Ken Borland

KHOLWANE, Eswatini – Jaco Prinsloo is an avid fisherman and his ‘catch’ on the par-fives at the Nkonyeni Lodge and Golf Estate was the major reason why he leads the FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni Challenge after the first round on Thursday.

If Prinsloo was a birdwatcher then he would have been equally thrilled with the two eagles and two birdies he bagged on the four par-fives on the bushveld golf course next to the Usutu River, making up the bulk of his gains in a seven-under-par 65 that left him top of the pile, two strokes ahead of Herman Loubser.

Prinsloo eagled the eighth and 15^th holes, while also collecting birdie fours on the fourth and 13^th holes. The 32-year-old’s other birdies came on the third and ninth holes, and he dropped just one shot, on the par-four fifth.

“I hit the ball pretty good today,” Prinsloo said. “I hit it really close for my one eagle and made a decent putt for the other. It was a case of really good putting today and good hitting, there were a couple of very good shots.

“The tour had a break of more than a month so it’s been a while since I played competitively and these are not the fastest greens, different to what we’re used to compared to winter in Johannesburg.

“It’s a new course for us because we’re used to playing at the Royal Swazi Sun, but Nkonyeni is an absolute beauty, really challenging but fun in the bushveld,” Prinsloo said.

Prinsloo is enjoying a solid season and is 15^th on the Luno Order of Merit, saying he feels he is “moving in the right direction” and needs to “keep doing what I’m doing”.

If the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate representative can back up his 65 over the next two rounds then he will keep his challengers in the R1 million event mum.

Modderfontein’s Loubser is foremost among those, a marvellous run of four successive birdies around the turn leading him to a 67.

Ricky Hendler and young Kyle McClatchie are a stroke further back on four-under, while Jovan Rebula, Lyle Rowe, Clinton Grobler and CJ du Plessis are all on three-under-par.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – For Scott Keevy, who describes himself as “an avid golfer” the final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series Humewood Pro-Am was all about building towards the Stroke 1 eighth hole on the famous old links course.

The six-handicapper from down the road, relatively speaking, at the St Francis Links, managed to birdie the daunting 455-yard hole and the four points he and Merrick Bremner gained was their best score of the second day. It proved critical because their winning margin at the end of the Pro-Am was just one point over Lyle Rowe and Adrian Kemp.

“We started on the third hole and we battled early on but Merrick kept us going. And then on the eighth, the Stroke 1, I hit a big drive, a nine-iron and then I managed to sink a 15-footer for birdie and four points!

“And then when the rain hit, we were busy playing into an Easterly and I managed to get a par on the 15^th when my pro finally required my help again. But Merrick and I dovetailed very well and he was my number one choice as a partner. I remember meeting him when I caddied for Titch Moore once and I know Merrick won here and I love the way he plays and his interaction with his partners,” Keevy said.

Keevy is one of those sporting all-rounders, having played second division football for Callies and Masters squash, but his passion for golf goes back several years.

“Ours is a sporting family, I am one of three brothers and we basically played anything from table tennis to golf and all with the same competitiveness. Ryan Reid is a first cousin and the real star golfer in the family, he played on the European Tour and is now director of sport at Fancourt. I’m a self-taught golfer so I have a big hook, but I make it work for me.

“This Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is just an unbelievable experience for us, I have played in them for many years but it’s the first time I’ve won a tournament, having been to the finals on the odd occasion. The way Vodacom spoils us and the way they make us feel – it’s unsurpassed,” Keevy said.