Kesha Louw cemented her status as GolfRSA’s No 1 amateur with a come-from-behind play-off victory in the South African Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship, while Mogomotsi Sebata lifted the B-Division title at a rainy and windy PE Golf Club – The Hill in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old kept her head down in conditions that turned downright nasty after nine holes, epitomising the grind needed when the going gets tough.
Lisa Coetzer, who led the first two rounds, succumbed to a devastating stretch immediately after the turn when the bad weather conditions really hit home, while Louw, who honed her game at East London Golf Club since an early age, drew on her experience to make two birdies coming down the stretch to draw level with her fellow GolfRSA National Squad member.
The 14-year-old made a double-bogey on 10, a bogey on 11 and another double-bogey on 12.
Those scores obliterated the great advantage she had built up on the front nine when she had made an eagle, two birdies and a bogey to lead by seven heading for home.
Suddenly, Louw was within two and, after Coetzer bogeyed 15, the gap was just one.
Louw birdied 16 to draw level, and they both tied on six-under 210 after closing birdies to set up the play-off.
“I was one-over after the first nine holes,” recalled Louw of the dramatic final round.
“I made one bogey, and my putts were all lipping out, and my putter was cold on the front nine. I was also a bit nervous, starting off a bit shaky. She started birdie-par-eagle. She holed out from about 120 on three, and that was a great shot. I just thought I had to play my own game and not stress about her game. I just focused on one shot at a time.
“On the back nine, it started pouring with rain. I normally play well in this kind of weather, and I’m used to the wind as well. I hit those very low drives. I don’t have any height on them and that gets them quite a bit of roll. From the 10th, I just kept on making pars. She went double-bogey-double, and I thought I could catch up now and keep on fighting. With the wind and the weather, it was very stressful as well, just trying to keep dry the whole time. I managed to keep on going.
“On the last hole, I had to double-check the scores. I wasn’t sure if she was ahead or if I was ahead. Turned out we were all square. She went for the green and I was just short. I hit my best drive, and I still had 200 metres. I hit three-wood, and my putt from the fringe was a bit short. I left it about a metre and a half, and managed sink it and headed back to the 18th for the play-off.”
LIFELONG DREAM
The leading pair had left the rest of the field behind them.
Lourenda Steyn was third on one-under after her closing level-par 72, Casey Twidale fourth on level-par with her final round of 73, and Charlotte Millard fifth on three-over after she also closed with a level-par 72.
Both main protagonists hit their drives into the left rough.
“I was very stressed out going onto the tee for the first play-off hole,” said Louw.
“I told myself to relax because I had done so well, really. I just wanted to enjoy it and just keep things steady. I was in the rough for my second shot, but I had a good lie and took my seven-wood, my favourite club. I hit it just over the bunker and managed to chip and putt for par.”
Coetzer, who was just short of the green in front of the bunker, also had a chipping and putting chance, but she chipped to above the hole and left herself a slippery downhill 10-footer which she simply overcooked.
For Louw, the victory was both vindication of the strategy of keeping the errors to a minimum as well as the realisation of a lifelong dream.
“It's always been my dream to win this, and last night I was just thinking that I have really wanted this for a long time,” she said.
“I’ve been working hard although the last few tournaments haven’t been the best results for me. To finish it off like this makes me really happy.”
INTENTION TO WIN
Overnight leader Sebata lifted the Abe Bailey Trophy for players with handicaps from 6.6 to 15.3 after she closed with a 14-over-par 86 and cemented a four-stroke victory over Mexico’s Ana Catarina Weber Albaitero, who had a closing 87.
Gemma Huxham finished third with her closing 87 leaving her just one stroke behind the Mexican.
In 2022, Sebata’s little sister Phenyo won the B-Division of the Nomads SA Girls Championship, but now Mogomotsi says she has the bragging rights in the family.
“I’ve played this event four times before, but to be very honest, I just played for the experience. This year I came with the intention to win,” said the second year B.Sc. Applied Mathematics and Statistics student.
“From the first hole, that was all I could think about. It feels amazing to have pulled it through.”
With the stroke play out of the way, Louw and the other players in the top 64 now fight it out for the South African Amateur Championship over three days of match play.
Louw will face South African Golf Development Board graduate and coach Lucia Mhlabane from Mpumalanga in the first round in the Championship Division, while Sebata takes on Odette Booysen from Western Province in the Flight Division.
“Match play is a different story,” says Louw. “Now I can attack more and go for every pin and know that it will be fine if I make a mistake, whereas the stroke play was more conservative.”
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