Christiaan Burke, this year’s scoring sensation in amateur golf in South Africa, has won three major provincial tournaments since his remarkable round of 56 at Potchefstroom Country Club in July.
![burke](https://satop100courses.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
The 21-year-old stunned golfers around the country when he blitzed his home course in a medal round on July 3. He was out in 26 and back in 30 on the 6 415-metre layout, having had four eagles and 8 birdies. Burke eagled three of the par 5s, and holed out from the fairway for another eagle at the par-4 eighth. Being mid-winter the course was playing short with the firm conditions.
Unfortunately it didn’t count as a course record because of preferred lies, but the 56 is nevertheless the lowest score recorded in South Africa on a full-length golf course, beating the 57 of Louis Oosthuizen at Mossel Bay in 2002.
![blank](https://satop100courses.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
While Burke had a gross score of 56 in the club medal, his nett score was 64, as he played off a +8 handicap!
Prior to his 56, he had posted a 62 at Modderfontein in May.
Coached by Grant Veenstra (Ebotse Links), Burke’s current handicap index is +8.5 thanks to a run of outstanding tournament scores in August and September which has elevated him to No 6 on the GolfRSA men’s rankings. His victory march began at the 54-hole Southern Cape Open where he was 11-under-par at Mossel Bay with rounds of 69-69-68 to win by five shots.
In September came a remarkable tournament score of 28-under-par in the Mpumalanga Open at Witbank, where he had four eagles and 25 birdies in posting rounds of 66-63-66-65, winning by 13 shots from runner-up Jordan Duminy.
Burke followed that with a playoff victory against No 1-ranked amateur Christiaan Maas (Pretoria CC) in the Ekurhuleni Open at State Mines. They tied on a total of 18-under-par 270, with Burke scoring 67-72-65-66.
LOWEST ROUNDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
56 (16-under) Christiaan Burke at Potchefstroom, 2021
57 (15-under) Louis Oosthuizen at Mossel Bay, 2002
57 (15-under) Daniel Greene at Bosch Hoek, 2019
58 (14-under) Jaco van Zyl at State Mines, 2003
58 (14-under) Bradford Vaughan at Maccauvlei, 2006
58 (14-under) Colin Nel at Maritzburg GC, 2014
59 (13-under) Eric Moore at Windsor Park (Bushwillow), 1949
59 (13-under) Rod Mullan at Windsor Park (Bushwillow), 1960s
59 (13-under) John Bland at ERPM, 1970s
59 (13-under) Louis Oosthuizen at Mossel Bay, 2004
59 (13-under) Branden Grace at Knysna, 2015
59 (13-under) Shaun Norris at Silver Lakes, 2015
59 (13-under) Colin Nel at Port Shepstone, 2020
59 (13-under) Casey Jarvis at Dainfern, 2023
59 (12-under) Mark Truter at Victoria CC, 2003
59 (12-under) Daniel Greene at Victoria CC, 2008
59 (12-under) Matt Saulez at Gowrie Farm, 2018
59 (11-under) Colin Nel at The Woods at Mount Edgecombe, 2013
59 (11-under) Jorge Campillo at The Woods at Mount Edgecombe, 2013
59 (9-under) Shaun Stapleton at Sandy Lane (9-holer), 2003
Note: Colin Nel has had 3, Louis Oosthuizen and Daniel Greene each 2