WRITTEN BY MATTHEWS MFUBU
SUN CITY, August 3 –
Tandi McCallum made it two wins in as many Standard Bank Pro-Am series tournaments when she claimed a two-stroke victory over Ivanna Samu and Yolanda Duma at the Lost City Golf Course in Sun City on Tuesday.
FOLLOWING THE SERENGETI WIN
McCallum, 36, finally clinched her maiden title in this series last month at a windy Serengeti Golf Estate; shooting four-under for that week to win by two over Nadia van der Westhuizen and Lindi Coetzee.
A month later and at the world-famous Sun City Resorts where some of the best golf action in South Africa has taken place for so many years, McCallum would rise again, daring the brutal wind that lashed the Lost City on Tuesday on the way to her second consecutive win this season.
“I think finally getting that monkey off my shoulder at Serengeti has allowed me to be a bit more relaxed and it’s coming through my golf now,” she said. “Today the course was very brutal and a lot harder; firm fairways and the ball bouncing all over the place. The greens are quick and there are a few tucked flags today and the wind was up from the very first hole. It was blowing about a club and a half. “But it feels great to win again. It is unexpected because I was quite happy to have gotten my first win and gotten the monkey off my back. I’ve been a bridesmaid so much in the last three years, especially on the Sunshine Ladies Tour and here at the Standard Bank Pro-Am series. I think I had three second-place finishes last year. Now, the pressure is off and I feel a bit more relaxed when I’m playing. So, this win was not expected and I think I must carry the same mindset to the next event.”For the second tournament in succession, McCallum had to battle hard for the win and while the wind continued to boss the golf course, Duma, Samu and Namibia’s Bonita.
Bredenhann also kept piling the pressure. It was all experience, however, as McCallum triumphed once more. And in Sun City. Samu and Duma finished in a share of second on a tournament total of four-over-par while Bredenhann’s total of five-over earned her another top-five finish.
“It’s fantastic that Standard Bank is taking these events out of Johannesburg and more into the other provinces,” added McCallum, “because we get to network with more people. There are fantastic people all around South Africa and not just in Jo’burg. It’s great to play around our beautiful country and Standard Bank is very supportive of us women in golf and I just hope it grows more. Let’s go to more places; let’s go to Polokwane and some of these other places that are out of town, it would be great.”
The R 500 000 tournament was the second tournament in this series to be played outside of Gauteng. Now, with Sun International joining hands with Lifestyle Golf who founded this series in association with the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA), Sun City would host the North West province’s tournament.
“An iconic institution has embraced us and welcomed us as friends, joining in on our efforts to make the Standard Bank Pro-Am series the premier golfing platform for women professionals and amateurs in South Africa,” said Jenny Havenga, founder of Lifestyle Golf and promoter of the series.
Initiated by Lifestyle Golf, and in collaboration with the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA), the series, which is now in its second year, is aimed at growing women’s golf on all levels and creating opportunities for them to play professionally throughout the year, which will enable them to hone their skills further.
For more information: Standard Bank Pro-Am Series and the Standard Bank Golf Development Programme – contact Lifestyle Golf – Jenny Havenga
