Thursday, 8th February 2007 at 3:06 pm

Career highlight for Schalk Brits

Well, at least one of the Stormers has a taste of victory this season - albeit not on the rugby field. Hooker Schalk Brits is wealthier to the tune of R100 following a sporting moment he’s unlikely to surpass: beating Feverpitcher editor Dan Nicholl over 18 holes of matchplay at Pearl Valley, home of the 2008 South African Airways Open - and a fine home at that.

There’s still a while to go until the actual tournament (it will be played in December this year, the 2008 European Tour getting underway in November 2007 - international sport’s a puzzling universe sometimes), but the course is in immaculate condition, the greens are running nicely, and despite Tony O’Reilly’s mansion going up behind the 5th tee box, the houses haven’t encroached too much on Jack Nicklaus’s design…

…all of which bodes well for the Open. I’ll be happier with the course once I win my money back from Schalk (who stopped to fill up on the way out to Paarl, and got a mouthful from a petrol attendant for the Stormers’ performance against the Cheetahs - he wouldn’t give Schalk any fuel until he’d finished his tirade about the rugby); still, it wasn’t a totally unsuccessful day.

For while Schalk might have beaten me, he and rotund Taylor Made teaching pro Dave Murray gave up a lead on 18, as Brian McMillan made birdie despite a horrible drive, to scramble all square for team Nicholl-McMillan. A partnership that is set to extend in the coming days (watch this space); in the mean time, a buoyed hooker celebrating a great sporting triumph will hopefully take that winning streak with him to Newlands against the Force on Friday night. If he doesn’t, methinks he won’t be filling up his car again any time soon.