Yorkshire golf: Level-par day for Jamie Bower as Aubrey Backley cruises to Cape Province Open win

YORKSHIRE champion Jamie Bower was unable to keep pace with the scintillating play of South African Aubrey Backley on the final day of the Cape Province Open.
Meltham GC's Jamie Bower (Picture: Chris Stratford).Meltham GC's Jamie Bower (Picture: Chris Stratford).
Meltham GC's Jamie Bower (Picture: Chris Stratford).

The Meltham man was only two shots off the pace in sixth place going into the last two rounds, both played on Thursday at Kingswood Golf Estate and George GC.

But Backley, of Potchefstroom Country Club, won on 20-under-par 268 after being 15 below par on the day with rounds of 64 and 65.

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Yorkshire county player Bower added two rounds of level-par 72 to his opening scores of 71 and 67 to finish in the top 20.

His day began well with a birdie at the first hole of his third round, but he surrendered the shot gained immediately at the second.

He continued the alternate sequence of birdie-bogey - at holes four, six, seven, eight, 11 and 18 - for his morning 72.

In the afternoon he threatened another fine score similar to his second round 67 when he went out in four-under-par 32, birdieing the first hole and then three on the trot from the sixth.

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But he stumbled at the 11th and 15th and added a double bogey at 17 to again finish in 72.

Bower is coming to the end of his six-tournament tour of South Africa as part of England Golf men’s squad.

Next week he will play his sixth and final event, the South African Amateur Championship at George GC, before returning home.

He won the Southern Cape Open last weekend, which - added to his victory in the Gauteng North Open at the start of his stay in South Africa and a third-place finish in the African Amateur Stroke Play Championship - has seen him climb to No 40 in the world amateur rankings.

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