South African Rookies ready to take on Scottish team at the Leopard Creek - Golf News
Four top amateurs from South Africa, Shaun Smith, Drikus Bruyns, JP Strydom and Zander Lombard, will be making their debuts as part of the South African National Team.
The team will be contending against its tough opponent, Scotland’s Team, at the Leopard Creek, near Malelane, from February 14 to 15, 2012.
All of these amateurs will team up with three professional golfers, Brandon Stone, Haydn Porteous and CJ du Plessis, in the two-day event.
“All four rookies have unique styles which means we can cover each other’s weakness, especially given the format of the tournament,” said Stone, who made his debut in the 2011 staging of the event.
The amateurs are now waiting anxiously for the event to start, as it will be a real opportunity for them to prove to their fans that they are capable of making a good run in bigger events too.
All of them have the capabilities and skills to outshine in the event, as they are coming in good forms out of the amateurs’ field.
Therefore, they can prove to be strong contenders against the Scottish team that also seems well prepared this year.
The South African team has dominated the event since its inaugural in 2010. It defeated its opponents with 21-7, followed by an 18-12 victory in 2011.
Therefore, it is expected that South Africans will again outclass Scottish players in the third edition of the tournament.
“We all feel very honoured to be selected to represent South Africa,” said Lombard, who turned 17 on January 18, and is the youngest member of the squad.
“The four of us have some big shoes to fill because the South African teams have been unbeaten for two years. We all want to continue the tradition and we will give our best effort not to disappoint,” he went on.
As there will be seven players in each team, the tournament organisers have made some amendments in the format of the game this year.
The foursome match-plays will be featured on the first day, along with singles to make things equal. On the second day, similar techniques will be adopted with betterball match-plays, along with singles.
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