club 56 players slogged it out for B division honours.
The winner was Sanele Gugushe (Cato Ridge) on 82 points, on a countout from Emmanuel Mseleku (Drak Gardens).
In third was Victor Phungula (Ethekweni) on 79 points who counted out Xolani Sigasi (Coastal Green).
Leading scores
140 Greg McKay 70 70
141 Tom Lovett 70 71
142 Walter Malevu 70 72
143 Malcolm Mitchell 71 72
144 Brendan Adlam 73 71
144 Gavin Sole 71 73
145 Wiseman Mdunge 74 71
148 Dave Watson 74 74
148 Adam Sheldrake 74 74
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