Three days of scintillating women's golfing action gets under way today as four top SA amateur women face their Scottish counterparts in an unofficial Test match at East London Golf Course.
Following today's action a jampacked entry field of talented golfers take to the course in the annual Border Ladies Golf Championship to be battled out over two days tomorrow and Sunday.
Today's match-up will see SA women's top and third ranked amateurs Kajal Mistry and Zethu Myeki, both out of Randpark Golf Club, as well as fifth and sixth ranked Danielle du Toit out of Pretoria CC and Caitlin McNab from Serengethi, taking on the Scottish challenge of Chloe Goadby, Gemma Batty, Hannah Cook, and Shannon McWilliam.
The format will be single matchplay with the number of holes “up” at the 18th hole to determine the winning team.
Myeki is a former Border golfer, having made the move up to Johannesburg earlier this year and she is excited for the challenge on her former home course.
“I am looking forward to it, it is great to play against international players and it will be a big challenge so I am really excited,” said Myeki.
“It is going to be good to see how they (Scottish women) approach the golf course and how they play, which will be great to take note of.
“But most of all I am just going to focus on my game and see what happens.
“I am also so excited to be playing alongside these girls (Kajal, Danielle and Caitlin), we know each other very well as we have been in the elite squad together and we have a good friendship so it should be a lot of fun.”
Tomorrow the Border champs will then kick-off with the eight players from the unofficial Test all joining the field for the championship.
A cracking field is lined up with the top six amateurs all confirmed as second ranked Woo-Ju Son and fourth ranked Symone Henriques join the other four in leading the charge.
Last year’s champ Cloe Grand will not be back to defend her title, but former champs in Azelia Meichtry (2016) and Myeki (2015) have triumphed at this course before, so will know what needs to be done to get the win.
Son has come close on a number of occasions, finishing third last year and in 2015, so another good battle with Myeki, who was also runner-up last year and third in 2016, should be on the cards.
The main Border challenge should come from Demi Flanagan who was runner-up in 2015, finished fourth in 2016 and eighth last year.
Flanagan has won the Border closed matchplay champs multiple times, but has not yet got the win in the strokeplay and she will be eager to take the title.
Other Border golfers in the A division include the very experience Millie-Zim Dondashe, Hermien Jones out of West Bank, Luzan Esterhuizen from King William’s Town and Ciara Koekemoer from Burgersdorp.
The B and C divisions will also be competed at the champs, with some exciting golf expected there as well.
Today's action gets under way from 9am, while tomorrow's Border champs kicks off at 7am.