Bagnall in SA squad
Young golfer from State Mines Country Club makes GolfRSA national team.
State Mines Country Club’s Christopher Bagnall has retained his place in the men’s national squad as GolfRSA continues to identify and develop the country’s most promising amateur golfers.
Bagnall, who was also in the team in 2022, will be joined by fellow Ekurhuleni players Jordan Burnand and Marno Lange.
Burnand captained Ekurhuleni to three successive SA U19 inter-provincial victories. He has racked up six top-10 finishes this season, including third in the Northern Cape Open at Sishen Golf Club.
The highly successful national squad programme is aimed at producing players capable of representing South Africa and ensuring that when players opt to turn professional, they are adequately prepared for the challenges of professional golf.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome this new crop of very talented golfers to the national squad and we look forward to giving them the tools to further their careers,” said GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn about the newcomers like Burnand.
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“The national squad system is a conduit for talented golfers to further develop their skills and test themselves through local and international competition.”
The system has seen the likes of professional player Casey Jarvis, who honed his skills at State Mines Country Club, come through it in recent years.
“Since the national squad system launched in 2015 members of both squads have excelled on the national and international stage, and beyond in the pro ranks.
“Thanks to the funding of businessperson and GolfRSA Board of Directors chairperson Johann Rupert, players in the GolfRSA national squad system are supported in all facets of the game as they progress through the amateur ranks, including funding, fitness and dietary guidance and training, mental fortitude counselling, and playing opportunities at home and abroad,” said Hepburn.
“We are extremely privileged to have such depth of talent coming through the system in South Africa. Thanks to the comprehensive groundwork laid by our golf clubs, unions, coaches and academies, we can bring the next wave of rising stars on board as older members of the squad graduate out of our squads.”
