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Friday, April 26, 2024

Congratulations to all for a year well done

From the Founder’s Desk

Our 2021 academy operations wrapped up last week with an intense and challenging finish to the year. With the incredible amount of rain in Johannesburg lately, and the Omicron variant sending the world and South African sport into a sudden spin, it is amazing that we were able to get everything completed successfully. I have to say a massive thank you to my staff for adapting through all these challenges and getting the job done, as always. Also, many congratulations to all our award winners and academic graduates. It’s been an amazing year at BSI, and I couldn’t be prouder of the achievements and growth of our students in performance, and as people.

By Mark Fairbank – BSI Mental Coach and Head of Golf

Performance Tip

Ignore your Ego, play to your strengths

Common questions I receive as a Mental Coach is, “What does it take?” or “What do the tour players do differently?” and the answer is maybe not what you would expect! Please click on the link below to read further.

Find out more

Celebrating our winners

BSI Tournament Results

Cycle 4 72-Hole Championship

Congratulations to Reece Mckain on winning our Cycle 4, 72-hole Premier Championship last week. After three days of intense golf under hot and humid conditions on the pristine, but wet layout of Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s East and West courses, Reece recording scores of 66, 71, 76, and 69, for a 6-under total, and a 5 shot victory.

Personal bests for the week: Langelihle Bulose (84), Pieter du Preez (74), Ryan Estment (66), JD Ungerer (72).

For the final Junior Academy competition of the year, the students had their golfing fitness and mental tenacity tested over 72-holes. Bernard Meyer showed the consistency in form that has sent him to No.25 in the Golf RSA rankings by posting scores of 75, 67, 68, and 71, for a winning total of -7, and an impressive 13 shot victory. A truly remarkable feat and effort by a young man who has a bright future ahead in the world of golf!


Reece Mckain	Bernard Meyer

Who claimed the final badge of honour?

BSI Annual Awards 2021

A massive congratulations to all our 2021 award winners after an amazing year of highly-competitive golf in both Order of Merits and our other tournaments.

Thank you for your support

Thank you to our main Order of Merit sponsors Srixon, who provided weekly prizes for our medal winners, plus club sponsorships to both of our Order of Merit winners. Also, to Puma for sponsoring prizes for the Top 3 in each Order of Merit, and to ProItUp who sponsored a rangefinder for each Order of Merit winner.

Premier Order of Merit Champion 2021 – Reece Mckain

Junior Academy Order of Merit Champion 2021 –
Michael Wallace

BSI Player of the Year – Bernard Meyer

Bernard’s achievement’s during the year over and above his great performances at BSI:

• Finishing T1 in the KZN Amateur Qualifier at Durban CC with scores of 66, 68 for 10 under par on the classic layout.
• Led the SA High School IPT individual standings on 2 under par at Heron Banks GC, helping North West Province to victory in the team event.
• Multiple Top 10 and Top 20 finishes in Golf RSA events throughout the year.
• No.25 in the Golf RSA Open Amateur rankings (as of 08 December 2021).

Lowest Stroke Average – Reece Mckain (72.71)

BSI Matchplay Champion – Jules Helary

PGA Diploma Awards 2021

Michelle Steyn
Female Player of the Year

Samantha Conradie
Most Improved Player

Mutahi Kibugu
Rookie of the Year
Scrambling – 50%

Reece Mckain
Greens in Regulation – 66%
Lowest Round: Royal JHB & Kensington EAST – 66

Sean Paxton
Putts per Round – 28.95

Heinrich Prinsloo
Lowest Round: Royal JHB & Kensington WEST – 63

Ryan Estment
Lowest Round: Royal JHB & Kensington EAST – 66

Junior Academy Awards 2021

Vuyisani Makama
U16 Winner
Rookie of the Year
Scrambling – 50%
Lowest Round: Royal JHB & Kensington WEST – 67

Tawriq Abrahams
Most Improved Player
Putts per Round – 28.26

Michael Wallace
Greens in Regulation – 67%
Lowest Round: Huddle Park Golf Course – 66

Bernard Meyer
Lowest Round: Royal JHB & Kensington EAST – 67

Celebrating Academic Success

Huge congratulations to our PGA Diploma Class of 2021 of Keegan Dix, Armand Muller, Michelle Steyn, Julia Jacobs, Jaguar Mosia, Heinrich Prinsloo, and Mark Fairley for graduating. Their three years have been as challenging, as any of our students have endured before them, and we are very proud of how they have coped and flourished. Special mention to Michelle Steyn, who achieved distinctions in every subject throughout her three years.

Julia Jacobs gave a wonderful valedictory speech on behalf of the graduates.

PGA Diploma Class of 2021

Congratulations also to Thebe Jacobs, who graduated through our Greenkeeping Course. He now has a Higher Certificate in Sports Turf Maintenance to go along with the PGA Diploma that he graduated with in 2019. He has already been appointed as Assistant Greenkeeper at Kempton Park GC.

Well done to our highest academic achievers in each PGA Diploma year.

Michelle Steyn
3rd Year
10 Distinctions

Kyle Ferreira
2nd Year
4 Distinctions

Tiaan van Wyk
1st Year
5 Distinctions

Playing on the national stage

External Tournament Results

Great effort by BSI Academy player Jordan van Niekerk, who just missed out in a playoff on Tuesday, 30 November 2021 in the qualifier for the SA Open Championship, with a score of -2 at Irene CC, alongside BSI alumni, Dayne Moore and Daniel Nduva.

Jordan, we see great gains every cycle in your golf game and know that we will see you on the bigger golfing stage. Keep your head held high and keep the positive attitude!

A family of golfers

Student Spotlight

Our spotlight this week is on a family of avid golfers, who have come through the BSI Academy, and are all now heading into careers within the golfing industry.

Please meet the Jacobs Family: Thebe, Eddie, and Julia, who all started together in our Junior Golf Academy in 2014.

All three of them continued onto and completed our PGA Diploma and Thebe even followed that up by completing our Greenkeeping Course.

Watch their heart-felt story below of how they all came to BSI, their time here, and where they are venturing off to next.

OBC Ubungani U20 Cup

Not just golf

On Saturday, we hosted the inaugural Ubungani Cup at the BSI Football Campus in Modderfontein. The tournament featured Mamelodi Sundowns FC, University of Johannesburg, BSI Football Academy, and a Kappa Invitational team. Well done to all the teams for some excellent football and exciting games, with UJ finishing as eventual winners. Massive thanks to our headline sponsor, OBC Better Butchery – Thola Zonke! Looking forward to seeing you all again next year for a bigger and even better event.

Image below: BSI player, Francis Muwombi leaping high to score against Mamelodi Sundowns.