GEORGE, 10 January 2018 – Casey Jarvis underlined his status as one of South Africa’s emerging amateur talents when he claimed the Nomads SA Boys Under-15 Championship in George on Wednesday.
The GolfRSA National Squad player closed with an even-par 72 in the final round at Kingswood Golf Estate to celebrate a two-stroke victory on two-under-par 214.
Jarvis won the Nomads SA Boys U-13 Championship and the Dimension Data Under-15 Challenge as a 12-year-old in 2015. After he went wire-to-wire in the English Boys Under-14 Championship and won SA U-15 Challenge at Gowrie Farm Golf Estate last year, the 14-year-old State Mines golfer set his sights on the SA Boys Under-15 Championship.
Jarvis is coached by Grant Veenstra, who also looks after the country’s number one ranked junior, Jayden Schaper. It was Schaper who inspired the winning performance at Kingswood.
“I admire Jayden and when he became the first junior to win all four Nomads SA Boys titles, I made it my goal to replicate his Grand Slam,” said Jarvis.
“Last year I lost by one shot and this was the last year I could win, so I was really determined. I didn’t have a great start, but I worked really hard to get in front in the second round and I wasn’t going to lose. I played conservative golf and I didn’t fire at the pins. I just wanted to protect the lead to make sure I lifted the trophy.”
After an opening 74, Jarvis took control of the championship with a second round 68 and he began the final day with a two shot advantage.
He birdied eight and 11 and was four under through 15 holes, but his flawless run came to an abrupt end after a three-putt bogey at the par-five 16th. However, he drained a 10-foot birdie putt for one of the rare birdies of the day at par-four 17th to tee it up at the par-three closing hole with a four shot lead.
“It definitely wasn’t a pretty finish,” smirked Jarvis.
“I think the adrenaline got the better of me, because I drove it right over the green. I teethed my chip out of the rough and just missed the bunker and then I duffed the second chip, too. I finally got it in the hole for five.
“But I did the work early on to give myself a big cushion for those tough closing holes and it paid off. Kingswood is a great course, but there is nowhere to hide. It was a tough week on a challenging course in tough conditions and I’m really proud that I won. Now I’m halfway to my own Grand Slam.”
Jarvis and two of his team-mates who shared in Ekurhuleni’s triumph in the SA Under-19 Inter-Provincial had further cause for celebration when Yurav Premlall and Nash de Klerk made it a one-to-three finish for the union.
Premlall closed with a 72 to finish in second on 216, while fellow Glendower golfer De Klerk grabbed a share of third on three-over 219 when he matched Rorisang Nkosi from North West Province with a final round 69.
Final Result (top 20)
214 Casey Jarvis 74 68 72
216 Yurav Premlall 77 67 72
219 Nash de Klerk 76 74 69; Rorisang Nkosi 74 76 69
221 Malan Potgieter 74 72 75
222 Herman du Plessis 71 80 71
227 Ivan Verster 77 74 76; Christiaan Maas 77 72 78
229 Matthew Dennis 81 72 76; Lyle Roche Pedro 81 72 76; Amilkar Bhana 73 77 79
231 Jean Louis du Plessis 81 75 75; Angelo Keffers 78 77 76
232 Hannes Strooh 82 73 77; Justin Behrens 81 76 75
234 John-William Blomerus 79 75 80
235 Kayle Wykes 79 79 77; Joshua Koekemoer 78 81 76
236 Ockert Brits 77 77 82
237 Jaden Deltel 79 79 79
