Day  3;  4  September 2008

Men’s section

The play on day three provided some excellent golf. The leader board at the top remained the same but a number of players emerged as potential contenders. Leonardo Motta of Italy held onto his lead with 72 strokes in the third round. Shunsuke Sonoda moved into 2nd position with 71 strokes and a total of 218, 6 strokes behind the leader. The best round of the day belonged to Hsung-ting Chao of Chinese Taipei with a brilliant 5 under par 67.

Andy Shakespear of Great Britain remains a strong medal contender with a total of 219, only one stroke behind Sonoda at 219. South Africa’s best player remains Hertzog Landman who played a steady 74 for a total of 224 which put him at position number 10.

In the team event the Japanese players decided that it was time to show that they were serious about winning the gold medal. Their total score after round three is 656, nine shots clear from Italy who is now second with 665 strokes. Great Britain is only two shots short of the silver medal at 667. Spain has an outside chance of getting a medal around their necks with 671 as they go into the last round. Then follows Canada( 679) and USA ( 679) AND France with 681.

According to her the excitement is in the fact that the course is tough and demanding. She is very pleased that FISU provides such great opportunities for students all over the world to meet and compete. “It is a privilege to be part of the FISU structures and to compete as amateurs at such a high level”, she says. She congratulated FISU on deciding to host the tournament at one of the best venues in world golf. Caroline had played at the Gary Player course two years ago. She is a frequent visitor to South Africa and plays most of her golf in the George area when she is visiting.

The USA coaches, Michael and David agree with Caroline on the course and the way in which the staff prepare the course for every day’s play. They also appreciate the opportunity for the youth to display their talent at such a great venue. According to them they have never before experienced such a variety of food that is provided during the tournament.

They complimented the Local Organising Committee for the way in which they deal with requests. Immediate action is taken to try and ensure that the players have the best possible opportunity to play their best. They believe that some of the complaints are unwarranted. Every tournament has its problems and hiccups. The highlight of the tournament has been the interaction between players and the spirit in which the tournament is being played. They also appreciate the good interaction between staff, players, coaches and players.

The organizers are generally very friendly and keen to assist.
They experienced some fun when they were caught feeding the baboons Pringles. The local officials informed them that this was quite dangerous as the baboons could bite them. They felt as though they were caught as “monkeys feeding monkeys “

Quote of the day

CONCENTRATE ON THE BALL AND NOT ON THE LEADER BOARD.