Walker extends Scottish legacy in African Amateur

It’s been quite a week for the Scots on the global golfing stage, with former SA Stroke Play champion David Law’s success on the European Tour in Australia last weekend and amateur golfer Euan Walker’s march to victory in Mpumalanga on Thursday.

The Scottish National Squad members have enjoyed a serious amount of success in South Africa over the last eight years, set in motion by Michael Stewart’s triumph in the Sanlam SA Amateur Championship in 2011.

Brian Soutar echoed the feat when he beat a young Brandon Stone at Mowbray Golf Club a year later and Daniel Young and Craig Ross followed suit in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Two years ago, Liam Johnston conquered Leopard Creek to win the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship and Walker extended the Scottish honour roll when he claimed the same prize with a three-stroke victory on 11-under-par 277.

The Ayrshire golfer opened with an even-par 72 and carded successive rounds of 67 to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

However, unlike the grandstand eagle finish 18 in round three that set him up with a four-shot cushion over GolfRSA National Squad member Garrick Higgo and Ludwig Aberg from Sweden, Walker’s final trip to the iconic closing hole on the final day required a bit more finesse.

2019 African Amateur Stroke Play Championship winner Euan Walker from Scotland; credit Ernest Blignault.

“The round was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster,” said Ayrshireman. “I made three birdies in the first four holes, but I felt nervous throughout. After a great start, the wheels came off when I dropped five shots in three holes from the fifth.

“I was just two shots clear of Garrick and Ludde heading to the back nine and I was feeling the pressure. I steadied the ship with a birdie at 10. That took some of that nervous tension away and then I chipped in for eagle at 13 to get some breathing space. A lot of things went my way and that chip in was one of them. It was huge for me, because it allowed me to settle down, even though the gap was just four shots.”

Walker lost the advantage of a birdie at 14 to a bogey at the next hole, but par saves at 16 and 17 had him heading to the final hole with his four-shot cushion still intact.

“I hit my tee shot down the right and I had 107 yards flag, which was an awkward distance for me,” he said. “The nerves were back, so I took a club less. I wanted to hit a smooth 54 degree, but I absolutely juiced it.

“I was willing the ball to get on the green and I watched it roll right over the green, but I got lucky again and avoided disaster when my ball stopped in the rough, just inches from the water.”

Walker had to balance on the stone wall that surrounds the island green and chip to the pin, which was stuck in a small valley right in the middle of the green.

“I wasn’t even thinking about the water right behind me,” he said. “All I could think of was that I shouldn’t duff it and have to watch it come back down the slope and into the water. I would have been happy with anywhere on the green from there.

“I actually played a really nice shot. The strike was perfect. I’ve been working on my short game a lot recently and I am glad in that moment it was very worthwhile. It came up just short and I had a three-footer for par and the win.”

Walker hopes to take the same route as Johnston, who used his victory in 2017 as a springboard to the pro ranks. After two wins on the Challenge Tour, he earned promotion to the main European Tour circuit this season.

“I think everyone on the squad aspire to follow in Liam’s footsteps and a win like this certainly brings me closer to achieving that,” Walker said. “Winning at this golf course definitely showed me that I can compete on a European Tour course and that’s a big positive for me.”

Aberg and Higgo were neck-and-neck until the final hole, where the lanky Swede found the middle of the green with his approach and Higgo’s second plugged in the greenside bunker.

A closing four-under 68 netted Aberg second on 280.

The South African made a good up-and-down after working the trap shot away from the flag and a 71 saw him settle for third on 281.

India’s Kartik Sharma and South Africa’s leading junior Jayden Schaper tied for fourth a further shot back after respective rounds of 68 and 70.

Final Result

277 Euan Walker GBR 72 67 67 71

280 Ludwig Aberg SWE 70 68 74 68

281 Garrick Higgo 70 67 73 71

282 Kartik Sharma IND 74 67 73 68; Jayden Schaper 69 69 74 70

283 Keelan van Wyk 74 69 72 68; Wilco Nienaber 74 66 74 69

286 Therion Nel 77 69 71 69

287 Maxmilian Herrmann GER 78 70 71 68; Samuel Simpson 77 68 73 69

288 Billy McKenzie GBR 77 67 74 70; David Langley GBR 75 74 68 71; Gaelen Trew GBR 72 71 71 74

289 Jim Johnston SCO 76 70 70 73; Samual Mckenzie 76 69 74 70; Tom Plumb GBR 73 67 75 74; Martin Vorster 71 72 73 73

291 Christiaan Burke 78 73 66 74; Kyle de Beer 77 70 74 70; Gustav Andersson SWE 73 73 73 72

292 Malcolm Mitchell 79 67 75 71; Armand van Dyk 76 72 71 73; Christiaan Maas 75 72 71 74; Keagan Thomas 75 71 73 73

293 Joseph Long GBR 78 75 67 73; Hennie O’Kennedy 75 72 70 76; Yurav Premlall 74 71 74 74; Alexander Herrmann GER 73 73 70 77

294 Anant Singh Ahlawat IND 76 72 73 73; Paulus Jorg GER 75 71 77 71; Ryan van Velzen 70 75 80 69

295 Luca Filippi 78 69 72 76; Karabo Mokoena 72 75 74 74

296 Varun Parikh IND 75 73 74 74; Jannik De Bruyn GER 74 74 75 73; Gregg Gilson 74 70 77 75

297 Jordan Duminy 77 72 74 74; Gianni Pera 76 76 74 71; Kieran Cantley SCO 76 74 76 71

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