Albertinia Golf Club, the home club of Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, now has another champion to celebrate after Blanche Lamprecht won the PGA of South Africa’s National Championship presented by Diners Club at Oubaai Golf Club on Thursday.
Lamprecht claimed the biggest victory of his career with a final round of 73, fighting off the experience of multiple Sunshine Tour winner Roger Wessels to finish with a total of three-under-par 213.
Michael Michell and Kenneth Dube took second place on two under par, with overnight leader Wessels finishing in a share of fifth following a closing 78.
According to Ivano Ficalbi, Chief Executive of the PGA of South Africa, Lamprecht is the youngest champion they have had since the start of the Championship in 1983. “That bodes really well for the future of the PGA,” said Ficalbi.
And it’s an achievement Lamprecht is equally proud of. “That’s awesome. This is really a good tournament to get under the belt.”
Lamprecht was tied for the lead with Wessels going into the final round. With two bogeys in his first six holes and Wessels playing solid par golf to take the lead, Lamprecht admits he felt he was losing his grip on the title.
“The front nine was playing really tough into the wind. I wasn’t hitting the ball that well, while Roger was playing really solidly. He had an early lead and I was starting to get a bit nervous. But I just kept it together really well.”
Wessels made double bogey on the par-five seventh and couldn’t maintain his challenge thereafter.
Lamprecht did play on the Sunshine Tour for a few years before taking up a job in the industry, but he admits that this victory has him thinking of returning to the touring circuit.
“I wasn’t going to play anymore. But there is still a part of me that says I should give it a go. So I might go back to Tour School at the end of the year.”
