Wentzels win Desert Classic again
Golf
The 2023 Nedbank Desert Classic golf champion pair of Kevin Wentzel and his son Jordan on Saturday successfully defended their title by winning the two day tournament with 93 points at the Rössmund course outside Swakopmund.Christopher Durant and Wouter Maske secured second place with 92, while Boris Erasmus and his partner Grant Mather took the third spot with 91.
This was the first time since the inauguration of the Desert Classic five years ago that any team could bag the title two years in succession.
A massive field with 82 teams (164 players) competed over 36 holes in two days. The 21 top-finishing teams were in line to receive prizes.
Dan Zwiebel, organizer of the Desert Classic, said the format of the tournament might change in the future.
“With the expected growth in mind, we are considering to host the competition over three days. There will be a cut-off for only a certain amount of teams to continue playing on the third day.
“It is not fun anymore if a golfer has to spend almost seven hours a day on the course. We want the occasion to remain fun for the players.
“I want to thank Nedbank Namibia for their loyal support the past five years, as well as co-sponsors Hollard Namibia, Shoprite and Checkers. A huge thank you to all players and their spouses which allowed them to play. Thanks to Michael Ludeke with Gallito’s Chicken coming on board.
“A big shout out to Gert Cloete and his team for preparing the course to this perfect condition, and also to Rössmund Golf Club and its entire staff. It was a fantastic two days of golf with the biggest field since its inception.”
At the prize-giving Kevin Wentzel said: “The wind today did not really play a role in our result. Look, we live here and sometimes the familiarity might assist with your play.
“It would be nice to have more players in the competition, but it could be more difficult to defend our title for the third time with so many players in the tournament. It’ll be good to have even more players competing. I am all for it and it’s good for golf.”
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