Interzone hat-trick for Southern KZN golfers
The tournament will be played on the South Coast next year.
Southern KZN won the annual Interzone shield for the third year in a row, under the calm captaincy of Jean-Marc Bouic, fresh off the plane from the idyllic beaches of Mauritius. They did so in style, ensuring a clean sweep of all available points.
The tournament was played at Eshowe Hills Country Club in Zululand and has proven to be a happy hunting ground for Southern KZN.
They won both the morning and afternoon sessions of the strokeplay on Day 1, with Jason Gilliver winning the individual strokeplay on a score of 67 and 73.
It’s now the third year in a row he has won the strokeplay.
Weather-wise it was tough going with rain making life interesting.
The next morning, with the sun now blazing down, they had a double-header against arguably their two toughest opponents – Ilembe and the hosts Zululand.
Both were rather closer than they would have liked, winning margins being 4,5-3,5 for both games.
This almost sealed the victory, and was followed by a comfortable 7-1 win over East Griqualand in the afternoon, which did officially secure the overall win.
The match against Northern KZN on the final morning was something of a victory lap; with the pressure off, the players all won their games for an 8-0 result.
The team comprised Bouic, Gilliver, Gavin Sole, Matt Sutherland, Chris Zietsman, Jan McDermott, Koos Jacobs and Cameron Olivant.
Olivant was a last-minute replacement and, at the age of 13, is the youngest to play in the A team at Interzone.
He acquitted himself admirably, and even when the golf was over for the day, could be seen chipping and putting on the practice green in the moonlight.
Captain Bouic said there had been an excellent team spirit over the course of the weekend and even in the buildup, with much banter on the team’s WhatsApp group.
Next year the event returns to Southern KZN with Selborne Park being mooted as a possible venue.
“Eshowe has been great, we have won it each year there, maybe that’s why they want to move it,” joked Bouic.
Southern KZN may be in a position to field two teams, with Gary Purtell perhaps making himself available if it’s not too hot.
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