Promotion for KZN mid-amateur team
Southern KZN had five players in the team, namely Gavin Sole, Jean-Marc Bouic, Jan McDermott, Chris Zietsman and Matt Sutherland.
Back in the A division, where they belong – that was the general feeling of the KwaZulu-Natal Mid-Amateur golf team after winning the B division of the South African Mid-Amateur Interprovincial. The team comprised five Southern KZN players who thoroughly enjoyed the intense battle at Devonvale Golf Estate in Stellenbosch last week. By doing so, they gained promotion back into the A section, with Reading GC the host club next year.
The way they did it made the Miracle at Medinah – where Europe rallied to an improbable Ryder Cup victory in 2012 – look like a final day saunter. On a day where match points would matter, KZN looked like they would fall agonisingly short. Again. Like the premier team, again, two years in a row, stuck in the B division.
But somehow, with five or so matches down on the back nine, they managed to dig to previously unexplored depths and find enough for the victory.
Was it sweet? You’d better believe it.
The team comprised Chris Zietsman (Selborne Park), Jan McDermott (Umdoni Park), Gavin Sole (Southbroom), Neil Champion (manager), Ashwin Krishen (Durban Country Club – captain), Jean-Marc Bouic (Southbroom), Matt Sutherland (Umdoni Park), Graham Dickinson (Maritzburg Golf Club) and André Smit (Vryheid).
Gavin is a veteran of who knows how many IPTs, Jean-Marc Bouic is playing his first Mid Am, to go with one SACD.
During the week the team beat Northern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, but lost to Boland. So the last day victory against Southern Cape was vital. The joy and satisfaction of the fruit of some hard work was evident to see.
This is what some had to say afterwards:
Ashwin Krishen: “We are super stoked.”
Graham Dickinson: “Our games just elevated at the end there under that pressure, unreal.”
Jan McDermott: “I’m done now, just took 10 years off my life.”
(This in reference to the fact that, due to his superb form, and that the team wanted to mix things up a bit, he was promoted from number seven to number one – and it all came down to his match, which he won.)
Matt Sutherland: “Unbelievable week and an unbelievable team. Probably the best team I’ve played for.”
Neil Champion: “What an awesome final day with a team committed to winning promotion in tough conditions.”
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