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Former winner Kamte: ‘Hours of work will be rewarded’

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 14: James Kamte during Round 3 of the 2017 BMW SA Open Championship at Glendower Golf Club on January 14, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (EDITORS NOTE: For free editorial use. Not available for sale. No commercial usage.) (Photo by Luke Walker/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images)

Up-and-coming golfers should take a lesson from Makhetha Mazibuko’s gallant second-place display at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship last week, according to 2008 Dimension Data Pro-Am winner, James Kamte.

Speaking ahead of this year’s edition of the Dimension Data Pro-Am to be held at Fancourt Hotel and Golf Estate and which tees off on Thursday, Kamte said young players should learn that with hard work, they can achieve anything they set their minds on.

‘What Makhetha did must serve as an inspiration to many young South Africans, regardless of where they come from,’ he said, ‘When you put in the hours of work, surely you will be rewarded, and Makhetha is an example of that.’

Kamte became the first black South African to win this title when he won the tournament with a score of 11-under-par 277, three strokes ahead of veteran James Kingston in 2008, and he suggests that it’s about time another young golfer emulates what he did some nine years ago.

‘It’s about time that young and black golfers, especially, start competing seriously at these events. It should not matter where they come from. Now there are development structures like this Gary Player Class of 2017. I don’t know much about it but I heard Mazibuko is a part of that, so it shows that there is something happening with development and there is an opportunity to achieve,’ he said.

Kamte feels he is in a good space to compete at Fancourt this week, and hopes to replicate the feat he achieved in the tournament all those years ago. He said: ‘It’s always nice to come back to Fancourt.

‘It’s especially nice for me because I have won the tournament before so there are a lot of special memories for me. It’s going to be a good week and looking at the field here, I can tell it’s going to be interesting.’

Boasting four wins and over 10 top-10 finishes on the professional circuit, the man nicknamed ‘Cobra’ is no stranger to the winner’s circle and will be hoping to deliver a stinging bite come the end of the week.

Picture of Kamte courtesy of Luke Walker/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images