Clifton A claim Nomads High School Team Championship honours

Clifton A finished the 36-hole tournament on a combined gross total of 446 which edged Westville A who ended with a total of 450 across the two rounds of golf.

The winners and the runners-up will now go on to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the GolfRSA National High Schools Championships taking place in Worcester in July this year.

Impressively for the Clifton side their average age was just 15 years old with three 14-year-olds in Harry Clayton, Santiago dos Santos and Dylan Bezuidenhout while Tristan Smith at 17 years-old was the eldest in the side.

Young Clayton was the most impressive individual golfer across the two rounds of competition firing back-to-back rounds of one under par 71. Despite these impressive rounds of golf, he was very closely followed by Westville's Jamie Smith who ended one shot adrift shooting rounds of 71 and 72.

Another young 14-year-old Ben Wilson from Hilton College ended third with two rounds of 73 and fourth went to Clifton's Santiago dos Santos who was one shot behind Wilson.

Speaking at the conclusion of the tournament, Junior Golf Administrator for KZN Golf Neil Bennett was impressed by the quality and the age of the golfers that stood out.

"To see so many young golfers aged 15 and under performing this well bodes well for golf in KwaZulu-Natal," Bennett said. "Having our winning team featuring three 14 year-old players is brilliant to see.

"Also to have a 14-year-old win the tournament is another hugely encouraging achievement and we are looking forward to seeing how these young players go on the national stage.

"We wish Clifton College and Westville Boys' High School all the very best for the national championships in July."

This year's qualifying competition consisted of 20 teams with two teams each from Clifton, Kearsney, Michaelhouse, St. Charles, Hilton, Westville, and Northwood, along with one team each from Maritzburg College, Glenwood, Curro Salt Rock, Reddam Umhlanga, Crawford, and Ashton Ballito.