Ebotse Golf & Country Estate, 4 April 2022: David Watts capped off a dream disabled golf tournament debut with a closing 73 and an emphatic 20-stroke victory over Robin Singh in the Ebotse Links Disabled Open at Ebotse Golf & Country Estate on Monday.
Holding a six-shot lead over Singh after 18 holes, Watts continued to demonstrate his immense promise in round two. A birdie at the par-4 4th – Ebotse Links’ Stroke 1 – was followed by a second red-number of the day at the 8th as Watts turned in an eye-popping two-under par 34.
The Les Autres golfer cooled off somewhat on the back-nine but not even two dropped shots over his final three holes could take the gloss off a two-round display that was close to flawless.
Watts’ nearest challenger – Robin Singh – struggled to apply any sustained pressure and ultimately posted a closing round of 87 and with it secured runner-up honours.
Watts said that he enjoyed the fact that he had to plot his way around a track he’d never seen before the first round.
“I really enjoyed the golf course. You’ve got to think your way around it a lot – you can’t just hit driver off every tee,” said Watts.
“Keeping it in play seems to be very important around here and also missing it in the right spots so if you miss the green you musn’t short-side yourself so you have an opportunity to get it up and down.”
Watts called the victory a “bonus” at the end of what was a dream disabled golf tournament debut.
“It’s really cool. I’m very happy that I got to play and experience it and to come away with the win is a real bonus for me.”
Young Holds Off Van Niekerk For Physically-Disabled Stableford Title
A second-round tally of 29 points saw Charles Young complete a thrilling two-point victory over Deon Van Niekerk in the Physically-Disabled Stableford division.
Showing no signs of nerves, Young notched eight points over his first four holes of the final round. A three pointer at the 14th helped offset zero-pointers at the 13th and 15th as Young turned with 14 points to his name.
Van Niekerk’s opening nine meanwhile yielded 12 points highlighted by a three-pointer at the 11th.
On the second-nine, Van Niekerk’s round gathered serious momentum. Nine points over the first four holes saw Van Niekerk eat into Young’s lead – Young carding five points in the same stretch.
Though Van Niekerk kept his tally ticking down the stretch – amassing eight points over the final five holes – he came up agonisingly short.
Two three pointers and a two-pointer over Young’s final four holes lifted him to 15 closing-nine points and a slender two point triumph.
Dos Santos Romps To Deaf Strokeplay Title
Albano Dos Santos completed a resounding victory in the Deaf Strokeplay division with a second-round score of 95. Along with his first-round score of 99, his 36-hole tally of 194 earned him victory over Kwazi Mahlangu who posted rounds of 111 and 114.
Van Der Berg Victorious In Deaf Stableford
Shanon Van der Berg won the Deaf Stableford division with a 36-hole tally of 51 stableford points.
Final Thoughts
The Ebotse Links Disabled Open was frustrating and fantastic in equal measure. Frustrating because the weather didn’t play ball but fantastic because of the support the SADGA received throughout the tournament. The Ebotse Links staff went to extraordinary lengths in order to accommodate us and ensure that we were able to complete 36 holes of golf. We cannot speak highly enough of the hospitality extended to us and cannot wait to return to this world class estate soon.
The tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the financial and personnel support provided by the Gauteng Nomads. The different branches of Nomads have been incredible to the SADGA over the years and this event highlighted once more what a terrific asset the organisation is to South African golf.
Congratulations once more to the winners, participants and all of our supporters for helping us stage a truly memorable event.
For more information about SADGA, please visit www.sadga.co.za or follow SADGA on
· Facebook : SADGA-South-African-Disabled-Golf-Association
· Twitter: @sadga101
· Instagram: sadga_rsa
Hashtags: #sadga #GautengNomads #RaceToChallenge #disabledgolf #disabledgolfer
Media enquiries, please contact
Media Liaison
Craig Stirton
t. +27 (0) 83 384 6889
e. craigstirt@gmail.com
SADGA office
Lily Reich
t. +27 (0)82 888 9888 / +27 (0) 21 685 2955
e: lily@sadga.co.za