Lamprecht could be SA’s next Major show-stopper
SOUTH African golf fans have not had too much to shout about on a Major stage for some time now, but in amateur Christo Lamprecht there may just be a star unlike we have seen before.
That’s a significant statement as SA can lay claim to phenomenal golf talents like Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen. In fact, Locke, Player, Els, et al are all multiple Major champions.
However, the 22-year-old Lamprecht already boasts a unique honour no other South African has achieved.
The 2.03m big-hitter on Sunday became the first SA player to win the silver medal as the top amateur at the Open Championship.
For his efforts, Lamprecht joined ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ Brian Harman at the presentation ceremony to receive his award in front of a global audience.
In the 151st edition of the Open, Lamprecht will forever be linked with the oldest tournament in golf.
The award for the best amateur has been handed out since 1949, and Lamprecht can add himself to a list of names which includes Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
“I had a look at the list last night, and it’s really nice to be part of history like that and engrave my name into history,” said the Western Cape’s Lamprecht.
“Now that everything is done, it is nice to look back and know I’m the last amateur standing. I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t have the best stuff for the last three days and I’ll need to reflect on that, but I have learned a lot of lessons.”
Lamprecht grabbed headlines in the first round on Thursday, as he was tied for the lead with a superb opening five-under 66 at Royal Liverpool. Though his next three rounds (79, 76 and 74) were a struggle, it was more than understandable on his Major debut.
By making the cut, Lamprecht had already achieved more than he would have hoped for as he was the only amateur to play over the weekend. It meant he could play the final two rounds without the pressure of trying to remain the top-placed non-professional.
Still, he found it tough but he ground it out and incidentally was tied with SA’s top-ranked Thriston Lawrence in 74th position.
All those achievements point to one thing – an incredibly bright future in the game.
Although Lamprecht has insisted he won’t be turning professional just yet – probably not in the next 18 months – when he decides to join the paid ranks, he could well be SA’s next Major champion.
There hasn’t been an SA winner of a Major on the men’s side since Els triumphed in the Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes 11 years ago.
The Major drought has been difficult to bear as an SA golf fan, despite Ashleigh Buhai’s victory in the Women’s Open Championship last year. It is because SA men’s golf is incredibly strong, with the Sunshine Tour continuing to produce world-class players almost every year.
It’s therefore a crying shame that Els is the last SA player to win one of the big four events, though Oosthuizen has six runner-up finishes in the Majors.
Of course, LIV Golf has meant players like Oosthuizen, Schwartzel and Branden Grace’s world rankings have plummeted due to their commitment to the Saudi-funded series. For Grace, in particular, the former world No 10 finds himself now ranked 421st and without automatic entry into any of the Majors.
So in Lamprecht, we may just have a new Major champion in waiting.