Astin Wade Arthur (GolfRSA Photo)

It took a gritty birdie on the first extra-hole of a sudden-death play-off on Friday for Astin Arthur to overcome the challenge of Charl Barnard and win the GolfRSA International Amateur Championship at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club on the East Course.

In the final round, the pair had gone toe-to-toe on one of the country’s fabled championship courses, and Arthur’s bogey-free 68 had trumped Barnard’s three-under-par 69 – and Barnard was left ruing the lone bogey he made on the par-five seventh.

Arthur had a chance to win it coming down the stretch. “Coming down 18, I was one ahead,” he said as he and Barnard made their way up the reachable par-five, which closes out Royal Johannesburg East. “I hit a good tee shot, and I had four-iron in. The wind gusted and changed as I played it and double-crossed it. I missed it in a terrible spot. To be honest, I thought Charl was going to make the eagle putt because he was putting great coming down the stretch.

“My heart rate was definitely up. I just kept focussed on my own game and played the 18th exactly the same in the play-off. I just didn't miss the shot. I hit it on the green and put the pressure on Charl and just lagged the eagle putt up.”

It was a long eagle putt, and he judged the weight to perfection, leaving himself a tap-in for birdie, while Barnard had a difficult 15-footer for his birdie after he hit his chip past the hole. Barnard missed and had to look away as Arthur stepped up and slotted the winner.

The pair left Jordan Burnand two strokes back in third place on 15-under-par after his closing five-under 67 brought the reigning South African Stroke Play champion close but not close enough.

South African Golf Development Board Elite Squad player Johndre Ludick and Frenchman Octave Bailo shared fourth a further four strokes back on 11-under after closing rounds of 70 and 72, respectively.

For Arthur, it was all about evaluating what the win meant for the South African number one: “This victory is right up there amongst my wins; probably right at the top,”

he said. “It’s obviously one of the big three in the GolfRSA Summer Swing, so you want to play well and get the world ranking points, and I had a lot of points to defend from last year.

“Personally, this win means a lot. This off-season was long, but I didn’t take a day off since I played the Alfred Dunhill in December. I haven’t played great, and I wasn't happy with how I finished the season, so to see some results is definitely a step in the right direction, and I’m just going to keep going from there.”

With a flight to catch to Leopard Creek for the African Amateur Championship – and a place in The Open at Royal Portrush at stake there – he didn’t have much time to savor how he achieved things, but one thing was certain.

“I said to myself I was just going to stay in my own lane. I didn’t want to get too involved in what everyone else was doing because I didn’t do that for the last three days. I knew what I had to do and where I needed to hit the ball to score. Fortunately, I was able to do that today.

“I handled the pressure pretty well. I’ve been in this kind of situation a few times now, so I was able to call on previous experiences. I was very present and aware of my surroundings and what I needed to do.”

That mindset and those skills married together suggest he’s going to be tough to stop.

WOMEN'S SECTION

Bobbi Brown was in a league of her own on Friday as she romped home by eight shots to take victory in the GolfRSA International Amateur Championship at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club on the East Course.

Brown’s closing five-under-par 67 was comfortably the best round of the final day as she rammed home the advantage she had held since she took the lead in the second round with a six-under 66 at the challenging Royal Johannesburg East Course.

With Olivia Wood a distant second in her rearview mirror, 21-year-old Brown could have been forgiven for taking her foot off the gas, but such thoughts had no place in the mind of someone who has become pretty efficient at closing things out.

She made two birdies and a bogey on the front nine to turn in one-under, and then she turned on the screws with four birdies in the final seven holes, making one gain every two holes from the 12 on home.

“I have been playing very aggressively in all my recent tournaments and especially going into the last rounds,” the Western Province golfer said. “I prefer to stay as aggressive as possible, as playing more tentatively could let other girls get in the frame.”

“I am definitely playing the best golf of my career by far,” she said. “This is what I’ve been working towards. This is what I've been waiting for and it feels great.”

Wood had a good front nine in what was a strong start to an attempt to hunt down Brown, with three birdies ahead of the turn moving her to within two of the leader.

 However, her chase stuttered down the final nine and a double-bogey six on the 11th – the only time she dropped any shots on that hole all week – put paid to whatever faint chances there were of chasing down Brown.

The KwaZulu-Natal golfer posted 71 to take second place on a creditable six under-par, and she finished a gaping 10 strokes clear of the duo who shared third on four-over-par, Megan Marais and Lourenda Steyn, with Reunion’s Melliyal Schmitt in fifth place on seven-over-par. Marais closed strongest of this with her final round of four-under-par 68.

Two-for-two in victories for the 2025 season after a runaway 10-stroke triumph in the Eastern Province Border Stroke Play Championship last weekend, Brown was thrilled to back to form.

“It’s very motivating for me to be playing so well in such a big tournament,” she said. “It’s the first time that I have had about a year of training solidly, so it’s nice to see it all paying off. This time last year, I was struggling with my back injury. I hadn’t had a solid amount of time to practice and prepare and you could see that by my results.

“I’ve been putting a lot of work into my golf, so it’s nice to be standing here now. It’s nice to see some positivity in my game, and it’s just very encouraging for my golf going forward.”

Looking ahead for the GolfRSA National Squad member means Leopard Creek and the Africa Amateur Women’s Invitational next week.

“I know Leopard Creek. I was there last year, and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It should be the same feeling as going into today with a four-shot lead. I know I’m playing really well, so I just need to keep a calm head and play aggressively.”