PORT ELIZABETH, 23 April 2018 – Overnight leader Casandra Hall she went around Port Elizabeth Golf Club in 72 strokes to double her lead in the Sanlam South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship on Monday.
The 18-year-old Hall from Ekurhuleni looked capable of leaving the rest of the field to scrap for second place after a brilliant front nine of three under par. Four bogeys on the back nine gave the chasing pack the incentive to close the gap.
However, no-one came close to the Ebotse golfer’s 36-hole target of three-under-par 141.
Gauteng junior Woo-Ju Son and Swiss golfer Azelia Meichtry posted a pair of 72s and Caitlyn Macnab from Ekurhuleni shot 73 to finish four off the pace.
Defending champion and South African number one Kajal Mistry racked up four birdies on her way to the low round of the day, a two-under-par 70 that earned the Gauteng golfer a share of fifth on 146 with Brittney-Fay Berger from KwaZulu-Natal, Ekurhuleni junior Kiera Floyd and Gauteng North’s Lindi Coetzee, the only other player to break par with a 71.
Hall got going with a birdie on the par five 13th hole and followed with another gain at the short 14th to increase her two-shot overnight lead.
“After a good four at the 13th, I hit it to the top left corner at 14,” said Hall. “I had a 20 metre putt downhill all the way, and the line held all the way. I drove it nicely down the middle at the 16th, and had a short wedge in. I struck it perfectly and stuck it to six foot and made the putt.
“The wind picked up a little, but it was nowhere near as bad as I’ve played at Port Elizabeth Golf Club before. After the double at 17 in round one, I was very pleased to finish with two pars on the front nine, but I battled a little down the back nine.”
Hall dropped shots at one, three and four, managed a birdie at five but gave another shot back at the par four seventh.
“It was a mixture of putts not dropping and losing focus a bit,” she said. “It’s tough when no-one is chasing. I was a little frustrated when the putts stopped dropping, but I kept grinding and it was nice to get one shot back at five.
“I’m heading into the final round with a four shot lead, playing for the biggest title of my career, so I’ll have to keep my head in the game. But it’s very exciting. I’m playing with Azelia, who is a very experienced golfer, and Woo-Ju, who is deadly if she gets her putter going.”
Kamaya Moodliar from KwaZulu-Natal also protected her overnight lead to keep control of the B-Division Competition.
The Umhlali junior followed an opening 82 with a 14-over 86 in round two and will take a four-shot lead into the final round over Laura Giddy from Eastern Province, who returned an 87.
Kayla Paulsen from Western Province is third on 32 over, with Zahn Scholtz and Sanet Pieterse from Border in a four-way tie at 35-over with Tebogo Lefifi from Gauteng, Ekurhuleni’s Rene Matthee.
A-Division Scores – Round 1
141 Casandra Hall 69 72
145 Woo-Ju Son 73 72; Azelia Meichtry 73 72; Caitlyn Macnab 72 73
146 Kajal Mistry 76 70; Lindi Coetzee 75 71; Kaylah Williams 71 75
147 Brittney-Fay Berger 74 73; Kiera Floyd 73 74
148 Chante van Zyl 73 75
149 Jordan Rothman 76 73; Lenanda van der Watt 72 77
152 Kaiyuree Moodley 75 77; Emily Jones ZIM 74 78
153 Sarah Bouch 83 70; Danielle du Toit 78 75; Larissa du Preez 78 75
155 Tara Griebenow 77 78; Eleonora Galletti 72 83
156 Sandra Winter 82 74; Crystal Beukes 81 75; Zethu Myeki 80 76
157 Ethel Ruthenberg 84 73; Kim de Klerk 79 78
159 Gabrielle Venter 84 75; Bianca Wernich 81 78; Demi Flanagan 77 82
160 Cassidy Williams 81 79; Catherine Lau 80 80; Liezl Smit 79 81; Cara Ford 79 81; Alisa Rich 76 84
161 Lynette Fourie 83 78; Symone Henriques 82 79
162 Samantha Whateley 83 79
163 Adele Beytell 82 81; Zayb Fredericks 81 82
164 Zane Naude 82 82
165 Kera Healey 84 81; Kim Turgut 80 85
166 Shanice de Gee 84 82
167 Petrone Rudolph 88 79; Zilke Bal 84 83
168 Lynne Behagg 81 87; Megan Streicher 78 90
169 Bobbi Brown 90 79; Nicola Schoeman 87 82
170 Pheletso Mota 81 89
172 Shani Brynard 85 87; Annalie Swanepoel 83 89
173 Senayah Moodliar 88 85; Ciara Koekemoer 88 85
174 Monique Jansen 88 86; Annette Swanepoel 84 90
175 Cleo Jordaan 89 86; Marlie Smit 87 88; Anika Smit 86 89
176 Marine Legentil 87 89
177 Luzan Esterhuizen 88 89
178 Duduzile Ndhlovu 91 87; Sylken November 88 90
180 Noluthando Mdanda 83 97
184 Bianca Sun 94 90
189 Melissa Loretz 99 90
WD Jessica Shurety 80 WD
B-Division Scores – Round 1
168 Kamaya Moodliar 82 86
172 Lara Giddy 85 87
176 Kayla Paulsen 86 90
179 Tebogo Lefifi 94 85; Rene Matthee 94 85; Zahn Scholtz 93 86; Sanet Pieterse 83 96
181 Ellandri van Heerden 93 88; Louise van Niekerk 91 90; Lauren Clough 87 94
184 Zane Gouws 95 89; Luzelle Booyens 95 89
187 Alison Bourne 93 94
194 Esther Goosen 105 89
195 Adri Wessels 102 93
196 Koeksie Eagar 100 96
202 Karen Botha 108 94
PHOTO – Casandra Hall from Ekurhuleni is chasing a wire-to-wire victory in the Sanlam South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Port Elizabeth Golf Club after holding on to the lead in Tuesday’s second round; credit Sunshine Ladies Tour / GolfRSA
