There was plenty to celebrate at Kingswood this week as Kingswood resident and rising golf talent Jordan Groenewald claimed the prestigious NTT Data U19 Junior Open title on his home course.
The three-day tournament, held from 28 – 30 September, brought some of South Africa’s leading junior golfers to Kingswood for an important fixture on the GolfRSA junior calendar.
For the first time, the full three days of both the U15 and U19 championships were played at Kingswood, and the estate has now secured the tournament for the next three years.
For Jordan, the week could hardly have ended better.
The young Kingswood resident carded rounds of 68, 70 and 69 for a three-round total of 207, finishing ahead of Benjamin Weber of East London Golf Club on 209, with Alexander Frankel of Devonvale Golf Estate third on 216.
The U15 title went to Aiden Combrinck of Serengeti Golf Club, who produced rounds of 72, 77 and 70 to finish on 219. The victory completed a hat-trick for Combrinck, following his recent wins in the Nomads Gowrie Farm U15 Challenge and the Fortress Invitational U15 Challenge.
Josh Moolman of Woodhill Country Club finished second on 220, while Demyan Burczak of Cotswold Downs Lifestyle Centre took third with a 3-round total of 223.
Winning an event of this stature is a significant achievement. The NTT Data Junior Open attracts talented young golfers from across South Africa and forms part of the competitive pathway for players looking to progress in the sport, from national junior competition towards higher levels of amateur golf and international representation.
According to Greg DeDoncker, GolfRSA Manager: Transformation and Tournaments, playing all three rounds at Kingswood allowed the players to become familiar with the course, its conditions and greens.
“The course played long because of conditions,” said DeDoncker. “Over the first two days we had wind that we seldom experience around here. I’ve been doing the tournament for probably 10 years and that was probably the most testing conditions we’ve had over the last period.”
Despite the challenging weather, DeDoncker said the players and parents thoroughly enjoyed the facility, praising the course for its condition and the quality of the greens.
He specifically commended Kingswood greenskeeper Ivan van Heerden and his team, as well as Golf Director Dean le Vieux, Assistant Golf Director Tim Steynberg and Golf Co-ordinator Kayleigh King for contributing to a memorable tournament experience.
“The parents loved the facility; they loved the vibe. From a facility point of view, it’s probably one of the better facilities that we’ve been at,” said DeDoncker.
GolfRSA has now signed a three-year hosting agreement with Kingswood, ensuring that the NTT Data U15 and U19 Championships will return to the estate in the years ahead.
DeDoncker says he is “certainly looking forward to being back here next year and the year thereafter”.
For Kingswood, it is wonderful recognition of the estate as a destination for championship golf. And for our community, it is even more special to have a Kingswood resident standing at the top of the leaderboard.
Congratulations, Jordan! Kingswood is incredibly proud of you.
