Second win in South Africa for Saltford golfer

Saltford golfer Laurie Canter has completed an incredible double in South Africa by picking up his second trophy in less than seven days.

Last week the 20-year-old won the S.A. Amateur strokeplay title and he has followed it up by winning the prestigious Glacier 108th South Africa Amateur Championship.

He said: “I put it down to a caddie that read the lines superbly, a lucky pair of trousers, a red-hot putter and bit of luck.”

 

The Saltford Golf Club member beat local favourite Allen Versfeld by a convincing 6 & 5 in the final of the matchplay tournament.

 “Okay, maybe I had a little to do with it, too,” said Canter, an England A-Squad member who is coached by Keynsham-based former Ryder Cup player, Gordon Brand Jnr. “After all, it was me that hit the shots and made the putts.”

Just four days after he won the Proudfoot Trophy for the stroke play qualifier in a play-off against Versfeld, the Englishman overpowered the South African in the 36-hole showdown at East London Golf Club.

“You often hear people say, after they win a tournament, that it hasn’t sunk in yet, but now I can understand that,” said Canter. “I can’t actually believe that I’ve won the South African Amateur. It really does feel like it can’t be over; I’m still nervous as hell, my stomach is still in a knot.”

Canter added: "I've won a few tournaments along the way but I never felt that type of ease on a golf course," he said. “Coming here, I felt really uncomfortable on this course because of the grain on the greens and the slopes on the putting surfaces.

“A few days in, I felt very differently. I felt I could every shot no matter what it was. I wasn’t always playing at my best, but I managed to pull off the shots at the times it counted.

“My caddy Lyle Rowe was just brilliant at reading the greens,” said Canter. “These greens were so true and just the best I’ve played so far in South Africa but I had a hard time reading them. I could trust Lyle a 100% all the time to get the lines right.”

Rowe, a former Sunshine Tour pro who lost his card last year, will be travelling with Canter to play events in Europe this year after the pair play the Border and Eastern Province Stroke Play this weekend.

Canter was also sure the pair of pants he wore in the final round, added some magic to his round.

 “I was at the Nahoon Ridge driving range before the round and I was wearing a pair of trousers that hadn’t been washed,” explained Canter. “Piet and Gerda (Schutte), who own the range, told me I couldn’t play in that dirty pair, so they gave me the pair that carried me through the final. I’m sure that was my lucky charm.”