Plett pair raise the par

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Two Plett golfers from Goose Valley Golf Estate flew the South African flag proudly at an international pairs competition held in November in Andalusia, Spain.

Simon Mottershead (5 handicap) and Mat Caldecott (15 handicap) were two of 76 amateur golfers who participated in the International Pairs World Final, that took place at La Cala Hotel & Golf Resort between 14 and 18 November.

Their participation coincided with a momentous year for the competition, as they welcomed new countries on board for their biggest world final to date.

Mottershead, the vice-captain at Goose Valley, and Caldecott represented South Africa in the better-ball Stableford global competition, which was won by two golfers from Namibia, Hylton Villet and Johannes Damon of the Windhoek Golf and Country Club.

The Plettenberg Bay duo came eighth, racking up a very respectable 83 points in 36 holes, only eight off the winning Namibian pairing.

They were in sixth place after the first 18, having carded 42 points before slipping to eighth after 36 holes courtesy of a second-round tally of 41 points.

The pair first won the regional competition for the Windhoek Lager International Pairs, which is the SA feeder competition for the International Pairs World Final, at Knysna Golf Club, before they came second in the national competition at the Riviera-on-Vaal resort. This saw them qualify to go to Spain.

"It was an unbelievable experience to get a paid trip overseas - being able to represent my country at my hobby/sport that I've enjoyed since I was six years old. It was a crazy humbling experience," said Mottershead.

While in Spain they had an opportunity to rub shoulders with some famous Ryder Cup professionals including Ronan Rafferty, Constantino Rocca, Manuel Pinero and Eddie Polland. These golfers recounted their experiences "and we learnt a lot from them", said Mottershead.

As amateurs there were no big money prizes, just trophies. "Our prize was the overseas trip and an all-expenses-paid holiday," quipped Mottershead. He was drawn to be the first golfer to hit the ball in the competition. "I opened the competition, you could say… I hit a really good drive and didn't disgrace myself," he smiled.

Amateur golfers from various countries show off their flags at the International Pairs World Final, held at La Cala Golf Resort in Spain.