GOPAL MASTERS THE WIND TO WIN BIG IN JOBURG

NIKHIL Gopal won the 2019 South African High Schools Championships at Southdowns Country Club last week by two shots over the 72 holes of strokeplay.

“It was a good victory,” is how Gopal summed up his 5-under-par aggregate.

Gopal, a matriculant at Grace College in Pietermaritzburg, plans to attend college in Texas next year, where he will embark on business studies and play golf.

He shot 75, 68, 71 and 69 in weather not usually typical for Johannesburg.

“It felt like hurricane winds at times. There was a 580m par-5 where we hit driver and 9-iron or wedge playing downwind,” Gopal said.

With the win, the Victoria CC player was chosen as the number one player for the South African Schools team. He is joined by two other players from KwaZulu-Natal, namely Cade Cryer (Clifton) and Jack Cubitt (Westville Boys’ High).

It was almost four in total, with Sean Paxton (Maritzburg College) named as reserve. Paxton is also a member at Victoria CC, while Cryer plays out of Mount Edgecombe CC and Jack at Umdoni Park Golf Club.

Jack described the course as “pretty tough” but one that suited those who like to tee it high and give it a whack.

*The KZN junior team to play in the junior IPT at Ou Baai in the Southern Cape from 9-13 December is expected to be announced soon.

Those in contention, according to pre-September tournament rankings include Mitch Hampson (Umdoni Park GC), Nathan Trodd (Maritzburg GC), Matt Brown (Mount Edgecombe CC), Cryer (Mount Edgecombe CC), Luke Cubitt (Umdoni Park GC), Paxton (Victoria CC), Jack Cubitt (Umdoni Park GC) and George van Vuuren (Royal Durban GC). Jono Broomhead (Durban CC) and Gopal will be too old by the time the tournament comes around, and Kyle Kistensamy (Prince’s Grant) is also unavailable.

Those just outside of the top eight include Ethan Gough (Kloof CC), Hayden de Kock (Cotswold), Luke Truter (Victoria) and James Barnard (Maritzburg GC), who represented the team last year.

*The KZN mid-amateurs head to Cape Town later this week for the annual SA Mid-Amateur IPT, to be held at King David Mowbray Golf Club.

Gavin Sole (Southbroom GC) will captain the team, which saw the recent withdrawal of number one Derek Scullard (Mount Edgecombe CC) due to injury. Foursomes are likely to be Sole and Thomas Lovett (Prince’s Grant), Graham Dickinson (Maritzburg GC) and Ashwin Krishen (Durban CC), Leon Naidoo (Durban CC) and Koenie Erasmus (Umhlali CC), and Corne van Deventer (Vryheid GC) and Sean Baker (Margate CC).

The singles order could quite likely follow that same pattern, although Van Deventer may be a bit far down the list at seven. Some of the players are nursing niggling injuries – back, elbow, hip – but how many at this level (or age) aren’t!

Hopefully they will all be in good shape and ready to challenge for the trophy by the time the wind picks up in Cape Town.

Team manager is Neil Champion. Baker came in for Scullard, ironically, a day before he was about to move his handicap. It will probably be his swansong in KZN colours as he has relocated to George.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if he popped up in Southern Cape colours in seniors golf next year.

* The Maritzburg Open will take place at Maritzburg Golf Club this year on 13 October.

This will be followed by the KZN Interclub on the upper South Coast from 25-27 October.