SA duo claims top 10 in Argentina
South Africa’s Jason Smith and NJ Arnoldi combined for a ninth place finish in the 43rd Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup at the Los Lagartos Country Club in Pilar, Argentina, on Sunday, November 9.
Arnoldi from Ekurhuleni carded rounds of 71, 77 and 74 and closed with a three-under-par 68 for a final total of 290.
Smith from Gauteng North opened with a two over 73, added rounds of 76 and 75 and carded 73 in the final round to contribute 297 to the team’s tally.
The South African duo was joint fifth after an opening round 144, but slipped to joint 10th after a second round 153.
They held on to 10th with 149 in the third round and the final round 141 gave them a final tally of 587.
“We are obviously disappointed with the result, but pleased that we managed to improve as the tournament progressed,” Smith said.
The TuksSport Golf Academy member added that the week had been a frustrating one from the moment they arrived.
“We flew in early to get acclimatised, but it rained non-stop for three days and we barely got to play a full practice round before the tournament started.
“NJ and I were both hitting the ball incredibly well and we didn’t miss many fairways, but we just couldn’t get any momentum going. We both struggled to read these undulating greens; you could have a six-foot putt that breaks two ways, and the near-misses was mentally very exhausting.
“In the third round, a three-club wind gusted from every direction to make our task even more difficult, yet we are both encouraged by the fact that we improved over the last two rounds.
“We are both very positive ahead of the Argentinean Amateur this week.”
The South African pair will line up in the stroke-play qualifier for the sixth oldest Amateur Championship at the nearby Highland Park Country Club, along with a host of local nationals and 22 of the international campaigners in the Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup.
