Jean Pierre van der Watt upsets Ivan Verster at the KZN Amateur Match Play

August 18, 2024 | by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com

Port Shepstone Golf Club

Van der Watt defeated Vorster, the second ranked amateur in South Africa, 4&3 in the final match

Jean-Pierre van der Watt from Gqeberha, South Africa, triumphed over Ivan Verster of Mossel Bay, the current second-ranked amateur in South Africa, with a decisive 4 & 3 victory to claim the Kwazulu-Natal Amateur Match Play Championship.

Watt entered the match play portion of the tournament as the sixth seed, following solid rounds of 75-70 (1-over) in the stroke play section. Verster, who finished as the runner-up, shot 74-71 (1-over) to secure the eighth seed.

En route to his championship win, Watt overcame Verster, in the final and in the semifinals, he defeated the second-seeded Sean Paxton by 2 & 1. He also claimed victories over Luke Truter, the 19th seed, by 3 & 2 in the quarterfinals, Nikhil Gopal by 2 & 1 in the Round of 16, and Cameron Olivant by 3 & 2 in the Round of 32.

Jordan Burnand, who led the stroke play section with impressive rounds of 70-70 (4-under), was eliminated by Verster in a tightly contested quarterfinal match, losing 2 UP.

In 2024, Watt, currently ranked 184th on the AmateurGolf/Golfweek.com Rankings, has played in 12 ranking events with a win previously registered at the Cape Province Amateur in March and five other top-10 finishes to his name.

Last year, Altin Van Der Merwe, who is ranked No. 1 in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Amateur Rankings, won the championship.

Results: Kwazulu Natal Match Play

Place	Player	Location	Pts
Win	Jean Pierre van der Watt	, South Africa	400
Runner-up	Ivan Verster	, South Africa	300
Semifinals	J.J. Senekal	, South Africa	200
Semifinals	Sean Paxton	, South Africa	200
Quarterfinals	Jordan Burnand	, South Africa	100