Bennett claims unique double in St Francis

KwaZulu-Natal’s Daniel Bennett made his much-anticipated tournament breakthrough when he won the Nomads SA Boys Under-17 Championship and Dimension Data Junior Open in St Francis.

The two tournaments were played concurrently, meaning that the Under-17 and Under-19 players played alongside one another. The first two rounds alternated between St Francis Links and St Francis Bay Golf Club, and the final round was contested at the Jack Nicklaus signature course at St Francis links.

For Bennett, it resulted in two tournament wins in one, as he swept both events to claim his maiden national titles in style.

The 16-year-old shot rounds of 74, 69 and 75 to triumph by three shots over fellow GolfRSA National Squad member Amilkar Bhana.

Uitenhage’s Malan Potgieter finished third, while Squad member Jadel Deltel and Milnerton’s Jack Buchanan shared fourth spot.

Bennett was inducted into GolfRSA National Squad earlier this year after playing only a handful of tournaments since his family moved back to South Africa from Canada. He has impressed with some fine performances on both the Open Amateur and Junior circuits throughout the year, and the dominant win in St Francis boosted the Beachwood golfer to the top spot in the U-17 rankings.

Bhana, looking to add the Under-17 title to his Under-15 and Under-13 collection, started the day with a one-shot lead, but quickly fell behind as the 3-club wind took its toll on the leading group.

Bennett bounced back from a bogey, double-bogey start to make three straight birdies from the seventh hole. He took command of the tournament with another birdie at the 11th.

Bogeys at the 13th and 14th gave the chasing pack reason to hope, but another birdie by Bennett on the par-five 16th saw him place one hand on the trophy. Not even a nervy finish, with a three-putt bogey on the 17th and then a hooked tee shot into the water on the final hole, could alter the outcome, and a relieved Bennett knocked in a double bogey putt on the last for the three-stroke victory.

“It feels amazing,” he said. “It’s such an honour to play on these great courses in these big events. Conditions were tough over all three days, but I played well and the key for me was to keep the ball in play and limit my mistakes. I looked to make pars and then take my birdies when they came.

“I want to thank Nomads and GolfRSA for giving us these opportunities and for all they do for junior golf in South Africa.”

FINAL RESULTS:

Nomads SA Boys Under-17 Championship Top 10
218 Daniel Bennett 74 69 75
221 Amilkar Bhana 71 71 79
223 Jaden Deltel 74 73 76; Jack Buchanan 71 74 78
224 Fabrizio de Abreu 71 72 81
226 Dylan Kayne 79 74 73
227 Jordan Wessels 74 74 79
228 Jano Malan 72 74 82
230 Ryan Koekemoer 77 74 79
231 Tyron Groenveld 80 71 80; Ian Barnard 77 79 75; Janko van der Merwe 73 74 84; Matthew Lotz 72 79 80

Dimension Data U-19 Junior Open Top 10
218 Daniel Bennett 74 69 75
221 Amilkar Bhana 71 71 79
222 Malan Potgieter 71 75 76
223 Jaden Deltel 74 73 76; Jack Buchanan 71 74 78
224 Christopher Gutuza 76 74 74; Fabrizio de Abreu 71 72 81
226 Dylan Kayne 79 74 73
227 Jordan Wessels 74 74 79; Timothy Daniels 74 71 82