Rebula entered the weekend tied at 5 under with his uncle, four-time major winner Ernie Els. The two drew a Saturday pairing together. Els finished an eventual T-15 at 8 under.
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By finishing as low amateur, Rebula was presented with the Freddie Tait Cup on Sunday.
ROUND 2 UPDATECongratulations to @JovanRebula on winning the Freddy Tait Cup . What an amazing week it’s been. #SAOpen pic.twitter.com/Y030jOPsqR
— SA Open (@SAOpen_Golf) December 9, 2018
Jovan Rebula has had a year. The 21-year-old South African finished his sophomore season at Auburn with a top-25 finish at the national championship, won the British Amateur over the summer, then came back to log top-6 finishes in two of his three fall college starts.
This week, Rebula has drifted outside the world of amateur golf as he tees it up at the European Tour’s South African Open. On Saturday, he’ll make a few headlines when he is paired with his famous uncle, Ernie Els, for the third round of the event.
Els is seeking a fourth South African Open title, but Rebula is in the mix for low amateur honors. He is one shot ahead of South African teammate Wilco Nienaber.
When he won the British Amateur at Royal Aberdeen (Scotland) in June, Rebula became the first South African to lift that trophy since 1966. His victory earned him a spot in the 2018 Open Championship (where he missed the cut), as well as a place at the 2019 U.S. Open and Masters Tournament.
That is to say, we’ll be seeing a lot more of him on this stage in 2019 – with or without Uncle Ernie.