Photo: Johannesburg amateur Louis Taylor shares the lead with Werner Ferreira and Australia’s Ryan Ruffles after the first round of the South African Stroke Play Championship at the Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa on Tuesday. Credit: Piet Uys
South Africa’s Louis Taylor and Werner Ferreira, and Australian Ryan Ruffels, opened with six-under-par 66s to share the lead in Tuesday’s first round of the South African Stroke Play Championship at the Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa in George.
They are two strokes clear of SA’s Damian Naicker and Joris Etlin of France in a championship that has drawn a strong international contingent on the back of last week’s Ten Nations Cup tournament.
And it was Australia’s victory in that event that has seen the likes of Ruffels enter this week in a confident mood.
“I suppose we are riding a bit of momentum at the moment,” said the 14-year-old rising star of Australian amateur golf, and the son of former professional tennis player Ray Ruffels.
But Ruffels was more impressed with his playing partner Taylor. The South African seemed headed for the sole lead when he went out in 30, with seven birdies and two pars, and climbed to eight under through 13.
“That was pretty insane to watch,” said Ruffels. But Taylor dropped three shots in four holes before a birdie at the last.
“To be eight under and then finish six under is a little disappointing. But if you’d offered me 66 at the start of the round I would’ve taken it,” said the Johannesburg golfer, who opened with four straight birdies. “After that I just decided to keep attacking the course.”
