R&A’s inaugural Africa Amateur Championship sees course record fall

He may only be a sophomore at the University of Texas, but South Africa’s Christiaan Maas has been a shining star at the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship.

His stardom shined brightest on Friday, when he fired a bogey-free 9-under 63 during the third round. Maas made seven birdies and an eagle to soar up the leaderboard. But that superb score also set the course record at the Gary Player-designed Leopard Creek Golf Club, which hosted the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Championship this past December.

Louis Oosthuizen won that week, with Charl Schwartzel finishing two strokes behind him.

And yet, Maas, the 13th-ranked amateur player in the world, hopes to become the next South African golf star in the years to come.

Winning this week would surely help his cause.

“Today gives me a lot of momentum going into the final round,” Maas said.

Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images

“I suppose I’ve just been building from the first day, playing better, and making fewer mistakes. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can continue and go bogey-free again.”

Maas opened with a 1-under 71 and then signed for a 3-under 69 during the second round.

He now finds himself in prime position after 54 holes, sitting one stroke behind Ivan Verster, who also hails from South Africa. Verster is currently ranked 804th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

“It was a really good performance, and I’m feeling good,” Verster said after his round per the R&A.

“I was 6-under through 11 but doubled the next hole. I managed to respond well to finish birdie-birdie, so it really gives me confidence going into tomorrow. I saw Maas had a 63 today, so there’s a low score out there. Anyone within four or five shots has a good chance, but I’ll just do my best and try and keep them at bay.”

Whoever wins this inaugural championship will receive an invitation to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, where Henrik Stenson fended off Phil Mickelson in 2016.

The R&A will also invite the winner to its Amateur Championship—the United Kingdom’s version of the U.S. Amateur.

Photo by Octavio Passos/R&A via Getty Images

On top of that, the winner receives entry into the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Sunshine Tour’s Waterfall City Tournament of Champions.

Life-changing opportunities await whoever lifts this trophy at the end of Saturday’s final round.

But in the grand scheme things, kudos to The R&A for establishing the Africa Amateur Championship. This tournament is growing the game by fostering opportunities for a continent often overlooked by the rest of the world.

Africa has produced tremendous talent over the years, but it also features phenomenal golf architecture and a growing golf population. And yet, much more work needs to be done, mainly in countries not named South Africa.

Nevertheless, this tournament shares some similarities with the Latin American Amateur Championship and the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Both The R&A and Augusta National created these tournaments in an effort to grow the game internationally.

But hopefully, in due time, the winner of the Africa Amateur Championship receives an invitation to The Masters, just like these other two prestigious events.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.