KZN players impress at schools championships

The SA Golf Development Board (SAGDB) recently sent a team of eight players to compete at the KwaZulu-Natal Schools Golf Championships played at Cotswold Downs Golf Course. Out of the 12 teams that competed, the SAGDB recorded an honourable sixth place finish.

In the individual competition, the SAGDB's Nishalan Nelson finished fourth, on a total gross score of 152 over 36 holes. Phiwakahle Mkhoma ended sixth on a score of 154. Monique Ramkisson was the runner-up in the girls division. A total of 118 players teed off in the event, which was restricted to juniors with handicaps of between 0 and 9.

"The players benefited a lot from this event because they were exposed to a highly competitive tournament with a strong field of top juniors from all over KZN," said SAGDB development manager Joseph Kunene. 'They also had the chance to play on one of the top golf courses in the province."

The SAGDB team was chosen from the region's order of merit. The eight players were: Phiwakahle Mkhoma (1 handicap) from Port Shepstone CC; Nishalan Nelson (3 handicap) and Monique Ramkisson (9 handicap) from Scottburgh GC; Sithembiso Mweli (3 handicap), Nqoba Mathenjwa (7 handicap) and Sanele Khoza (8 handicap) from Newcastle GC; Tom Dlamini (7 handicap) from Umhlali CC; and Sivuyile Kamtini (9 handicap) from Kilbachan GC.

"The spirit among the players was very good and they encouraged each other before and after the game," Kunene said. "The only problem was that they discovered they weren't fit enough. Cotswold Downs is a links course with a lot of hills, and they found out that they had to be fit to walk such a course."

The SAGDB was very grateful to Shaun van Wyk, the Chairman of the KZN School Golf Association, for securing a sponsorship to cover all the SAGDB costs. This included entrance fees for the event, transport, accommodation and meals.

About the SAGDB: Founded in 1999, the SA Golf Development Board (SAGDB) is the only body officially tasked with growing the game of golf in South Africa. The SAGDB is a non-profit organisation (with section 18A donations tax exemption status) and is fully endorsed by government and all of South Africa's official golfing bodies. Through its PGA-approved coaching programme, the board currently has the capacity to coach 3,500 children per week in ten regions. The SAGDB is sponsored by SAA, City Lodge, the Pro Shop, ProRange and ExpandaSign.