English amateur Laurie Canter took on the locals on their home turf and won yesterday, defeating overnight leader and native Allan Versfeld in a playoff at the East London Golf Club to win the 36-hole, stroke play qualifier at the Glacier South Africa Amateur Championship.
Canter had produced two rounds of 68 to tie with Versfeld, forcing extra holes. On the first, Canter hit a 20-foot birdie putt that Versfeld couldn't match to take the Proudfoot trophy. But the tournament continues this week with match play starting later today, and Canter will be hoping to go all the way.
"It's a real honour to win this trophy," said Canter. "I've been in South Africa since the end of December but I really struggled to perform in the first couple of tournaments. Now it feels like the hard work is finally paying off.
"That 20-footer in the play-off felt like 50 feet," he added. "I'm still shocked that I holed it. Now it's back to the drawing board for all of us; we are all starting on a clean slate."
The 19-year-old from Saltford, near Bath, racked up several victories in 2009, winning the Midland Youth Championship, the War Trophy and the Saltford Salver.
Meanwhile, Italy's Matteo Manassero is to drop his amateur status to go professional. The 16-year-old, rated as the No. 1 amateur on the planet after making the cut five times in six European Tour events, will turn professional after contesting the Masters next month as British Amateur Champion.
Manassero will be the youngest ever competitor at the Masters - he turns 17 on April 19th, a week after the competition at Augusta.
The Italian is no stranger to the big stage, having finished an impressive 13th in the Open at Turnberry last summer. He will make his professional debut at the Italian Open in Turin in May.
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