Play started at 07:00 in the first round of the SA Amateur Stroke Play championships at Pearl Valley Golf Estate in the brightest of sunshine. The sight of the magnificent mountains around the golf estate in all it's natural beauty was breathtaking. However, at 7:00 am the wind was already gusting and issued a warning to all players who would dare to hit a loose shot. The SA Open played here a couple of weeks ago, showed what a menace the wind can be in the Boland province. The favourites amongst the South Africans must be the trio of Johan du Buisson (pictured on the left), Adrian Ford and Dylan Frittelli. Du Buisson is well known for his playing abilities in the wind, Ford probably the most improved player in South Africa of late while Frittelli's ball striking abilities should keep him in contention. The currently top ranked and in form player in the country, Dean O'Riley, must also not be forgotten. His tenacity and mature approach to the game belies his young age. If the wind blows, and it appears as if it may, he may find the upwind holes testing. Ryan Clarke is another player, fresh from his victory in Pretoria two days ago, who may pose a threat to the favourites if his high ball flight does not fall faul of the requirement to play it low in the gusts. This site will be updated with results on a half hourly basis, depending upon the frequency of information being released from the manual scoring system, as used by the SAGA.