Starting the day three shots back, he saw numerous putts shave the edge of the hole but kept his nerve to crucially birdie the par-five 18th hole twice in succession – first in regulation play and then in the playoff against compatriots Christiaan Maas and overnight leader Ivan Verster.

“The two competitors I played with are great friends and we went back and forth throughout the day,” said Van der Merwe. “I think all three of us had the lead at one stage. On the last hole I just pulled out a blinder of an approach and in the playoff, I made a good two-putt. I can’t describe the feeling; it means everything to me.”

Van der Merwe has been the hottest player in South African men’s amateur golf for the past year, rising to the top of the GolfRSA Open Amateur ranking on the back of four wins and five other top-10s in his last 20 starts. The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation member also finished as the leading amateur at the South African Open.

“It’s awesome to be the new Africa Amateur Champion. It’s an unbelievable feeling but I don’t think it’ll kick in until later,” he said.

The three South Africans were deadlocked on 13 under par after the regulation 72 holes. Van der Merwe had the best final round of the trio, signing for a two-under-par 70, while Maas finished with a level-par round of 72 and overnight leader Verster shot 73.

Verster got off to a nervy start, dropping shots at the 3rd and the 7th, and making a double-bogey at the 4th. However, birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th saw him return to the top of the leaderboard, before making a costly bogey at the par-three 16th.

“I’m heartbroken just now,” said the 20-year-old Verster, also a member of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, after the playoff.

“I played unbelievable golf for the first three rounds, so I have to be happy with my performance in some ways. I’ve enjoyed everything about this week and The R&A has been absolutely incredible. It’s been a really special week at Leopard Creek, it’s my favourite place in the world to be.”

For Maas, it was another near miss at the iconic venue.

“Today wasn’t a good performance,” he said. “I had a couple of unlucky breaks early on, so I couldn’t get momentum. I felt like I could have made a lot more birdies on the back nine and holed the putts. This stuff happens, though, and that’s why we play golf. The way Altin finished was unbelievable.”

The Gauteng North golfer opened with a round of level-par 72 for a three-stroke lead and after following it up with rounds of 71 and 72 to finish as the only player under par, ensured the Africa Women’s Invitational would be added to an already bulging trophy cabinet.

“I have to admit that I felt more nervous this morning than finishing up,” said Van Kan.

“You know, anything can happen, especially around Leopard Creek. You have to play seriously good golf. You don’t usually shoot a low one on the last day, so I decided I would play boring golf and let everyone try to catch me.”

The solid strategy paid off for Van Kan.

Fellow GolfRSA National Squad members Bobbi Brown and reigning South African Women’s Amateur champion Gia Raad finished second and third on eight over and nine over respectively. Chanelle Wangari Mwangi from Kenya finished a further two strokes back in fourth, and Kaiyuree Moodley rounded out the top five on 12 over.

Van Kan spent much of 2023 away from the game to concentrate on her studies in her final school year and will soon head to the US to take up a golf scholarship at the University of Tennessee. With the win, the former GolfRSA No 1 earned starts at The Women’s Amateur Championship, Final Qualifying for the AIG Women’s Open and The Investec South African Women’s Open in 2024, as well as at the Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Meryem Cup and Magical Kenya Ladies Open in 2025.

These invites will provide a major boost to a very promising career. “I’m really excited for these opportunities,” said Van Kan, last year’s leafing amateur in Investec South African Women’s Open.

“To be able to go over to the UK and try to get into the AIG Women’s Open is just fabulous. I’ll also play at the South African Women’s Open, which will be in Cape Town at Erinvale. I played it last year, so I was really hoping to be in the field again this year; I’m so excited. It’s always a privilege to be playing at special events. I can’t thank The R&A and GolfRSA enough.”