Lombard tames wind to win IGT Benoni Photo – Zander Lombard; credit CJ du Plooy BENONI, 19 March 2014 - Top South African amateur Zander Lombard extended his winning tally on the IGT Pro Challenge Tour to four victories when he claimed a one-shot triumph at the IGT Series Benoni on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Pretoria golfer quashed a bogey on each nine with six birdies at Benoni Country Club for a four-under-par 68 and a winning total of 10 under 206. Mike Downes from England and Korea’s Hyun Park shared the runner-up spot with respective rounds of 69 and 71. Overnight leader Robbie Lupini slumped to eight under after a disappointing 75 and shared fourth with trick-shot specialist Michael Scholz, who returned a 69. Local favourites Dean O’Riley (72) and Johary Raveloarison (70) shared the bus at seven under with Haydn Porteous (71), Tyrone Ferreira (71), Steven Ferreira (70) and Tokkie van den Berg (71). Blustery conditions limited the birdie opportunities in the final round and just 19 players in the field of 65 managed to break par. Louis de Jager managed a 67 around the 6,633 meter layout for the low round of the day, while Lombard capitalized on his recent experience in the 72-hole South African Stroke Play to come home in four under. The Woodhill golfer was pleased with the result. “I dropped shots at the sixth and 15th but they were soft bogeys; nothing too dramatic,” he said. “It was the kind of result I was looking for. We have two big provincial amateur events coming up and I wanted to keep as sharp as possible. “I’m pretty pleased with the outcome, because the course was set up very tough and the wind made matters even trickier. Course management off the tees was crucial, because the pins were tucked away on most greens. It was a day for percentage golf and birdies along the way was a bonus.” Lombard rose the number one spot in the amateur rankings last year and currently ranks second. His chief goal this season is to keep inside the top three. “I don’t obsess about the rankings, but have a good chance of making the Eisenhower team this year if I can maintain a top three ranking,” the TuksSport golfer explained. “That’s my big dream, though, so my coach and I am working very hard to keep my game at the highest level.” Downes from South Manchester was thrilled with his season-best performance and hopes to get into the winner’s circle, soon. “I missed a card at Q-School, so instead of going home like I did last year and spending a fortune on the Euro Pro Tour, I decided to try the IGT Tour this year,” he said. “It’s a great set-up and I enjoy the competitiveness on this Tour.” The 24-year-old has been coming out to South Africa for more than a decade and practices at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington. “I had some mates before and made a lot of new friends out here on the IGT Tour. I’m fired up about this week, because it brings me another step closer. My goal is to shoot sub 70s this season, and I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress. Hopefully I’ll pick up one of those eagle trophies in the near future.” FINAL RESULT Herewith the final result from the IGT Series Benoni, played at the par-72 Benoni Country Club on Wednesday, 19 March 2014; all competitors RSA unless otherwise specified and amateurs = (AMA) 206 - Zander Lombard (AMA) 72 66 68 207 - Mike Downes ENG 71 67 69, Hyun Park KOR 70 66 71 208 - Michael Scholz 69 70 69, Roberto Lupini 66 67 75 209 - Johary Raveloarison 68 71 70, Steven Ferreira 70 69 70, Tertius Van Den Berg 70 68 71, Haydn Porteous 68 70 71, Tyrone Ferreira 72 66 71, Dean ORiley 68 69 72 210 - Pieter Kruger 68 69 73, Toto Thimba Jnr 65 70 75 211 - Ryan Gosling 72 70 69, Ockert Strydom 71 70 70, Francois Coetzee 67 74 70, Rourke Van der Spuy 71 70 70, Antonio Rosado POR 71 67 73 212 - Lean Boezaart 72 71 69, Louis De Jager 71 74 67, Ruan Huysamen NAM 65 74 73 213 - Henry Featherstone ENG 74 70 69, Johan de Beer 71 69 73, Brett Liddle 67 72 74 214 - Ph McIntyre 69 70 75, Wynand Dingle 68 70 76 215 - Ryan Tipping 72 71 72, Shaun Norris 72 69 74, Coert Groenewald 70 69 76 216 - Bryandrew Roelofsz 70 75 71, Shaun Smith 70 70 76 217 - Rhys West 72 69 76, Otto van Greunen 71 69 77 218 - Jason Froneman (AMA) 70 72 76, Jacqui Akers (AMA) 73 69 76, Herman Minnie 74 70 74, Andrew Light 74 71 73, Neil Cheetham ENG 74 73 71 219 - Juan Langeveld 72 71 76, Ludovic Bax MUS (AMA) 70 74 75, Dayne Moore ZAM 73 72 74, Danie Pretorius 70 75 74, Rae Mackie 70 77 72, Reghard Neethling (AMA) 72 75 72, Graham van den Berg (AMA) 77 71 71 220 - John McClean NIR 75 70 75, Murray Smit 74 73 73 221 - Peter Wilson ENG 78 68 75, Slade Fick (AMA) 75 73 73, Ted Hendriks 74 75 72, Andi Dill (AMA) 76 73 72, Hano van der Walt 77 72 72 222 - Will Mathews USA 71 77 74, Tjaart Van Wyk (AMA) 76 74 72 223 - Brandon Taylor USA 72 70 81, Jason Diab (AMA) 74 73 76 224 - Terence Boardman 77 69 78, Clinton Cheia (AMA) 77 71 76, Jerry Steyn 71 78 75, Eduard Van Den Berg (AMA) 74 75 75 225 - Werner Van Niekerk 74 74 77, Sam Botham ENG 77 72 76 227 - Jacques Prinsloo 77 72 78 228 - TJ Bekker 69 77 82 231 - Wesley Cheia (AMA) 75 73 83 WDN - Vincent Schaffler (AMA) 73 70 WDN
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 17:58:24 +0000
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