Tough times for league golfers
It wasn't quite the result the local golf team was looking for.
IN all honesty, the A section promotion final against Zululand was a match the Southern KwaZulu-Natal league golf team would have backed themselves to win, even without some of their big guns.
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Evergreen veteran Gavin Sole (Southbroom) was forced to miss the fixture as he had just spent the week in Oubaai playing for the KZN team at the annual South African Interprovincial.
For the record, KZN finished fourth, but with a bit of luck, could actually have won the tournament, so close were the margins between defeat and victory.
That didn’t help matters. Nor did the change of date, which meant Jason Gilliver (Selborne Park) missed out too, having previously committed to a fishing trip in the Transkei.
The final was played at Bluff National Park on greens that could not be described as lightning-quick.
Foursomes were a problem and were lost 3-1, with only Mikhail van Brakel (Umdoni Park) and Mitch Hampson (Umdoni Park) getting a win.
However, there was a big fight back in the afternoon singles, with Gary Purtell (Southbroom), Jarrod van Wyk (Port Shepstone) and Elvis Khawula (Margate) producing wins.
Unfortunately, Van Brakel and Hampson could not maintain their morning form and both lost heavily.
Robert Mavundla (Margate) also lost, leaving David Rush (Southbroom) and Graham Fabricius (Port Shepstone) to try and square the match at 6-6.
If they could do this then a play off between a nominated player from each side would ensue.
Fabricius did his part, winning comfortably despite fighting the shakes from probable dehydration due to having a severe case of the ‘trots’.
Rush battled valiantly but bogeyed the last hole to see his game end in a half. Slightly better course management may have been in order.
This was enough to see Zululand across the line and avoid the nervousness and excitement of a play off.
So, the rebuilding for Southern KZN to get back into the premier league will continue next year.
Looking ahead, there’s a fair amount of tournament golf coming up, with the KZN Interclub at Southbroom, Margate and Port Shepstone from October 19-21.
Then there’s the Southern KZN Open at Selborne Park on November 11.
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