Hammond and Labuschagne Power to Victory in 2025 Club Champs

Grip-it-and-rip-it exponents Grant Labuschagne and Catherine Hammond powered their way to victory in the second round of the Club Championships on Saturday – a month down the line after the round had to be postponed in March because of excessive rain.

Labuschagne, a three-times Randpark Junior Club Champion, scored his first success in the main event with rounds of 73 and 75 for a 148 aggregate, in spite of a four-putt at the last – Firethorn’s par-4 18th – which led to a triple-bogey seven. He won by three from fellow-matriculant and playing partner Franco Roos, with Luke van Vuuren next best on 152.

Hammond carded an 83 in the first round in March and an 81 on Saturday for a 164 aggregate to win by one from Danielle Chong who – and this is hard to believe – is just 12 years old! With Grant and Franco still in their teens, and Danielle not even a teen yet, Randpark is definitely blessed with some amazing young talent.

An example on Saturday of Labuschagne’s power game was no more evident than at Firethorn’s par-5 12th hole – a brutal 542 metres off the yellow markers – where he hit a mighty drive and a 187m eight-iron to six feet and, as he put it, calmly “boxed the putt” for an eagle three. It’s not uncommon for him to smash drives in the region of 335m which – do the maths – is about 365 yards. So he’s almost in the Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau league.

Hammond couldn’t help shedding a tear after sealing victory on Bushwillow, 12 years after her last success in the Club Champs in 2013 when she was fresh out of university and had more time to play golf. Now a busy business consultant she only gets to play on average about twice a month, although she warmed up for the Championships by getting in a few holes of sunrise golf at the crack of dawn.

Like Grant, Catherine’s driver is what she calls her “go-to” club, and she hits it in the 250m to 260m region – which is pretty long for a female golfer. At Bushwillow’s par-5 17th on Saturday she made a crucial birdie, set up by another beauty of a drive down the middle. That enabled her to hit a safety-first lay up seven-iron short of the water followed by a sand-wedge to 12 feet from the cup. “And,” she said, “I made the putt – the best putt of the day for me – which felt really good because I had been leaving a lot of putts out there earlier in the round.” After drying her eyes, Catherine was handed a beer which she sipped like a true champion by way of celebration.

At the very same 17th, young Danielle three-putted for a bogey six so it was a crucial turnaround hole for Hammond who also won the Club Champs in 2012, around about the time that she took six months off to try and play pro golf. “But the pressure of the paid ranks didn’t suit me and I decided to stick to amateur golf and play the game for fun with my friends which is what I’m doing now.” … and winning the club championship along the way! Danielle was always in the mix and had it not been for her bogey at 17 and another dropped shot at 16 she might have been holding the trophy. But being so young and so talented we can expect to see plenty of silverware coming her way in future.

Labuschagne – whose dad Trevor caddied for him – plays golf for Central Gauteng (as has Roos) and was disappointed that the team could only finish second in the recent Inter-provincial. But he looks to be a born winner – big and blond in the Ernie Els mould – and once matric is done with, he plans to give RSA’s open amateur events across the country a big go next year. Roos only took up golf for the first time during covid when his promise at cricket and rugby was put on hold, so the club can expect plenty to come from him too.

Among the various other prize-winners A Division Senior winner Sean Quigley stands out as he shot 77-73 for 150, the second best gross of the whole championship behind Labuschagne. So, a bit of old magic there. And B Division men’s winner Andre Kotze also played well, shooting 74-78 for 152 which was eight ahead of his nearest contenders.

The second round of the Club Championships, of course, coincided with The Masters at Augusta. And if a champion’s Green Jacket were to be handed out to a winner here at Randpark it wouldn’t be out of place on the shoulders of Course Superintendent and Head Greenkeeper Fanie Bester who in spite of all the rain in recent months has prepared two immaculate courses. So Fanie deserves a big cheer. Remember those awful diseased greens a couple of years ago. Now the putting surfaces are, well, just a little bit like Augusta’s! And the fairways? Terrific. “Yes, Fanie’s a good man!” exclaimed General Manager Robby Richardson. So true.

Of the hundreds of members who took part in the Club Championships – whether they played well or not – surely most will agree it was extremely well run on two great courses. So let’s give it up for Randpark.

MEN:
A Division Gross: https://rb.gy/6fnync
A Division Net: https://rb.gy/z2n9gt
B Division Gross: https://rb.gy/5ci4tu
B Division Net: https://rb.gy/ym0ini
C Division: https://rb.gy/u0jfjx
A Division Senior
B Division Senior
Super Senior: Mike Irwin

LADIES:
A Division: https://rebrand.ly/z4hi9ox
B Division: https://rebrand.ly/4jehjvp
Super Senior: Margaret Beckwith

Most Senior Player: Uli Lubeck

Written by Randpark member Grant Winter.