SCOTS LOSE FOURSOMES LEAD IN SINGLES AGAINST S AFRICA

FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLF ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

The ten-man Protea team, playing Scotland in a two day amateur golf Test Match, at Leopard Creek near Malalane, had a good first day, ending up with a two-point lead over their more fancied opponents.

Enjoying the perfect golfing weather, the South Africans started slowly and finished strongly. In the morning Foursomes, the hosts won two matches to Scotland’s three. However, over the afternoon session, made up of ten singles matches, South Africa came back nicely to win 6½ points to Scotland’s 3½.

“We played with much more discipline and patience than we did against France,” said Colin Burger, the team manager and SAGA President, in explaining what he saw as being an improved performance by his charges.

“This a team event but if one had to single out any performances I must say Hendre Cilliers, playing in his first test match, did well to beat James White. So too did Jared Harvey to halve his match with Kris Nicol. Coenie Bester’s performance was fantastic; even that of Haydn Porteous taking Michael Stewart, the new Sanlam South African Amateur Champion, to the fifteenth hole was praiseworthy.”

With fourteen points to play for tomorrow it is still anyone’s test match. With the South African’s looking much steadier than in earlier test matches, at this stage, a win against the strong Scottish team is not out of the question.

Scotland finished strongly in the morning foursomes to lead 3-2 going into the afternoon singles.

South Africa led in four of the five foursomes at the turn but Scotland put three wins on the board, thanks to Michael Stewart and Ross Kellett (2 and 1 winners), Scott Gibson and Paul Shields (2 and 1), Kris Nicol and Greg Paterson (5 and 4).

Stewart, Gibson and Shields were Scotland's most successful players with two wins each from two outings.

DAY 1 RESULTS

S0UTH AFRICA 8 1/2, SCOTLAND 6 1/2

Foursomes (S African names first) (2-3)
R Dreyer and J Harvey lost to M Stewart and R Kellet 2 and 1.
B Stone and R Nortje bt J Findlay and P McLean 3 and 2.
C J du Plessis and R de Smidt bt D Law and J White 1 hole.
D Hammond and H Porteous lost to S Gibson and P Shields 2 and 1.
C Bester and H Celliers lost to K Nicol and G Paterson 5 and 4.

Singles (6 1/2-3 1/2)

Porteous lost to Stewart 3 and 1.

Bester bt Law 1 hole.

Du Plessis bt Findlay 2 and 1.

De Smidt bt McLean 5 and 4.

Dreyer lost to Shields 7 and 6.

Nortje lost to Gibson 5 and 4.

Celliers bt White 2 holes.

Hammond bt Paterson 1 hole.

Harvey halved with Nicol

Stone bt Kellet

SCOTLAND'S 100 PER CENTERS ON OPENING DAY

SCOTT GIBSON..........................................PAUL SHIELDS ......................MICHAEL STEWART