Great Britain may have won the Acer 5 Nations, but not after a strong challenge from the local side on the final day of the Acer 5 Nations Commonwealth Tournament, played at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

South Africa’s first battle was won against the British duo of Kerry Smith and Naomi Edwards who were level at the sixteenth hole playing Kelli Shean and Iliska Verwey. It was the South African’s who then managed to sink a birdie on the seventeenth to win the match.
The other foursome match between Great Britain’s Breanne Loucks and Melissa Reid against South Africans Gina Switala and Ashleigh Simon started with both teams double dropping on the first hole.
The local team were one up after the turn, and all square after the seventeenth, when once again the South African’s sunk a birdie on the final hole to win the match.
The southern rivalry between the Aussie pairing of Frances Bondad and Helen Ho and New Zealand’s Da Som Lee and Yeon Song Kim increased when they were all square at the turn.
Dropping on the eleventh ultimately cost the Australians the match, the only difference as the two played evenly all the way through to picking up birdies in the final hole, giving New Zealand the win.
But it was all down to the afternoon’s singles to realise the final log standings. Australia and New Zealand teed up first with Australia winning four of their five matches.
New Zealand’s Yeon Song Kim had a brilliant round with only one drop on the third hole, and carding five birdies to secure the only New Zealand match.
Australian Emma Bennett had the best round for her country, carding a single birdie just before the turn. However the excitement of the day lay in the matches between the log leaders Great Britain and the local South African team.
First win of the afternoon came from fifteen-year-old Rustenberg schoolgirl Bertine Strauss, who had a huge start with three birdies on the first four holes, to win the match 3/2 against Great Britain’s Breanne Loucks.

In the roller coaster ride of the afternoon’s singles it took an eagle from local Gina Switala on the final hole to win her match against Scottish Krystle Caithness, the youngest player in the British team.
Iliska Verwey from Cradock in the Eastern Cape, had an even match against Scarborough’s Naomi, but it was Verwey who managed to take the match 2/1 thanks to one too many drops from her British competitor.
Ashleigh Simon, who celebrated her eighteen birthday on Friday, carded four birdies and a single drop to ensure her birthday present win against Britain’s Melissa Reid.
However it all came down to the final match between Western Province’s Kelli Shean and Kerry Smith, who were all square on the seventeenth hole. It then took a birdie from Shean on the eighteenth to halve this match.
The push from South African on the final day ensured a third-place standing on the overall log, having won thirteen and a half of their matches.
Britain victorious in the end, gave a solid focussed performance this week. Captain Sue Turner had said that she would not single any player out, which was evident throughout their matches, their team having won nineteen of their matches for a clear 3-point winning margin on the leaderboard.
Results Day 5 (Final) – Match Play
Great Britain v South Africa (0/1)
South Africa won 5½ of their 7 matches played
Foursomes:
Kerry Smith/ Naomi Edwards v Kelli Shean/ Iliska Verwey (1UP)
Breanne Loucks/ Melissa Reid v Ashleigh Simon/ Gina Switala (1UP) South Africa
Singles:
Breanne Loucks lost Bertine Strauss 3/2
Krystle Caithness lost Gina Switala 1UP
Naomi Edwards lost Iliska Verwey ‘2/1
Kerry Smith drew Kelli Shean (halved)
Melissa Reid lost Ashleigh Simon (2/1)
Australia v New Zealand (1/0)
Australia won 5 of their 7 matches played
Foursomes:
Frances Bondad/ Helen Ho v Penny Smith/ Tammy Clelland (6/4)
Emma Bennett/Stephanie Na v Da Som Lee/ Yeon Song Kim (1UP)
Singles:
Sunny Park beat Larissa Eruera 3/2
Stephanie Na beat Penny Smith 4/2
Helen Ho lost Yeon Song Kim 5/3
Frances Bondad beat Da Som Lee 1UP
Emma Bennett beat Tammy Clelland 5/3
Final Overall Position, Points and Matches Won:
Great Britain 3 points – 19 matches won
Australia 2 points – 16 ½ matches won
South Africa 2 points – 13 ½ matches won
Canada 2 points – 10 ½ matches won
New Zealand 1 point – 9 ½ matches won