Central Gauteng and Gauteng North emerged victorious at the SAGDB Nomads Motus Challenge in early December, but the biggest winner was golf as South Africa’s young rising talent showcased the fruits of the South African Golf Development Board’s (SAGDB) national programme.

The eighth edition of the SAGDB’s flagship event was hosted by Benoni Country Club, where 84 juniors, representing all 14 of South Africa’s golf unions, joined the battle for glory.

“The SAGDB Nomads Motus Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for our rising stars to showcase their skills and has become a sought-after ticket among the youngsters in our national programme,” said SAGDB managing director Grant Hepburn. “The depth of talent in our national programme is incredible and this year, for the first time, we had teams of six across both sections.

“It was fantastic to see such talent on display. Most of these kids came into our golf development programme at the age of around seven or eight and have risen through the ranks to earn the opportunity to represent their unions with pride at our flagship event.”

Central Gauteng six-pack Alexis Toriani, Eric Ncube, Jayden Hoskins, Rezario Adams, Tawriq Abrahams and Vuyisani Makama stockpiled a formidable 508 points at the 54-hole inter-provincial Medal Stableford competition to claim victory in the A Section.

Defending champions Western Province, with 491 points, finished second, with Eastern Province taking third place with 481 points.

Makama put an exclamation point on an exciting week for the Lions with a dramatic eagle finish on the par-five 18th, and a closing round of 40 earned him a share of the individual honours on 112 points alongside his captain Hoskins and fellow GolfRSA National Squad member Jondre Ludick from Eastern Province.

Gauteng North were even more impressive, completing a 44-point victory march to lift the B-Section title and dominating the individual competition. Skipper Zinan Maimane led from the front to steer the Daisies to victory, supported by Orateng Maphake, Phenyo Sebata, Abdul Ebrahim, Leigh Loots and Mangwe Nsele. North West finished second on 444 points, while 372 points earned Border third place.

Maimane topped the individual leaderboard on 102 points, Loots finished second on 94 points and Sebata tied for third on 93 points with Stephan van Rooyen and Lubanzi Tselane from North West.

These impressive results bore testimony to the SAGDB’s commitment to nurturing South Africa’s young talent, and Hepburn, visibly proud of the players’ performances, emphasised the dual focus of the SAGDB’s efforts: “We not only do life skills with them. We actively look to produce very good players, champions who can play at the GolfRSA provincial team events and go on to represent South Africa abroad. And we’ve had success with many of these players turning professional and playing on the big stage.

“So, this is where it all starts for them, where they cut their teeth and gain experience for the future.”

The tournament also served as a reminder of the enormous role the Nomads Golf Club of South Africa has played, and continues to play, with their financial support of junior golf in the country.

Alten Hulme, the National PRO of Nomads, explained their long-standing dedication to the development of young players: “Nomads have been involved in the furtherance of golf since 1960. Gary Player was one of our founding members, and we almost immediately started supporting junior golf in South Africa.

“Every notable name in South African golf has had a brush with Nomads at some point, including our Major champions Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.

“By supporting junior golf, we continue to give the youngsters the opportunity to compete against each other on the biggest stage. That exposure is crucial, and the quality of golf we’ve seen from our players at professional tournaments and here at Benoni is testimony to that. We as Nomads are very, very proud of what we do through our Furtherance of Golf programme, in addition to what we do for those less fortunate than us.”