• Golf was banned by the Scottish • Golf Was Invented in Scotland • Tiger Woods Made His First Hole-in-One at Eight Years Old. • There’s a 12,500 to 1 Chance of Making a Hole-in-One • Golf Balls Were Originally Made of Feathers and Leather
PGA 2023 Rupert Kaminski had nerves of steel during the thrilling final day of the SA PGA Championship at St. Francis Links on Saturday. He managed to stay cool and composed throughout, even with Matthew Spacey right on his tail the whole day. Ultimately, he clinched victory by just one stroke, making his first Sunshine Tour title a huge success. Saturday was a real race against the clock, with extreme winds expected on Sunday. Both the third and fourth rounds were played on the same day, with groups of three teeing off simultaneously in a shotgun start. In the morning’s third round, Kaminski and Spacey delivered fantastic six-underpar 66s. This put them just one stroke behind the leader, Peter Karmis, who carded a 71 and ended up at nine-underpar. The afternoon turned into a head-to-head contest as Kaminski teed off on the first hole and Spacey set off on the 18th. They quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field. Unfortunately, Karmis could only manage a 77 in the final round, finishing at four-
under-par and in a tie for third with Ryan van Velzen (72) and Adam Breen (73). Spacey faced a shaky start with two bogeys in his first four holes, while Kaminski played some fantastic golf on the front nine, notching up three birdies in the first six holes. Spacey fought back with birdies on the 12th and 14th holes, while Kaminski made a couple of bogeys coming home. Kaminski sealed the deal with a level-par 72, while Spacey came up just short with bogeys on the 15th and the closing 17th. After his win, Kaminski shared, “I’m still extremely overwhelmed, and I don’t think it’s ever going to really sink in. I’m blown away by the way I played, and it’s such a privilege for me to lift this prestigious trophy.” He continued, “Par was definitely a good score today. I thought two-under for the whole day would be good enough, but I was six-under for the third and fourth rounds, which is really tremendous. I was just very calm throughout the day and had a lot of trust in everything I was doing. I hit the ball well, putted well, and had faith and belief. I continued to focus
on what was in front of me.” Kaminski added, “In the last couple of years, I’ve been in a position to win a few times, but I let it get the best of me. I let the occasion get to me. But I was impressed by how in control I felt today.” Kaminski now finds himself in a new world of golf, joining the ranks of legendary players who have won SA’s secondoldest professional golf tournament. It’s an incredible achievement and opens the door to big events for the rest of the season. He said, “Apart from moving into fifth on the Order of Merit, I’m also into all the big events for the rest of the season, the cosanctioned tournaments at the end of the year. Hopefully, this will be the start of big things, and it’s a nice step in that direction. And I love coming to the St. Francis Links. There’s something about this place. I really enjoy the course and the people.” This year’s R2 million event received significant support from the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency and the African Bank. It was a day of fierce competition and triumphant victory.
