David wins his first

David McIntyre (18) is ready to open the door to a new chapter in his young golfing career. The Honeydew resident cruised to a maiden IGT Tour victory in the British Disc Golf Association (BDGA) Academy Classic at Eagle Canyon Golf Club, Honeydew, on 12 June. McIntyre resisted all attempts by the chasing pack with a final round four-under-par 68, and cruised to a four-stroke victory on 14-under-par 202.

McIntyre entered the final day two strokes clear of IGT Tour regular TJ Bekker and had a four-stroke cushion on IGT Tour winner Christiaan Bezuidenhout. However, McIntyre showed maturity well beyond his years when it mattered most. He made a sensational start with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and produced two eagles that left him practically untouchable. “It didn’t always go to plan, but I stayed in the moment and I never got ahead of myself,” said the delighted champion.

“I three-putted for bogeys at six, 10 and 13 and that opened the door for Christiaan [Bezuidenhout] to mount a challenge, but I managed to pull it back with a birdie at eight and eagle at 14, and finished it off.” McIntyre said his greatest victory was on the mental front. McIntyre was well outside the top 300 in the South African Golf Association Open Amateur rankings when he joined the BDGA Academy in January and has risen to 100th in the last six months. Now he hopes to step up his campaign to break into the top 50.

Details: Eagle Canyon Golf Club 011 801 6600.