Dylan Raubenheimer struck a resounding blow for the country's junior golfers when he won the Stroke Play Qualifier at Sanlam South African Amateur Championship on Monday.
Raubenheimer with the Proudfoot Trophy
Dylan Raubenheimer struck a resounding blow for the country's junior golfers when he won the Stroke Play Qualifier at Sanlam South African Amateur Championship on Monday.
But there was a little more at stake for the 16-year-old golfer from the Western Cape than lifting the prestigious Proudfoot Trophy. .
Raubenheimer says he won the qualifier for his father, Paul, but now he wants to win the Sanlam SA Amateur for his idol, Ernie Els.
Raubenheimer will depart for Florida in the United States next week with three other members of the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation to spend a week playing golf with Els.
"I would like nothing better than to get on that flight with the Sanlam SA Amateur trophy on my lap," he said.
Raubenheimer fired a flawless, seven-under-par 65 for a winning 10-under-par 134 at Cape Town's Mowbray Golf Club in Tuesday's final round of the 36-hole qualifier to leapfrog overnight leaders Brandon Stone, the country's number one ranked player, and Toby Tree, a leading English amateur,
"I told my dad I would win give him a 50th birthday present he would never forget," said Raubenheimer who is a pupil at the Paul Roos High School in Stellenbosh.
"My dad is my biggest supporter and my biggest fan. He never complains and he just supports me unconditionally. It felt so great to be able to pull off the win for him."
Winning the SA Amateur for Els, however, could be a much tougher proposition.
To reach his goal, Raubenheimer will have to survive the next five rounds of match play.
"I won a Mini Masters tournament here in 2011 with rounds of 66 and 71, so I knew what kind of approach I had to take in the qualifier, but I have to admit I was worried about my chances after I struggled at the SA Stroke Play with my swing," Raubenheimer explained.
"I had a couple of lessons with the guys from SwingFit and I haven't hit the ball better than I have this week. So I'm really excited to get going now."
The teenager said he expected Stone, who carded a 66 and Tree, who returned a 68, as well as SA Stroke Play champion Haydn Porteous, to be especially tough opponents if he comes up against any of them.
"Luckily I don't play them for a few rounds..
"I'll be able to ease into it against Phillip (Kruse) who like me is also a junior and we know each other well. After that it will get a bit tougher. I'll have to change my approach if I get through, because match play is a different ball game. I will have to get a little more aggressive, but there are holes here you can attack."
Scotland's Brian Soutar tied for fourth alongside Limpopo's CJ du Plessis and Western Province amateur JP Strydom, who both carded 68s.
Souter, a member of the Scottish amateur squad who also fired a flawless 65, said he will be throwing everything into mix to win the title.
"The SA Amateur Championship ranks right up there with winning the Scottish Amateur for me," he said.
"It's a very prestigious tournament with a long history and it's steeped in tradition. You just have to look at the international entries to realise how this how this tournament has grown in stature on the global amateur circuit.
"I'm certainly going to try to be the one this year that takes the trophy back to Britain for a third year running."
The final cut to 64 players was set at four-over-par 148 with 10 players contesting one final spot. It was won by tKruse..
ALL THE FINAL SCORES
134 - Dylan Raubenheimer 69 65
135 - Brandon Stone 69 66; Toby Tree (GBR) 67 68
136 - Brian Soutar (GBR) 71 65; CJ du Plessis 68 68; Jean-Paul Strydom 68 68
137 - Zander Lombard 69 68; Conway Kunneke 67 70; Michael Loppnow 71 66
138 - Werner Theart 68 70; Victor Lange 67 71; Drikus Bruyns 69 69
139 - Hendre Celliers 69 70; Jade Buitendag 74 65
140 - Jaco Mouton 69 71; Paul Shields (GBR) 69 71
141 - Johan Theron 73 68; Tristen Strydom 71 70; Gert Myburgh 71 70; Desne van den Bergh 73 68; Martin Rohwer 73 68; Haydn Porteous 71 70; Terence Boardman 70 71;
Paul de Beer 71 70
142 - Ray Taverner 72 70; Matthew Spacey 72 70; Otto van Greunen 73 69; Drew Denyer 71 71
143 - Shaun Smith 71 72; Pedrie Oosthuizen 72 71; Scott Crichton (GBR) 75 68; Thys Swart 70 73
144 - Breyten Meyer 72 72; Michael Dixon 73 71; Cedric Rooi 73 71; NJ Arnoldi 72 72; Curtis Griffiths (GBR) 74 70
145 - Delin Erasmus 71 74; Daniel Kay (GBR) 74 71; Graeme Vrugtman 69 76; Sipho Bujela 75 70; Jamie Clare (GBR) 75 70; Callum Mowat 73 72; Herman Minnie 74 71; Carlo O'Reilly 73 72; Henk Geldenhuys 73 72
146 - Jacquin Hess 72 74; Armandt Scholtz 74 72; Le Riche Ehlers 73 73; Bryan Wester 74 72; Matthew Sutherland 74 72; Louis Taylor 74 72; Justin Turner 77 69; Jacques de Villiers 74 72; Pieter Coetzee 78 68
147 - Alex Jordan 72 75; Morten Bredahl 78 69; Fraser Mckenna (GBR) 77 70; Jonathan Dixon 76 71; Glen de Waal (NAM) 72 75; Robert Bougas 72 75; Pierre Viviers 73 74; James White (GBR) 72 75
148 - Philip Kruse 72 76;
MISSED CUT:
148 - David Watts 74 74; Michael Mgodeli 76 72; Eddie Taylor 75 73; Aneurin Gounden 75 73; Jacques Prinsloo 73 75; Joubert van Eeden 75 73; Kevin Smith 75 73; Zack van der Schyff 76 72; Ross Callaghan 74 74
149 - Teaghan Gauche 75 74; Damian Naicker 80 69; Nic Elliot (GBR) 76 73; Francois Mouton 71 78; Andrew Light 74 75; Burger Heckroodt 75 74; Craig Poulton 76 73; Thomas Watson 75 74; Conor O'Neil (GBR) 71 78; Jamie Bower (GBR) 75 74
150 - Jason Froneman 83 67; Charl du Preez 74 76; Terence Coutinho 72 78; Rob Westray 72 78; Scott Ferguson 71 79; Louis Boston (USA) 75 75; Andi Dill 77 73; Nicholas Scher 78 72; Matthew Lea (USA) 73 77
151 - Rae Mackie 75 76; Mitchell Kock 74 77; Jarred Miltz 79 72; Jack Duthie 76 75; Matt Sheehan (GBR) 79 72; Luke Trocado 74 77; Sean Bradley 78 73; Roux Jeffery (NAM)
79 72; Musiwalo Nethunzwi 78 73; Danie Pretorius 77 74; Neal Herman 77 74; JD Oosthuizen 78 73
152 - Karl Ochse 75 77; Jason Ackerman 75 77; Eduard van den Berg 77 75; Aubrey Barnard 77 75; Gareth Akers 75 77; Arthur Horne 73 79; Oswin Schlenkrich 76 76
153 - Josh de Klerk 80 73; Kenny Goosen 73 80; Jason Viljoen 77 76; Nathan Scott 81 72; Daniel Mantel 79 74; Christiaan van der Merwe 80 73
154 - Wayne Willmore 73 81; Michael Ryan 78 76; Douglas Mcfadyen 78 76; Darren Swaffield 78 76; Jonathan Raphunga 79 75; Jean-Pierre du Plessis 75 79; Daniele Marineli 78 76
155 - Daniel Barnard 81 74; Terence Salo 74 81; Krelen Govender 75 80
156 - Theo Pahlsson 81 75
157 - Garth Wolter 81 76; Pieter Muller 72 85; Paul Keyser 78 79; Mark Mahoney 77 80; Andrew Ilsley 82 75; Rudolf Fourie 80 77; Max Smith (GBR) 78 79; Ruan Huysamen (NAM) 78 79; Brent Edgar 83 74; Tiaan Strydom 81 76
158 - Wesley Baptiste 80 78
162 - Darryn Myers 81 81
164 - Shaun van Tonder 79 85
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