Golfer in SA Open
Former Queenstown youth an emerging star
AYOUNG man who started to play golf in Queenstown, Jade Buitendag, 20, achieved what many other golfers dream of when he qualified as one of the four junior amateurs invited to take part in the BMW South African Open championship at the Glendower Golf Club on the East Rand last weekend.
The SA Open is the second oldest national open in the world.
Jade, son of Johan and Rosann Buitendag, attended Queen’s until the end of Grade 9, when he went to Merrifield College in East London and was coached by Michelle de Vries. He is now at the KeNako Academy in George and is ranked eighth amateur by the South African Golf Association.
Johan caddied for Jade at the Open, which Jade describes as, “Awesome. It was such a privilege as Mom walked all the way with us too – I was thrilled to have them, it was a dream come true.”
Jade earned national colours last year when he was selected for the South African amateur golf team for the Africa championships in Kenya. The SA team defended the title for the third successive year and the country’s eighth overall title.
His highlights of last year were being runner-up in the Mpumalanga championship, fourth in the Cape provincial amateur champs and eighth in the Free State Open.
He will continue to focus on amateur events round the country as part of the national amateur squad and if he continues to do well, hopes to go play in British and Scottish tournaments as he did last year.
Jade pays tribute to his first coach, Michelle de Vries, present coach Roger Wessels, the KeNaka Academy, gym instructor Jan-Harm Venter and, of course, his parents, who he says, “Have been behind me and encouraging me all the way.”