Williams wings her way to the front at RJK

JOHANNESBURG, 17 February 2020 – Kaylan Williams hopes to emulate fellow Western Province golfer Sam Simpson when she bids for the number one spot in the Aon South African Women’s Amateur Championship on Tuesday.

Simpson was the proud recipient of the prestigious Proudfoot Trophy when he claimed a three-shot victory on 13-under in the 36-hole qualifying event for the Aon SA Amateur Championship at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on Monday.

Williams will have the chance to do the same after she took pole position in the 54-hole Aon South African Women’s Stroke Play Championship with successive rounds of two-under-par 70.

The Durbanville golfer carded an opening 70 on the commanding East Course and signed for the same number on the West Course.

She will carry a slender lead on four-under into Tuesday’s final round on the West Course, with South Africa’s leading amateur Caitlyn Macnab and Larissa du Preez threatening at three-under-par 141.

Williams tied for sixth in last year’s SA Stroke Play and went all the way to the final in the match play event, where she lost at the 20th hole to Kajal Mistry, who became the 12th player to clinch a calendar double since former Major champion Sally Little’s feat in 1969.

“The final result tomorrow will determine the seeding for the Aon SA Women’s Amateur Championship, which starts on Wednesday. I would love nothing more than to put my name in the number one slot. The leaderboard is very tight, though, so let’s not start counting chickens just yet,” said the 17-year-old Durbanville resident.

“I really enjoy the West Course, because the fairways are more generous and it’s a bit shorter than the East. You can take driver with some confidence to leave yourself shorter distances in, and you can fire at the pins.

“My strategy will be to get a bit more aggressive off the tees and definitely more aggressive with the putter. I burned some edges today and left a couple in the throat, and if those had dropped, my lead could have been a bit more substantial.”

Macnab, who held the overnight lead on three-under, turned three over after a double bogey start at the par four 10th and a bogey on 18, but she started the inward loop with successive birdies and a third gain on the par five ninth brought her back to level.

Du Preez had three bogeys, but the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member produced double the number of birdies to grab a share of second.

Serengeti’s Nadia van der Westhuizen will start the final round on one-under, while Free State golfer Gabrielle Venter and Ekurhuleni pair Kiera Floyd and Kyra van Kan are a further two strokes adrift.

Meanwhile Umhlali junior Kamaya Moodliar leapfrogged joint overnight leaders Heather Kruger and Sabiha Bacaus in the B-Division battle for the Abe Bailey Stroke Play trophy.

The 13-year-old’s rounds of 84 and 81 lifted her three shots clear on 21-over, with Bacaus from Umkomaas second and Kruger from Country Club Johannesburg in third on 26-over.

Samyra Fos from Reunion finished fourth on 173, with South African trio Hanne Rademeyer, Erica Chen and Jordan Pillay fifth on 177.

At the conclusion of the 54-hole Aon SA Women’s Stroke Play Championship, the leading 32 players from the A-Division and leading 32 from the B-Division will be merged. The top 32 will contest for the Aon SA Women’s Amateur Championship title, while the bottom 32 players will battle for glory in the Championship Flight Division.

Championship Division – Round 2 Scores

140 Kaylah Williams 70 70

141 Larissa du Preez 72 69; Caitlyn Macnab 69 72

143 Nadia van der Westhuizen 72 71

145 Gabrielle Venter 75 70; Kiera Floyd 71 74; Kyra van Kan 71 74

147 Kaiyuree Moodley 74 73

148 Samantha Whateley 77 71; Kera Healey 73 75

149 Megan Streicher 76 73; Marine Legentil 75 74

150 Marlie Smit 79 71; Isabella van Rooyen 76 74

151 Mila Jurine FRA 76 75

152 Bobbi Brown 78 74

153 Kim de Klerk 78 75

154 Bronwyn Leigh Doeg 79 75; Demi Flanagan 76 78; Vicki Traut 73 81

155 Eleonora Galletti 80 75; Shani Brynard 80 75; Annalie Swanepoel 71 84

156 Chloe Malgas-Kelpin 84 72; Liezl Smit 80 76; Noluthando Mdanda 78 78

157 Stephanie Barbaglia 79 78

158 Kim Turgut 83 75; Nicola Schoeman 82 76; Sandra Winter 81 77; Kaylan Boshof 80 78

159 Ashleigh Mills 83 76; Carmen Taljaard 79 80

160 Nicole Strydom 85 75; Madina Hussein TUN 83 77; Cara Ford 81 79

161 Ineke Brynard 82 79

162 Peace Kabasweka UGA 79 83

163 Alexandra Delavigne FRA 84 79; Anika Smit 84 79

165 Ladina Semadeni SUI 79 86

166 Jasmine Furstenburg 87 79

168 Danielle Bekker 88 80; Petrone Rudolph 84 84

170 Irene Nakalembe UGA 86 84

171 Elizabeth Lightley 90 81; Heidi van der Berg 85 86

172 Thamara Sandys 89 83; Anita Chen 88 84

173 Dimpho Mhlongo 90 83; Ellandri van Heerden 89 84; Melani Grobler 83 90

174 Lize-Mari Prinsloo 93 81; Nelia Swanepoel 90 84

179 Bongiwe Shabalala 91 88

185 Suzan Cheslyn Jacobs 93 92

191 Charlene Oosthuizen 104 87

B-Division – Round 2 Scores

165 Kamaya Moodliar 84 81

168 Sabiha Bacaus 83 85

170 Heather Kruger 83 87

173 Samyra Fos FRA 86 87

177 Hanne Rademeyer 92 85; Erica Chen 88 89; Jordan India Pillay 86 91

179 Denise Zibel FRA 87 92

182 Amanda Kieser 89 93

183 Tyla Potgieter 93 90

186 Wendy Angudeyo UGA 96 90

188 Natalie Singer 95 93

189 Paola Sofia Sakota 100 89

192 Lili Yang Furstenburg 99 93

194 Palesa Headbush 98 96; Rita Teka 96 98

195 Veronica Paddy 101 94

209 Lelani Mbukwane 104 105