Interzone success for Southern KZN golfers
The Big Fish showed that he’s far from washed up with a seven shot victory in the Friday strokeplay on 68 and 72.
ONE of the joys of team golf is that age can be irrelevant – respect is earned by performances on the course regardless of how old or young you are.
This was especially the case when it came to the Southern KwaZulu-Natal golf team and its emphatic winning of the KwaZulu-Natal Country Districts Interzone tournament at Eshowe Hills GC recently.
The team comprised Gavin Sole (Southbroom), Jason Gilliver, Mitch Hampson, Jack Cubitt, Luke Cubitt (all Umdoni Park), Sean Baker and Elvis Khawula (both Margate) and Graham Fabricius (Port Shepstone).
Baker has recently turned 50 years old and is the ‘ballie’ of the team. At the other end of the spectrum, the combined ages of Hampson and Cubitt twins only tallies up to 48, which is Sole’s age.
So, it’s a drinks order of beer and milkshakes, most often.
The Big Fish showed that he’s far from washed up with a seven shot victory in the Friday strokeplay on 68 and 72.
Runner-up was Jack Cubitt who showed that his second place finish at the recent Midlands Open was no fluke.
The next day Southerns beat two-time defending champions Ilembe Golf Federation F 7-1 and East Griqualand by the same margin.
“Against East Griqualand, Sole started with four birdies, poor Vincent (Mbola) could only watch,” said team manager Sydney Shingange.
Luke Cubitt came from five down after nine to win 2-up against Ilembe.
On the final day, Southerns beat Zululand 6-2 and Northern KZN 5-3.
Unfortunately Midlands failed to field a team, so there were only four games of matchplay.
The juniors played some excellent golf, winning 11 out of 12 singles games combined.
They also brought a sense of youthful exuberance and humour to the team, especially as most people struggled to tell the difference between Jack and Luke. Even their swings look the same.
“Eshowe was a nice venue, great hospitality from club and course in very good condition,” said Shingange.
Sole put his decent form down to some renewed fitness and weight training. He’s not quite Ripped Fish but he’s swinging it as smoothly as ever and seems to have picked up some distance off the tee as well.
“It was encouraging to have some really good youngsters in the team. They all played well and strengthened the lower order big time. I’d say our depth was the difference,” he said.
* The team to play in the SACD in Plettenberg Bay in May comprises Corné van Deventer (captain – Vryheid), Jason Gilliver (Umdoni Park), Jens Hillermann (Noodsberg), Tom Lovett (Prince’s Grant), Graham Fabricius (Port Shepstone), Sean Baker (Margate), Koenie Erasmus(Umhlali) and Phil Barnes (Kwambonambi).
