Rafferty tied sixth as du Preez closes out African Amateur win
Pretoria Golf Club's James du Preez raises the African Amateur Stroke Play trophy following his three-shot win at Glendower Golf Club. Credit Ernest Blignault
Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty claimed a share of sixth as Pretoria's James du Preez closed out an impressive three-stroke win over South African compatriot Christo Lamprecht Jnr in the African Amateur Stroke Play at Glendower Golf Club.
The champion — who had surgery in 2012 after being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis — shot a 64 on Thursday to take a substantial seven-stroke lead over Rafferty and Martin Vorster into the final round.
And while Lambrecht shot a joint-best of the day 66 to get to 11-under, du Preez's one-under 71 gave him the title with three strokes to spare on 14-under par.
Rafferty also shot 71 to finish seven behind the winner, tied for sixth on seven-under 281 with Castle's Alex Gleeson slipping back a little to tied 12th on one-under after a 76.
Caolan Rafferty. Credit Ernest Blignault
Kilkenny's Mark Power (17) completed a successful first away trip by carding a 69 — one of just 11 sub-70 scores on the final day — to tie for 14th on one-over 289.
Tramore's Robin Dawson finished a shot further back in tied 20th ater a 76 with Mallow's James Sugrue, another player making his first trip away with the Senior team, 31st after a 74.
Naas' Jonathan Yates also played well on the final day, carding five birdies in a one-under 71 to finish 36th on seven-over.
Rustiness may have been a factor for working amateurs Tiarnan McLarnon and Barry Anderson as they finished down the field, the Massereene man tied 64th after a closing 84 as Anderson missed the 54-hole cut by just one stroke.
For du Preez, his first win for two years was an emotional one after being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis.
"It’s a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine and it’s basically a life sentence,” said Du Preez.
James du Preez. Credit Ernest Blignault
“I had surgery in 2012, which meant six months off. That’s been the story year on year. It was hard at first to accept this news, but I’ve made peace with it. I’d say it’s much harder on the people around me, like my parents and friends.
“The last two years have probably been the toughest of my life. I didn’t play for about 15 months. There was times when golf was probably the last thing I thought about. I started working with a friend of mine in the coffee industry, which was really cool and it brought some balance back into my life.
“I worked with a great team at the HPC Tuks Golf Academy. I follow a strict gym routine to strengthen my core muscles and I have surrounded myself with people all trying to find a way for me to manage the condition so I can pursue my goal of playing pro golf.
“I’m in a really good space compared to two years ago. As golfers, we often make decisions based on what we want to happen that can be to our detriment. We forget that it’s just golf. At the end of the day, there is so much more to life than what happens on the golf course. This win is a confirmation that I’m doing the right things, and that the people in my life are the right people.”
African Amateur Stroke Play, Glendower GC, Johannesburg (Par 72)
1 -14 James du Preez Pretoria Country Club 69 70 64 71 274
2 -11 Christo Lamprecht Jnr Pinnacle Point Golf Club 74 69 68 66 277
3 -10 Martin Vorster Pinnacle Point Golf Club 73 69 68 68 278
4 -9 Frédéric LaCroix La boulie 67 74 71 67 279
5 -8 Edgar Catherine Golf d’Aix en Province 70 68 76 66 280
T6 -7 Caolan Rafferty Dundalk Golf Club 73 68 69 71 281
T6 -7 Louis Albertse Rustenburg Golf Club 71 71 72 67 281
8 -4 Andrew Wilson Darlington 76 71 71 66 284
9 -3 Malcolm Mitchell Kloof Country Club 71 72 71 71 285
T10 -2 Dylan Kok Woodhill Country Club 72 72 72 70 286
T10 -2 Matt Saulez Durban Country Club 70 73 75 68 286
T12 -1 Wilco Nienaber Bloemfontein Golf Club 79 65 73 70 287
T12 -1 Alex Gleeson Castle Golf Club 73 67 71 76 287
T14 +1 Jack Gaunt Drayton Park 77 69 71 72 289
T14 +1 Euan Walker Kilmarnock Barassie 76 70 71 72 289
T14 +1 Jeremy Freiburghaus Domat−Ems 73 70 77 69 289
T14 +1 Mark Power Kilkenny GC 72 74 74 69 289
T14 +1 Kartik Sharma India 71 76 72 70 289
T14 +1 Byron Coetzee Cotswold Downs Lc 71 70 74 74 289
T20 +2 Luca Filippi Milnerton Golf Club 75 70 71 74 290
T20 +2 Robin Dawson Tramore Golf Club 73 71 70 76 290
T20 +2 Jayden Schaper Ebotse Golf & Country Estate 72 74 72 72 290
T20 +2 David Mcintyre Eagle Canyon 70 68 78 74 290
T24 +3 Sam Locke Stonehaven Golf Club 74 75 67 75 291
T24 +3 Clément Charmasson La Ramee 70 74 80 67 291
T26 +4 Otto van Buynder Blue Valley Golf Estate 82 70 70 70 292
T26 +4 Darren Howie Peebles 75 74 70 73 292
T26 +4 Chris Woollam Durban Country Club 73 73 72 74 292
T26 +4 Cameron Moralee Dainfern Country Club 73 69 76 74 292
T26 +4 Yashas Chandra India 70 68 80 74 292
T31 +5 Alan Lones Port Elizabeth Golf Club 79 69 71 74 293
T31 +5 James Sugrue Mallow 75 72 72 74 293
T31 +5 Nicholaus Frade Centurion Country Club 71 71 75 76 293
T34 +6 Christopher van der Merwe Zwartkop Country Club 76 75 71 72 294
T34 +6 Kyle de Beer Port Elizabeth Golf Club 76 72 76 70 294
T36 +7 Clayton Mansfield Durban Country Club 77 75 74 69 295
T36 +7 Jonathan Yates Naas GC 77 70 77 71 295
T36 +7 Luan Boshoff Stellenbosch Golf Club 71 70 80 74 295
T39 +8 Neal Woernhard Switzerland 78 71 70 77 296
T39 +8 Victor Veyret Golf De Chantilly 77 77 72 70 296
T39 +8 Keegan Mclachlan Silver Lakes Country Club 74 72 76 74 296
T39 +8 Ryan van Velzen Benoni Country Club 74 69 75 78 296
T39 +8 Paul Waring Felixstowe Ferry GC 72 77 72 75 296
T44 +9 Caylum Boon Oubaai Golf Club 77 77 73 70 297
T44 +9 Loris Schuepbach Switzerland 77 74 70 76 297
T44 +9 Calum Fyfe Cawder Golf Club 74 73 73 77 297
T44 +9 Deon Germishuys Strand Golf Club 73 74 74 76 297
T48 +11 Callum Mackay West Hill GC 76 77 71 75 299
T48 +11 Maximillian Boegel Germany 75 75 75 74 299
T50 +12 Andre van Heerden (Jnr) Walker Park Golf Club 81 72 77 70 300
T50 +12 Gregory Mckay Mount Edgecombe Cc 73 76 76 75 300
T52 +13 David Langley Castle Royle Golf Club 82 75 72 72 301
T52 +13 Theunie Bezuidenhout Mooinooi Golf Club 76 77 70 78 301
T52 +13 Andrew Carlsson Bryanston Country Club 75 77 77 72 301
T55 +14 Romain Lanteri Domaine de Manville 81 71 73 77 302
T55 +14 Siyanda Mwandla Mount Edgecombe Cc 78 73 74 77 302
T55 +14 Philip Kruse Woodhill Country Club 77 77 74 74 302
T55 +14 Titouan Berny Royal Jhb And Kensington Gc 77 73 79 73 302
T55 +14 Varun Parikh Gulmohar Greens GC 76 79 72 75 302
T55 +14 Guillaume Chevalier Aix−Marseille 75 74 75 78 302
T61 +16 Sheoran Dhruv Club IGU 77 75 77 75 304
T61 +16 Jordan Burnand Ebotse Golf & Country Estate 77 74 78 75 304
63 +17 John Paterson The New Golf Club St Andrews 78 73 76 78 305
T64 +19 Aneurin Gounden Glendower Golf Club 78 74 78 77 307
T64 +19 Tiarnan McLarnon Massereene 74 72 77 84 307
66 +20 Pierre Pellegrin Bellville Golf Club 78 78 73 79 308
T67 MC Nicola Gerhardsen Kingswood Golf Estate 78 75 78 MC 231
T67 MC Casey Jarvis State Mines Country Club 78 75 78 MC 231
T67 MC Barry Anderson The Royal Dublin 76 81 74 MC 231
T67 MC Jason Rossiter Krugersdorp Golf Club 75 76 80 MC 231
T71 MC Antoine Sale Waterkloof Golf Club 82 75 75 MC 232
T71 MC Jakub Hrinda Kingswood Golf Estate 82 75 75 MC 232
T71 MC David Nortje The Els Club, Copperleaf 75 81 76 MC 232
T71 MC Keaton Slatter Royal Jhb And Kensington Gc 75 79 78 MC 232
75 MC Hayden Griffiths Country Club Johannesburg 79 73 81 MC 233
T76 MC Thomas Boulanger Country Club Cannes−Mougins 80 75 79 MC 234
T76 MC Keelan van Wyk Ruimsig Country Club 75 76 83 MC 234
T78 MC Loic Ettlin Wylihof 84 79 72 MC 235
T78 MC Darin de Smidt Krugersdorp Golf Club 80 76 79 MC 235
T80 MC Pierre Pineau Sully sur Loire 83 76 78 MC 237
T80 MC Christian Verrougstraete Golf du Bassin Bleu 80 80 77 MC 237
T80 MC Mandla Dlamini Mbabane Golf Club 80 78 79 MC 237
T80 MC Jacob Oakley Styal GC 75 83 79 MC 237
84 MC Charles Larcelet Foret D’Orient 77 78 85 MC 240
85 MC Florent Toulet le Morne G.C. 80 82 79 MC 241
86 MC Alexandre Lasalarie France 81 83 78 MC 242
87 MC Samual Mckenzie Modderfontein Golf Club 77 80 88 MC 245
88 MC Ritish Venkamah Bon Espoir Piton G.C. 83 88 80 MC 251
89 MC William Dodds Styal GC 87 87 81 MC 255
90 MC Rakesh Channoo Bon Espoir Piton G.C. 82 88 87 MC 257
