R&A 9 HOLE CHALLENGE
BATTLE
royale
The R&A 9 Hole Challenge Final provided memories for a lifetime for the SA duo of Barend Botha and Daryn Shepherd
Calamity Corner lived up to its name, but nothing could dampen the spirits of Barend Botha and Daryn Shepherd, who represented South Africa at the 2025 R&A 9 Hole Challenge Final at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Botha, from Knysna Golf Club, and Shepherd, from Simbithi Country Club in KwaZulu-Natal – The GolfRSA Race to the R&A 9 Hole Challenge winners – were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience as they teed it up on the iconic Dunluce Course just days before The 153rd Open Championship.
You don’t need to be a golf nut to know that the par-three 16th, famously known as Calamity Corner, isn’t for the faint-hearted. And Botha got to experience it in all its punishing glory.
‘I told myself I wasn’t going to be that guy who tried to cut the corner like the others. I played it safe… or so I thought,’ he laughed. ‘I pulled it left, and the ball landed just a foot into the bush. If it had rolled another foot, I’d have had a chip and a putt for par. But nope, I was stuck. Had to try to hack it out… twice!’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this trip! It was surreal’
– Barend Botha
Still, Botha opened with a par and played solidly – one over on most holes – until the infamous 16th, where he jokingly gave himself ‘a zero.’
Despite the bush battle, Botha and Shepherd did brilliantly in the team Stableford event, finishing tie-third on 34 points after a card countback. The title went to Ireland’s Sharon Conway and Michael Wynne (37 points), marking the third straight year an Irish team has won.
Runner-up honours went to England’s Harry Blood (14) and Andrew McWhirter with 36 points.
For Shepherd, just being out there was the real prize. ‘Honestly, it was absolutely spectacular. No one had played the course for months, so it was like a painting; absolutely immaculate. And the weather was perfect,’ he said.
‘I actually played way better than I thought I would. I shot 43 for 17 points, which I was stoked with. It was tough out there, especially around the greens, but my short game saved me. Off the tee? Man, those fairways are tight!’
More than 711 000 nine-hole rounds were played across the globe in the hope of qualifying for the R&A 9 Hole Challenge Final, an event that’s growing fast and helping spread the joy of short-format golf worldwide.
In South Africa alone, nine-hole rounds increased by 4% in 2025, with more women taking part than ever before.
Botha couldn’t say enough about the experience. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever recover from this trip! It was surreal. From GolfRSA, Paul Adams, Meyer du Toit at my home club, to the R&A – just wow. If anyone’s even thinking about entering next year, I’m telling you: do it!’
Shepherd agreed wholeheartedly. ‘It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. From qualifying for the GolfRSA Race to the R&A 9 Hole Challenge right through to the final, everything was expertly organised. The effort put into it was incredible; it was world-class. I’m so grateful to GolfRSA and everyone who made it happen. Just incredible.’
And as for Calamity Corner?
‘Well,’ said Botha with a grin, ‘let’s just say I’ve got a healthy respect for it now.’
‘Everything was expertly organised. The effort put into it was incredible; it was world-class’
– Daryn Shepherd
R&A VIA GETTY IMAGES/GOLFRSA
