Kistensamy claims Nomads North & South Junior

HARTEBEESPOORTDAM, 30 August 2019 – KwaZulu-Natal junior Kyle Kistensamy celebrated his first national success when he scored a runaway victory in the Nomads North and South Junior Championship at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club on Friday.

Kyle Kistensamy celebrated his first national success with a six-shot victory in the Nomads North and South Junior Championship at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club. Pictured here with Central Gauteng Nomads captain Nick du Toit; credit GolfRSA.

The 17-year-old Prince’s Grant golfer had set himself the target of winning on the national circuit this season, and he duly delivered on the final day.

After a bogey start in the final round, he dropped two more shots on the third, but Kistensamy turned things around with seven birdies and an eagle on the par five 12th for a sizzling 66 to close out a six-shot victory on six-under 210.

“I’m super stoked about this win,” said the Curro Mount Ridgemore matriculant.

“I really had to dig deep after that start, but I pulled it back and went on the attack. It’s really cool to land the big one in the final Nomads event of the season. Now I can go back to the books, knowing I got the job done.”

Kistensamy has been trending towards a big win throughout the season.

He won two club championships – first at Umhlali Country Club and then at his home course – and racked up a handful of top five finishes on the local provincial circuit.

He landed a share of the first round lead with an opening 69 at Pecanwood headed into the final round just one off the pace from 36-hole leader Justin Bester from Ekurhuleni after carding 75 in the second round.

“I wasn’t too fazed after the bogey start, but I knew I had to stay off the bogey train if I wanted to get back into the fight after the double on three,” said Kistensamy.

“I hit 2-iron off the tee at the fourth and a full sand-wedge into the green, and holed a three-foot putt for birdie to get one shot back. After birdie at the par five (seventh hole), I chipped in for another birdie at eight to get back to level for the round.”

Kistensamy went on the rampage after the turn.

“I birdied 10 and 11, eagled the 12th and birdied 13 to take the lead,” he said. “I pumped a drive down the 12th fairway, leaving myself 142 metres to the pin. I hit a full pitching-wedge to two feet and tapped in for the eagle.”

The KwaZulu-Natal junior sealed victory with a birdie-par finish.

“On 17, I hit my tee shot left of the green and chipped in again for birdie. I wasn’t under any pressure, because I had six shots in hand playing the last, so I just played the last hole conservatively to make sure of the win,” he said.

“The timing is perfect, really. My goal this season was to win one of the Nomads titles and now, with the final exams coming up, the pressure is off. I’m hoping for a good matric result, because I want to study a B.Com degree.

“I’m looking at some colleges in the United States, but I might just stay at home and study through Varsity College. Either way, I’ll be playing a lot of golf so I can keep on improving my game.”

Samual Mackenzie from Royal Johannesburg and Kensington also made a stuttering start with three bogeys and a double bogey in his first six holes, but the Gauteng junior rallied with five birdies on the back nine for a final round 70 to take second on his own on level par.

Local favourite Luc Gavagnin sealed third place on one-over with rounds of 71, 75 and 71.

Final Result

210 Kyle Kistensamy 69 75 66

216 Samual Mckenzie 74 72 70

217 Luc Gavagnin 71 75 71

218 Nikhil Rama 75 70 73

219 Ryan van Velzen 72 74 73

221 Dean Wilken 76 68 77

222 James Murray 77 70 75; Alessio Graziani 73 78 71

224 Emerson Bam 77 72 75; Zandre Labuschagne 76 69 79; Nico Els 74 75 75

225 Christopher Bagnall 79 74 72; John-William Blomerus 74 72 79; Brandon Weir 73 76 76; Marcus Taylor 69 80 76

226 Justin Bester 68 75 83

227 Jaime Clive Lewis 80 72 75; Jaco Anderson 76 71 80; Andrew Long 74 79 74; Connor Williamson 74 75 78; Michael Ferreira 72 79 76; Lyle Pedro 71 82 74

228 Stefano Marchetti 75 79 74

229 Jacques van der Merwe 78 77 74; Carl Mwale 78 76 75

230 Jaden Deltel 80 78 72; Jonathan Wilsenach 77 77 76; Keagan Crosbie 77 76 77; Kael Kurt Strydom 77 73 80; Grant Ferreira 72 81 77

231 Deacon Rudolph 72 80 79

232 Giaconi Middel 81 76 75; Ernest Jaco Ludick 77 78 77

233 Awethu Mkhwanazi 77 76 80; Shaunak Rama 76 82 75; Joshua Koekemoer 75 84 74

234 Romain Legentil 82 85 67; Pieter Rossouw 80 80 74; Fabrizio de Abreu 77 77 80

235 Nico Booyens 77 81 77; Matthew Dennis 73 82 80

236 Caden Sanders 81 79 76; Wiehan van der Walt 77 81 78; Christian Lewis 76 79 81

237 Dylan Melville 77 84 76

239 Tobias Jan de Flamingh 83 79 77; Tiaan Diedericks 82 82 75

241 James Fraser 77 81 83

242 Divan Mostert 86 79 77; Bernard Meyer (Jnr) 85 79 78; Marco Dennis Anderson 81 80 81; Rorisang Nkosi(Jnr) 80 85 77; Jordan Wessels 78 77 87

244 Remon Rabie 82 86 76; Enzo Barbaglia 82 84 78; Zander Lombard 82 82 80; Tristan Leonard 82 80 82

245 Jan Petrus Lion-Cachet 83 80 82

246 Sean Tsipa 82 83 81

248 Stefan Krüger 87 78 83

251 Janko van der Merwe 79 85 87

253 Ronan Nortje 83 83 87; Dylan Snyman 80 90 83; Divan Visagie 77 91 85

254 Heinrich Strauss 84 86 84

258 Logan Bartholomew 93 80 85; Greg Macaskill 88 85 85

260 Thobelani Magwaza 95 83 82; Ryan Crawford 80 85 95

267 Daniel Fraser 84 94 89

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of GolfRSA.