Judd Sundelson and Morris Schiefner emerged from a gripping day of quarterfinal and semifinal match play at Pretoria Country Club to secure their places in the final of the 2026 South African Amateur Championship.
Sundelson continued the momentum he built on Thursday, when he blitzed the front nine to reach the quarterfinals, with another authoritative display on Friday morning.
Trailing England’s Ethan Roos by three holes through the turn, the South African birdied the 10th before flipping the match on its head with a decisive run from the 12th hole.
Sundelson won five holes in succession, taking the 12th and 13th with pars before rolling in a birdie on the 14th.
A bogey on the 15th was still enough to claim the hole after Roos made triple bogey, and the Houghton golfer sealed a 3&2 victory with a steady par on the 16th to advance to the semifinals.
The afternoon semifinal against Ryan Melville, who eliminated Minjun Heo 1-up in the quarterfinals, proved a far sterner test.
Sundelson turned the match 1-up, only for Melville to square matters with a par on the 11th.
The pair traded hole wins over the next two and remained all square heading into the closing stretch.
The decisive moment came on the 17th, where Melville dropped a shot to hand Sundelson a crucial advantage. They halved the 18th, allowing Sundelson to close out a tense 1-up victory and secure his place in the final.
Finalists confirmed 🔒
— GolfRSA (@GolfRSA) January 29, 2026
Judd Sundelson 🇿🇦 vs Morris Schiefner 🇩🇪
2026 #SAAmateur Championship | Pretoria Country Club#golfrsa #itstartshere pic.twitter.com/N0OI7tck7E
On the other side of the draw, Schiefner was pushed to the limit in his quarterfinal against former GolfRSA No 1 Ivan Verster.
The German won the 14th with a birdie, but Verster kept the pressure on by birdieing the 17th to force extra holes. Schiefner held his nerve, holing a critical par on the first playoff hole to win on the 19th and advance.
That set up a semifinal against 16-year-old Schalk van Ettinger, who had edged Jonathan Wilsenach 1-up in the quarterfinals.
The Randpark teenager showed remarkable composure, drawing first blood with a par and claiming the fourth and sixth holes, but Schiefner responded by winning three holes in succession to stay 1-up through 12.
Van Ettinger struck again by winning the 13th and 15th in a spirited display, but Schiefner’s experience at the top level proved decisive.
Each time van Ettinger applied pressure down the homestretch, the German answered immediately, eventually closing the match 2&1 with a par on the 17th to book his place in the final.
The stage is now set for a high-stakes showdown in the 36-hole final.
With a coveted trophy and a place in the field for the 115th Investec South African Open Championship on the line, the champion will be the player who best handles the occasion after a week defined by momentum swings, pressure moments and fine margins.