Scots defend team title in Leopard Creek event

Scottish players will be seeking both individual and team success in the African Amateur Championship, which gets underway at Leopard Creek today.

A total of eight players are flying the Saltire in the event, which marks the end of Scottish Golf’s now annual adventure to the Rainbow Nation for some of its leading male players.

A quartet comprising Liam Johnston, Connor Syme, Craig Howie and Craig Ross are also on team duty in the first three rounds of the 72-hole event, defending that particular title.

Ross, who has recovered from the illness that cut short his South African Amateur title defence at Humewood last week, finished joint third 12 months ago, when home player Albert Venter stormed to a five-shot victory, helped by two 65s, at the same venue in Mpumalanga.

Venter joines forces with Kyle Mcclatchie, Aubrey Beckley and Marco Steyn in the top South African team, England are represented by Sean Towndrow, Josh Hilleard, James Walker and Dan Brown while France, with Dimitri Mary, Victor Veyret, Edgar Catherine and Pierre Pineau are other threats to a successful Scottish title defence.

In the professional ranks, where Graeme Storm has been voted European Tour Player of the Month for January for his SA Open play-off win over Rory Mcilroy, Scottish players are chasing titles on two fronts in Spain.

On the Evolve Pro Tour, Falkirk’s Ryan Campbell is sitting joint third after carding rounds of 72 and 71 for a one-under-par total at Hacienda Riquelme, where three-time European Tour winner Miguel Angel Martin sits seven shots clear of the field on nine-under (67-68) heading into the final round.

Clarke Lutton, meanwhile, is sharing the lead after carding a five-under 67 in the first round of a Gecko Tour event at Calanova. Lutton’s effort was matched by Dane Mads Vibe-hastrup and Swiss player Jean Luc Burnier.