Singapore: Joy and relief were the over-riding emotions for the triumphant South African contingent after ending their World Amateur Team Championship hoodoo at Tanah Merah Country Club.
South Africa’s previous best finish in the Eisenhower Trophy was a silver medal in 1980. Before that, the country’s only podium finishes were bronze in 1970 and 1972. On Saturday in Singapore, however, South Africa finally struck gold.
Team Captain Gavin Groves hailed the breakthrough victory, saying it marked an historic moment for South African amateur golf.
“I’m just elated. Really proud. This win has been a long time coming. There have been a lot of near misses and many very talented teams who fell just short. But we’ve seen the steady upward trend over the years, and this victory is the result of that continued progress.
“The guys played unbelievable golf the whole week. It’s been such a great experience being here with the hospitality, the people, the staff. Everything has been incredible. And, of course, the trophy is the cherry on top.”
Christiaan Maas, sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), topped the individual leaderboard and anchored his team’s dominant performance.
His 72-hole score of 266 ties the second-lowest individual mark in championship history. France’s Victor Perez, Australian Lucas Herbert and Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti all recorded the same score in Japan in 2014, where Spain’s Jon Rahm set the lowest 72-hole total in championship history at 263.
Maas said: “I’m relieved and happy that I kept my head down and didn’t back off. It’s a long week, and building a lead comes with a lot of pressure. You don’t want to mess it up.
“In team golf, momentum can shift quickly. A few birdies here and there can turn things around, so I just tried to stay focused and execute my shots.
“It’s nice to see that my game can travel. It’s a long flight over here, different conditions.”
Maas, aged 22, was the third-highest ranked player in the field at Tanah Merah, behind the American duo Ethan Fang and Preston Stout.
Fang said: “I’ve played with him a couple of times and he’s a great guy. When he’s hot he’s hard to catch and he’s obviously been playing pretty good this week.”
Daniel Bennett, who also plays alongside Maas at the University of Texas, added an even-par 72 to Maas’ final-round 69, giving South Africa a final-round, three-under 141.
Bennett said: “It’s pretty incredible that this is the first time (South Africa has won). We’ve got such a great group around us, and we are very thankful to everyone back home and all the support we’ve had. Christiaan has been playing good all week, and we just needed one other good score.”
Charl Barnard posted a five-over 77, which marked his fourth non-counting score of the week. “I’m just happy to have such a good team,” Barnard said. “It really meant a lot for me this week [to represent South Africa]. It’s something that I can look back at when I’m done and be proud to be a part of.”
Australian continued their fine record in the Eisenhower Trophy. In 33 appearances, the Australians have won 15 medals, the most of any country outside of the US. With its silver on Saturday, Australia now owns four gold, five silver and six bronze.
Harry Takis fired a closing 69, improving his day three score by 10 strokes. “I went home last night, and the coaches had a chat with me about keeping my head up and trying to do what I do best, and I did that today,” said Takis, who will return to Singapore to compete in the Singapore Open in November. “It’s always an honour to represent your country. We don’t take it for granted.”
England’s bronze medal was its second podium finish, having earned silver in 2016. England has finished inside the top 10 nine times.
At Tanah Merah, England were led by Eliot Baker in the final round, who posted a five-under 67 for his best individual performance of the week. Charlie Forster contributed a 70 for a team seven-under 137, while Tyler Weaver posted a non-counting 73. The trio, who represented GB&I in the Walker Cup Match at Cypress Point in September, finished the championship on 19-under 557.
“It was a big goal of the year to be picked for this team,” said Baker, the reigning Scottish Men’s Open champion. “It’s nice to come out here and put this performance in. It was a slow first few days for myself but I finally got it going today.”
Hosted by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), the WATC is held every two years and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of amateur team golf.