Dean O’Riley and Danie van Tonder both enjoyed good performances at the SA Amateur Championship to consolidate their positions at the top of the Golf Digest Amateur Rankings.
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O’Riley (Benoni Lake) reached the semifinals of the matchplay before losing to eventual champion Laurie Canter on the final hole of their clash, and came away with 85 points from the week, while Van Tonder (Germiston) was eliminated in the quarterfinals by O’Riley, and claimed 72 points from the championship.
However, O’Riley did lose 88 points from the 2009 SA Amateur, where he also got as far as the semifinals, so his lead over Van Tonder has been reduced again to just 76 points.
J G Claassen, although having a disappointing week at East London, moved up to fourth place on the rankings ahead of Ryan Dreyer, who got as far as the quarterfinals in the defence of his title, but his haul of 65 points was more than 70 points less than last year when he won the Amateur at Benoni Country Club.
Jared Harvey moved ahead of Bryn Flanagan to No 7 on the rankings, after reaching the last 16, while Brandon Stone moved into the top 10 for the first time, at No 10, despite failing to earn a single point at East London. Leon Knoll, away in America, fell out of the top 10.
The Amateur title went to a foreign player for the third time in the last 10 years, with Englishman Canter, who has been in South Africa since December and campaigning in local tournaments, beating Allan Versfeld in the 36-hole final.
The most recent foreign champions were Nigel Edwards (Wales) at De Zalze in 2006, and David Dixon (England) at Oppenheimer Park in 2001.
Canter, although a foreign player, has been included on the Golf Digest Amateur Rankings this year because of the fact that he has been playing in all the tournaments. He has moved to No 38 with 271 points. His previous best performance had been a T-12 in the Free State-Northern Cape Open, the last tournament before the SA Amateur.
At East London he scored 175 points, 50 of those for being the leading qualifier, and 125 for winning the Amateur matchplay.
Moving up the rankings:
Chris van der Merwe, up 3 places from No 14 to 11 after reaching the last 16 at the SA Amateur, worth 40 points. C J du Plessis, up 3 places from No 18 to 15 after reaching the last 16 at East London. Rae Mackie, up 7 places from No 29 to 22 after reaching the semifinals, worth 80 points. Allan Versfeld, up 16 places from No 46 to 30 after losing in the Amateur final and being second qualifier, worth 140 points. Laurie Canter, up 45 places from No 83 to 38 after winning the Amateur crown and being top qualifier, worth 175 points. Calvin Pearson, up 28 places from No 73 to 45 after reaching the quarterfinals and being third qualifier, worth 95 points. Dylan Keylock, up 9 places from No 60 to 51 after reaching the last 16, worth 40 points. Ryan Hyde, up 11 places from No 72 to 61 after earning 41 points at the SA Amateur. David McMinn, up 25 places from No 98 to 73 after reaching the last 16, worth 40 points. Gert Myburgh, up 12 places from No 94 to 82 after reaching the last 32, worth 20 points.
Entering the rankings for the first time:
Conway Kunneke, at No 75 after reaching the last 16 at the SA Amateur, worth 40 points. Wesley Baptiste at No 80 after reaching the quarterfinals, worth 60 points. Francesco Laporta at No 89 after reaching the last 16, worth 40 points. Donovan Pearse at No 99 after earning 25 points. 
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