Makama ignites SA Amateur match play with champion-slaying upset
- GolfRSA
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The first round of the knockout stages of the 2026 South African Amateur Championship concluded at Pretoria Country Club on Tuesday morning, delivering drama, upsets and emphatic victories as match play took centre stage.
In a gripping opening round that set the tone for the week, the standout moment belonged to giant-killer Vuyisani Makama, who produced the shock of the championship by eliminating defending champion Charl Barnard.
The South African Golf Development Board member was one-up playing the 18th hole and, after hitting two wayward shots, stunned spectators by chipping in for eagle to seal a memorable 1-up victory.
Proudfoot Trophy winner Dewan de Bruin showed no signs of slowing down, carrying his superb stroke-play form into match play to end Scottish hopes of a sixth champion with a commanding 3&2 victory over Ewen Farquhar.
Recent Free State Open champion Judd Sundelson underlined his confidence with a solid 4&2 win over Grant Labuschagne, while Oliver Scriven recorded the biggest margin of the round, dismantling James Truter 7&6.
Josh Hirsch also impressed in a tightly contested match, edging past 2025 Nomads SA Boys U-19 Stroke Play champion Roelof Craig 1-up to secure his place in the last 32.
Several matches went deep into extra holes, highlighting the fine margins at this stage of the championship, with Ethan Roos, John-George Pringle, Syan Ramchander and Andries van der Vyver all requiring sudden-death holes to advance.
With play suspended late on Monday due to dangerous weather conditions and fading light, four first-round matches were completed on Tuesday morning. Current GolfRSA No 1-ranked U-17 junior Schalk van Ettinger and Jonathan Wilsenach were among those to safely progress.
With the field now cut to 32, the championship moves into the next phase of match play, where pressure intensifies and every hole becomes a battle.
MATCH PLAY TOP 64 RESULTS
Dewan de Bruin beat Ewen Farquhar SCO 3&2
Dian Kruger beat Nicko Venter 4&3
Vuyisani Makama beat Charl Barnard 1-up
Judd Sundelson beat Grant Labuschagne 4&2
Josh Hirsch beat Roelof Craig 1-up
Ethan Roos ENG beat Liam van Deventer 20th hole
CJ van Wyk beat Matteo Zimmermann 4&3
Sean Paxton beat Benjamin Weber 2&1
Siebert Wiid beat Liam McKenna 5&4
Minjun Heo beat Timothy Daniels 3&2
Lenny Mines LUX beat Nicolas van der Vyver 1-up
Likius Nande NAM beat Henru Walters 3&2
Ryan Melville beat Astin Arthur 3&2
Ethan Govender beat Alex Frankel 1-up
Pieter Coetzee beat Luke Truter 4&3
Dylan Melville beat Octave Bailo 3&2
Ivan Verster beat Marais Vorster 3&2
John-George Pringle beat Sebastian Greenan 19th hole
Wiehan van der Walt beat Ruben van der Berg 1-up
Storm du Toit beat Devon Valentine 1-up
Morris Schiefner GER beat Darlington Chikanyambidze ZIM 6&5
Noah Peens beat Gareth Clements 1-up
Jayden Jacobs beat Gerard Hartman 3 & 1
Matthew Rossouw beat Andrew Georgiou 6&5
Jayden Hoskins beat Kyle Johnson NAM 1-up
Syan Ramchander beat Nelis de Bruin 19th hole
Leonard Swart beat Keegan du Plessis 4&3
Schalk van Ettinger beat Cilliers Craig 1-up
Oliver Scriven beat James Truter 7&6
Hanro Kriel beat Renier Janse van Rensburg 5&3
Jonathan Wilsenach beat Joshua Koekemoer 4&2
Andries van der Vyver beat Janko van der Merwe 19th hole
TOP 32 DRAW
Dewan de Bruin v Dian Kruger
Vuyisani Makama v Judd Sundelson
Josh Hirsch v Ethan Roos ENG
CJ van Wyk v Sean Paxton
Siebert Wiid v Minjun Heo
Lenny Mines LUX v Likius Nande NAM
Ryan Melville v Ethan Govender
Pieter Coetzee v Dylan Melville
Ivan Verster v John-George Pringle
Wiehan van der Walt v Storm du Toit
Morris Schiefner GER v Noah Peens
Jayden Jacobs v Matthew Rossouw
Jayden Hoskins v Syan Ramchander
Leonard Swart v Schalk van Ettinger
Oliver Scriven v Hanro Kriel
Jonathan Wilsenach v Andries van der Vyver
Comments