Boks edge Bafana in inaugural TWH Legends Cup

John Smit’s Springbok legends edged Bafana Bafana on a count out to win the inaugural TWH Legends Cup: Clash of the Codes at Pearl Valley, with the Proteas third.

The Springbok legends needed a count out, but they got it done.

The Boks finished level with Bafana Bafana on 11½ points apiece after two days of Ryder Cup style golf at Pearl Valley, with the rugby side awarded the inaugural TWH Legends Cup: Clash of the Codes, brought to you by Compleat Golfer.

The Proteas, captained by Pat Symcox, finished third on 10.

Smit led a squad heavy with World Cup pedigree. Fourie du Preez, Steven Kitshoff, Pat Lambie, Schalk Brits, Ryan Kankowski, Werner Greeff and Marius Joubert all turned out at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the Cape winelands, going up against Proteas and Bafana Bafana legends across the two days.

The closest anyone came to the big prize was Smit himself, whose tee shot at the par-three 13th finished just a few feet from the flag. It wasn’t quite enough to claim the watch worth R1.8-million on offer for an ace there, sponsored by Peter Machlup Jewellers, but it was as close as the field got over the two days.

Off the course, the camaraderie matched the competition, with Brits, Lambie, Kankowski and Smit himself all quick to thank organiser Paul Stubbs for the two days, and already looking ahead to next year’s edition.

The needle was out too, with Pat Symcox in typically playful form, winding up players in the buildup to the longest drive challenge.

More than a dozen amateur activations ran alongside the legends’ contest, including nearest-the-pin competitions on three of the par-threes and a long-drive challenge on the 9th.

Habari Media CEO Kevin Ferguson was full of praise for how the inaugural event came together.

“A huge shout-out to the Compleat Golfer team and headline sponsor TWH, who have had a strong association with other Habari properties like SA Rugby magazine,” he said.

“A big thank you to the respective team captains and their playing squads, who showcased their ability to be top golfers as much as they were soccer, rugby and cricket internationals.

“Pearl Valley was the perfect choice of course for our inaugural event. And the three squads were the perfect representation of legends in the South African sporting landscape.”

TWH Bridging Finance was headline sponsor, with numerous other big-name backers on board, while the Marquee Group’s Beat the Pro hole, featuring Sunshine Tour pros Jordan Burnard and Cole Stevens, was the highlight of the par-three activations.

Full teams

Springboks: John Smit (c), Fourie du Preez, Steven Kitshoff, Ryan Kankowski, Pat Lambie, Werner Greeff, Schalk Brits, Marius Joubert.

Proteas: Pat Symcox (c), Barry Richards, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Vernon Philander, Stephen Jeffries, Morne Morkel, Craig Matthews.

Bafana Bafana: Stanton Fredericks (c), Neil Tovey, Brian Baloyi, Mark Williams, Shaun Bartlett, Jimmy Tau, Fabian McCarthy, Bongani Khumalo.

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