Mwale shines for SA in India

NEW DELHI, India (10 November 2016) – South African Golf Development Board member Carl Mwale grabbed a share of the lead in the Boys 13-14 Category at the 8th Albratross International Golf Championship India in Gurgaon on Thursday.

PHOTOS – Carl Mwale, Casandra Hall, Kajal Mistry and Alkin Barkley in action during the second round of the 8th Albratross International Golf Championship India; credit WGSA.

The 14-year-old from CMR Golf Club navigated the Ridge Valley Course at the Classic Golf and Country Club in rounds of 74 and 79 to finish in a three-way tie for the lead at 153 with local duo Wanipun Meeson-Us and Rachara Winwon.

However, as the prestigious junior international championship heads into the final round, Casandra Hall, Kajal Mistry and Alkin Barkley are hoping to come out firing on Friday.

Hall from Ekurhuleni and Mistry from Central Gauteng are both campaigning in the Girls 15-17 years Category, while Barkley is competing in the Boys 15-17 years Category.

Seventeen-year-old Hall returned rounds of 79 and 81 to tie for sixth at 160 and is 15 shots behind local golfer Amrita Anand, who tops the leaderboard at 145 after posting rounds of 73 and 72.

Mistry opened with an 86, but the 16-year-old fired a much improved 77 in the second at the Ridge Valley Course to climb to ninth in the standings.

Barkley, another member of the SAGDB Central Gauteng Elite Squad, was well of the pace after shooting 84 in the first round, however the Ruimsig Country Club rallied with a second round 77 to move to 13th place at 163.

Mwale and Barkley are currently in third place in the team competition and four off the pace from the leaders, while Hall and Mistry climbed to sixth in their team event.

“It was a day of mixed fortunes for the players, but they are all enjoying this great opportunity to compete in an international event of this magnitude,” reported Womens Golf South Africa president, Karen Olivant.

“Obviously the conditions are very, very different to what they are used to back home. That is why exposure to international competition and events of this nature are so important in developing our young golfers.

“It is always interesting to listen to their comments after their rounds, because you can hear just how much they are learning when they talk about their success and mistakes. It is important that they focus on the experience and not the scores, because we want them to learn and to gain from this experience.”