Although he is only a sophomore at the University of Texas, South Africa’s Christian Maas is the shining star of the inaugural African Amateur Championship.
His stardom was at its peak on Friday, when he shot a bogey-free 9-under 63 in the third round. Mars soared up the leaderboard with seven birdies and one eagle. But the impressive score also set a course record at the Gary Player-designed Leopard Creek Golf Club, which hosted the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship this December.
Louis Oosthuizen won that week, with Charles Schwartzel finishing two strokes behind.
Still, Maas, an amateur player ranked 13th in the world, hopes to become South Africa’s next golf star in the coming years.
A win this week would definitely help his cause.
“Today gave us a lot of momentum heading into the final round,” Maas said.
“I’ve improved since the first day, and I think I’ve been playing better and making fewer mistakes. I hope I can continue tomorrow without bogeys.”
Mars started with a 1-under 71 and closed with a 3-under 69 in the second round.
After 54 holes, he found himself in the lead, one stroke behind fellow South African Ivan Foerster. Verster is currently ranked 804th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
“It was a really good performance and I feel good,” Foerster said after the round, according to the R&A.
“I was 6 under until the 11th hole, but I doubled my score on the next hole. I was able to react well and finish birdie-birdie, which gave me a lot of confidence heading into tomorrow. Today Mars I saw him score a 63, so it’s a low score. There are chances for guys who are within four or five shots, but I’ll do my best to keep them at bay.”
The winner of this first championship will receive an invitation to the 152nd British Open Championship at Royal Troon, where Henrik Stenson edged Phil Mickelson in 2016.
The R&A will also invite the winner to the Amateur Championship, the British version of the US Amateur.
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In addition, the winner will earn a spot in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Sunshine Tour’s Waterfall City Tournament of Champions.
Whoever lifts the trophy at the end of Saturday’s final round will have a chance to change their lives.
But in the grand scheme of things, kudos to the R&A for establishing the African Amateur Championship. This tournament is growing the game by bringing opportunities to a continent often overlooked by the rest of the world.
Africa has produced tremendous talent over the years, but it is also characterized by incredible golf architecture and a growing golfing population. Still, more needs to be done, primarily in countries where South Africa is not mentioned.
Nevertheless, this tournament has some similarities with the Latin American Amateur Championship and the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship. The R&A and Augusta National both created these tournaments to grow the game internationally.
But hopefully, the winner of the African Amateur Championship will receive an invitation to the Masters, just like the other two prestigious events.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
