#03
NEWSLETTER 2018
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG DRIVES NEW ERA OF SA OPEN The City of Johannesburg is the proud new host of the South African Open, and one of the most historic national Opens in golf will now be played at Randpark Golf Club from 6-9 December 2018. The Sunshine Tour announced on Monday, October 22nd, that a decision was taken in partnership with GolfRSA, the City of Johannesburg, the European Tour and Asian Tour to create an even greater stage for the South African Open by merging it with the Joburg Open. The South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg will be played on Randpark’s two championship golf courses, Firethorn and Bushwillow, and will feature a field of 240 professionals – including Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and former champion Brandon Stone – competing for a minimum of R17.5 million in prize money. The championship will, for the first time in its history, be a trisanctioned championship between the Sunshine Tour, European Tour and Asian Tour, and it will retain the international qualifying opportunities of the Joburg Open. “The new South African Open brings together the invaluable passion and support of the City of Johannesburg for professional golf with the second oldest national Open in the game, and the result is now one truly world-class golf tournament,” said Selwyn Nathan, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour. The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Councilor Herman Mashaba, said he was delighted that the city will continue to position itself as the forefront of world golf through its hosting of a major championship such as the South African Open. “We are extremely proud to be the new host city of the South African Open and to be able to translate the excellence of the Joburg Open into a new future for this historic championship. We look forward to continuing to showcase what Johannesburg has to offer, and to taking this message to Europe as well as Asia as
we seek to use the global footprint of this tournament to benefit the residents of our city.” This will mark the third time in its history that the South African Open will be played at Randpark. It was played here in 1995 when Retief Goosen beat Ernie Els by five strokes, and then again in 2000 when Swede Mathias Grönberg took the title. Continued on Page 3
SNEAK PEAK
05
Goosen joins Elite World Golf Hall of Fame
08
Lejan Lewthwaite makes history
14
Adilson savours longawaited Asian triumph
2
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
FOREWORD FROM OUR TOUR COMMISSIONER ~ Selwyn Nathan Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter which we hope you find interesting, and, in some small way, keeps you up-to-date with what is happening “inside the ropes” of the Sunshine Tour. At the time of writing this newsletter, the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final was being staged at Pinnacle Point Golf Club in blustery conditions. I want to express our sincere appreciation and thanks to Vodacom for their commitment and unwavering support with this series of events over the past 14 years. On October 22 there was a press briefing at the new Soweto Country Club, where Gary Player, Herman Mashaba, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, and I announced that the Joburg Open and South African Open Championship would become one event – The South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Joburg to be played at Randpark Golf Club from the 6th to 9th December. This collaboration will ensure the continuation of our National Open Championship for the foreseeable future and we are also pleased that the R&A has agreed to include this event as part of their international qualifying series for The Open Championship in 2019. Justin Harding is having a fantastic year. He currently leads our official Order of Merit and is also in the hunt to win the Asian Tour official Order of Merit where he boasts two wins (Bank BRI Indonesian Open and Royal Cup). He came second at the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship and has two top-10 finishes this season. Adilson
Da Silva has also been campaigning on the Asian Tour and we congratulate him on winning the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. We visited the Soweto Country Club late October with Gary Player to check the progress of the new golf course. What has taken place there is remarkable and everyone involved with the refurbishment of this facility must be congratulated and thanked. This Gary Player-designed golf course is an absolute gem and it will not be too long before we can proudly host a professional golf tournament there. As Gary said, the improvements to the club house and golf course are a miracle and a beacon of hope to the local community. The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, was also very proud that local government and the private sector had worked together to build a facility in an historic township that would have a significant and positive impact on the local community. It was an honour for Grant Wilson to be invited to join the Selection Commission for the World Golf Hall of Fame. This Commission was co-chaired by Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Anneke Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez. Further to their deliberations in Florida early October, we must congratulate Retief Goosen on being elected to join the World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2019 where he will be inducted during the US Open next year at Pebble Beach.
We are looking forward to a very busy summer schedule. Africa’s Major, The Nedbank Golf Challenge took place at Sun City from the 8th to 11th November, The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at Anahita from 29th November to 2nd December, South African Open Championship at Randpark from the 6th to 9th December, and then finally, the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek from the 13th to 16th December. We have a number of events confirmed for early 2019 and we are busy finalising the schedule for announcement. Sponsorship is the lifeblood of our business and without sponsors we are not in a position to create playing opportunities for our members. We are extremely proud of the successes of our professional athletes both at home and on the international stage and we doubt whether we would be able to continue to produce great champions without the ongoing support of our sponsors and partners. We can never
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
say thank you enough to you all. The players committee under the chairmanship of Oliver Bekker works tirelessly for the benefit of their fellow members and I would like to thank them for their support and interest in helping us run this business.
3
The Sunshine Tour would like to thank the following partners for their valued support.
In closing, I would again like to thank our Board of Directors for their contribution to the success of this business. All our directors, with the exception of myself, are non-executive and give of their time freely and unselfishly. Thank you for your guidance and support of our efforts. See you on the fairways and thank you for your interest in the Sunshine Tour.
WE’RE SOCIAL Follow us on your favorite social media sites
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG DRIVES NEW ERA OF SA OPEN (Continued) Continued from Page 1
“The South African Open has experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years and as the custodians of this great championship we look forward to this new partnership with the City of Johannesburg,” said Grant Hepburn, Chief Executive Officer of GolfRSA. As the official player-host of the South African Open, Ernie Els said he is looking forward to this next step in the continued growth of the championship. “It’s been an exciting last few years for the South African Open in which we’ve made this tournament one of the great championships of world golf again. This is another important step in this process, with a major internationally-recognised city such as Johannesburg aligning itself so strongly with our national Open.”
Els is also an International Ambassador of the Asian Tour, and Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer Cho Minn Thant said they are delighted to add the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg to their schedule.
who love playing in South Africa. We also look forward to continuing the partnership we had with the City of Johannesburg in the Joburg Open as we showcase this amazing city to our millions of viewers worldwide.”
The South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg will occupy a premier place as one of the first tournaments on the European Tour’s new season.
In addition to this exciting new announcement, The Soweto Country Club will also become the official legacy project to the South African Open. Working with the City and corporate South Africa, efforts are underway to ensure that the Soweto Country becomes a top golfing destination.
“It has been our privilege to play a role in the growth of the South African Open and we look forward to taking this even further in its new role with the City of Johannesburg as a partner,” said European Tour Chief Executive Officer Keith Pelley. “The championship’s prime positioning on our schedule makes it a very attractive tournament for our members
For the City of Johannesburg, this represents an opportunity to not only create potential new jobs with the community but also presents an opportunity to grow the sport of golf in our previously disadvantaged communities.
4
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
RED HOT HARDING MAKES IT AN ASIAN DOUBLE Justin Harding of South Africa cruised to a six-shot victory at the Royal Cup to become the first player since 2011 to win back-to-back titles on the Asian Tour on 29 July 2018. The in-form Harding fired a three-under-par 67 in the final round of the US$500,000 Asian Tour event. With a winning total of 14-under-par 266, Harding became the first player to win twice in his first two starts in Asia. The 32-year-old, won the BANK BRI Indonesia Open, and took home the winner’s purse of US$90,000 while earning his fourth title in a span of two months at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club. Defending champion Shiv Kapur of India battled to a 71 to share second place with Australia’s Jake McLeod (67), Kurt Kitayama (67) of the United States and Chapchai Nirat, who finished as the highest ranked local player following a 68. The Royal Cup is held in honour of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who celebrated his 66th birthday this year. Did you know? • Justin Harding is the first player to win two straight titles in his first two appearances in Asia. He won the BANK BRI Indonesia Open two weeks ago as a sponsor’s invite and immediately took up membership on the Asian Tour. • His win at the Royal Cup marks his fourth victory in 2018, two of which were won on the Sunshine Tour. He also lead on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit at the time of writing this article. • With this win, Harding moved to 13th place on the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity Standings.
• Harding found 10 greens and 10 fairways in his final round of 67. He amassed a total of 24 putts. Justin Harding – Fourth Round 67 (-3), Total 266 (-14) It’s been a good little run, I can’t really put into words right now. Two weeks ago it was a surprise, but obviously been playing nicely, just tried to get three good rounds starting the week and put myself in position and then get the job done. I played pretty solidly yesterday it was a strange round of golf. I made a couple more putts today which helped.
• He also broke the Thais stranglehold in Asian Tour events held in the country. The last two Asian Tour events in Thailand were won by Panuphol Pittayarat and Jazz Janewattananond.
I had my eyes on the leaderboard the whole time and saw the guys catching up. I feel like I have a little bit more control that way. I felt pretty good with my game the entire week and I wasn’t making too many mistakes. On hole 13 I hit a poor shot that made it a bit interesting but I held my composure and made a great birdie on 15 which was a tough hole.
• Harding mixed his card with seven birdies against two bogeys and one double bogey. His lead was never threatened on the last day.
Haven’t had a five-shot lead on the last hole before and I may have been a little too casual on my last tee shot but that’s why I got my nickname.
• After his win in Indonesia, Harding flew back to play in Kenya and finished in tied-18th place, before flying back to Asia to compete at the Royal Cup.
I’m enjoying this run right now. The courses out here in Asia allow me to play strategically and I’m benefitting so I don’t find that I am trying too hard and just letting it come to me.
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
5
GOOSEN JOINS ELITE WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME In Jan Stephenson’s first season on the LPGA Tour in 1974, she was named LPGA’s Rookie of the Year. She went on to lead an impressive career with 20 professional victories, including 16 on the LPGA Tour. She is a three-time major champion with wins at the 1981 du Maurier, 1982 LPGA Championship and the 1983 US Women’s Open. Dennis Walters is an elite golfer who was paralyzed from the waist-down at the age of 24 following a golf cart accident. He has since dedicated his career to sharing life lessons and inspiring fans and disabled golfers of all ages through golf clinics and special performances at more than 3,000 worldwide appearances.
Retief Goosen is one of five new inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame. He will be enshrined with Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson, Dennis Walters and the late Peggy Kirk Bell as the Class of 2019, and he joins Gary Player, Bobby Locke and Ernie Els amongst the distinguished ranks of golfers thus honoured. These five new members will be enshrined at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday, June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach during the week of the men’s US Open Championship. Goosen, who won 10 times on the Sunshine Tour – including the South African Open Championship in 1993 and 1995 – was honoured for a career which has been exemplary all over the world. According to the World Golf Hall of Fame release, “Goosen sat within the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 10 for more than 250 weeks from 2001 through 2007. His 33 worldwide wins include two US Open Championships in 2001 – the same year he was named European Tour Player of the Year – and 2004. Goosen led the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002. He also played in six consecutive Presidents Cups from 2000 to 2011 as part of the International Team.” Billy Payne, during his 11 years as chairman of Augusta National Golf Club from 2006 to 2017, oversaw a number of significant achievements including the introduction of female members into the club’s membership.
Margaret Anne ‘Peggy’ Kirk Bell took up the game as a teenager, making a name for herself as an amateur star. She went on to become a charter member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950 after winning the 1949 Titleholders Championship and participating on the winning 1950 Curtis Cup team. Goosen’s last win on the Sunshine Tour came in the Africa Open of 2009. He turns 50 on February 3 nest year, and he will be a feared competitor in the senior ranks.
South African players that are inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
Gary Player
Bobby Locke
Ernie Els
Year Inducted 1974
Year Inducted 1977
Year Inducted 2011
Category Pinehurst
Category Pinehurst
PGA Tour Ballot
Home Town Johannesburg
Home Town Germinston
Home Town Johannesburg
Category
6
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
GOOD WEEK FOR SOUTH AFRICANS AT SUN CITY Rounds of 69, 67, 72 and 69 were enough only to give him the third spot, a shot behind early favourite, Sergio Garcia and four behind Westwood. While Oosthuizen’s third-place finish might be short of what he wanted, even as it was his best finish there in the last four years, he was still happy with his results. He shared eighth there in 2017, finished ninth in 2016 -the year in which he also shot a 66, his best round in this event – and he shared seventh in 2014. Darren Fichardt finished in a share of ninth with SA Open champion Chris Paisley, on a total of four-under-par in Sun City while Grace, who was the defending champion, along with the big-hitting Dean Burmester finished the tournament in a five-man tie for the 11th spot on three-under.
Louis Oosthuizen led a strong South African contingent to this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player and despite none among those emerged victorious, their effort was something to marvel at. Hosted at its usual home, the Gary Player Country Club, ‘Africa’s Major’ lived up to its reputation of producing exhilarating golf for the fans. While it was England’s Lee Westwood who eventually won – making it three Nedbank Golf Challenge wins to his name – it was Oosthuizen, among the South Africans, who was making a challenge for the title Branden Grace won last year.
T I P I L F
Dylan Frittelli and Richard Sterne – along with Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Robert Rock and Jordan Smith – finished two shots behind Grace and Burmester while veteran and 2008 Masters champion, Trevor Immelman ended in a share of the 27th spot. George Coetzee and Charl Schwartzel shared the 41st spot on two-over-par for the week and they were followed by Thomas Aiken who totalled six-over-par to occupy the 55th spot on the leaderboard. Brandon Stone, who came into the event ranked 19th in the Race to Dubai, didn’t have the best week in Sun City, tying 60th with five others who included Erik van Rooyen. Van Rooyen’s debut in Sun City was not the best in terms of results, but he will appreciate the experience. In all, it was a good week for South African players and fans alike and as usual, ‘the million-dollar tournament’ produced a worthy winner as Westwood ended a four-year winless run.
for MORE great features! º Detailed Players’ Scorecard; º Hole by Hole Performance Stats; º Course Statistics; º Follow your favourite player and; º Detailed player profiles.
FOLLOW ALL THE ACTION - SWING BY SWING! Download our App for updates, scores and news content.
it begins here
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
TEAM SOUTH AFRICA AT THE NEBADNK GOLF CHALLENGE
Louis Oosthuizen Finishing Position: 3
Darren Fichardt Finishing Position: 9
Dean Burmester Finishing Position: 11
Brandon Grace Finishing Position: 11
Richard Sterne Finishing Position: 21
Dylan Frittelli Finishing Position: 21
Trevor Immelman Finishing Position: 27
Charl Schwartzel Finishing Position: 41
George Coetzee Finishing Position: 41
Thomas Aiken Finishing Position: 55
Brandon Stone Finishing Position: 60
Eric van Rooyen Finishing Position: 60
7
8
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
LEWTHWAITE MAKES HISTORY ON IGT CHALLENGE TOUR Women golfers have played the top men’s pro circuits around the world since Babe Zaharias’ debut on the PGA Tour in 1938. Dame Laura Davies did it. Annika Sorenstam did it. Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome did it. Even SA Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai played in a Tour Championship on the Sunshine Tour. But no woman ever beat the men at their own game until Lejan Lewthwaite from Benoni wrote her name in the South African golfing annals with a maiden win on the IGT Challenge Tour on 12 Septmber 2018. The Benoni golfer broke ground for local sportswomen when she won the IGT Challenge #12 in a play-off at Maccauvlei Golf Club and became the first female champion of South Africa’s premier golf development circuit. “I lost out twice in 2016, but this time, I believed I could win,” said the 27-yearold from Farramere. “It was really close, but I never doubted myself. “It great to be the first woman champion and to finally have a win under my belt. More than anything, I conquered my demons. I always threw it away because I got to quick down the stretch. When we went into a sudden-death play-off, I calmed myself down. Doing that kept me focussed, gave me the win. That, and some damn good golf.” Lewthwaite shared the overnight lead with local favourite Garth Wolter on four-under. “I knew it would be a battle,” Lewthwaite said. “Garth came into this week on the back of his maiden win in the IGT Challenge Tour #11 at State Mines last week. And it’s his home course.” Ironically, Wolter faltered first, splitting bogeys at the first and third with a birdie at the second, but Lewthwaite ran into her own share of trouble with a double
bogey at six. She birdied seven but another drop at nine saw Wolter lead by one shot through the turn. “I got a bit too aggressive with my tee shot at six and I finished under the trees,” said Lewthwaite. “I hit my second into the trap, teethed it out and threeputted. At nine, I hit a good tee shot and had 179 metres flag, the perfect distance for a 4-hybrid. “It pitched on the front, caught a big bounce ran right through to the back of the green. I pushed a tricky downhill putt eight feet past, misread the line on the return and three-putted for bogey.” Both players birdied 10, but Lewthwaite drew level with a birdie at 12 and moved two clear on four-under when Wolter had successive bogeys at 12 and 15. The Maccauvlei gained a shot with a birdie at 16 and a Lewthwaite bogey at the final hole sent the tournament into overtime. The duo tied on three-under 213 in regulation play with rounds of 73. “I played 18 the same way I did the first two rounds…driver off the tee, 3-wood into the green, but I caught my second fat, and found the front bunker,” said Lewthwaite. “I could feel the sand was really hard under foot. I committed to the shot, but it went straight over the pin. I lagged it to nine foot, but my par putt just skimmed the hole.”
Lewthwaite produced a grand stand finish in the play-off, though. “I shut everything out and just focussed on my processes,” she said. “We both hit solid drives. His second flew the green and I hit my approach with a low trajectory. It landed eight metres into the green and rolled up to 15 feet. He chipped it close, but I looked at the dot on my ball, put a good stroke on the putt and nailed it. I knew as soon as I hit
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
9
it that it was good.
of Excellence, for a short while, but his advice has been solid.
“I’m so happy with this result. I’m going to the Ladies European Tour Q-School in December and I’ve done a lot of work on my short game with Robbie Stewart. I’ve only been working with Mark Fairbank, a sport psychologist with The Golf School
“This win is proof positive that I’m doing the right things. I hope this will inspire amateurs and young pros to follow my lead and to use the IGT Challenge Tour to gain experience before they head to Europe or the USA.” - Lali Stander
Final Result All competitors RSA unless otherwise specified; amateurs indicated as AMA 213 - Lejan Lewthwaite 74 66 73 213 - Garth Wolter 73 67 73 217 - Ruhan van Dijk 78 70 69, Leon Vorster 73 74 70, Jaco van der Merwe AMA 73 73 71, Jonathan Waschefort 75 71 71, Almero Theron 71 72 74 218 - Jack Duthie 75 69 74 220 - Shaun van Tonder 73 73 74, Jason Diab 72 69 79
223 - Blain Sansom 78 72 73, Luke Mayo AMA 75 73 75, Juran Dreyer 76 77 70, Stephan Erasmus 81 74 68 224 - Keaton Slatter 71 78 75, Tumelo Molloyi 73 80 71, Tristan Topka AMA 72 82 70 226 - Romano Saincic 80 72 74, Matthew Hands AMA 75 73 78
221 - Tristen Strydom 73 74 74
227 - Byron Sampson AMA 72 78 77, Mitchell Lightfoot 75 76 76, John McClean (NIR) 74 77 76
222 - Marco de Beer 74 75 73, Warric Dyers 72 76 74, Ruan Groenewald 75 69 78
228 - Hanish Nagrani (ZIM) 78 73 77, Lincon Cele 78 73 77, Nqobani Ndabambi (ZIM) 70 77 81
229 - Aneurin Gounden AMA 73 76 80, Quintin Crause 74 79 76, Divan Marais 82 73 74, Jonathan George AMA 76 79 74 230 - Letsoso Letsai AMA 78 73 79 231 - Jihwan Yeom AMA 77 75 79, Ricardo Towell 76 78 77 232 - Patric Dowling AMA 76 77 79, Divan de Villiers 78 77 77, Patrick Thompson 79 76 77 233 - Karl Lehmacher 78 75 80, Lloyd Herbst AMA 74 80 79 235 - Stephan du Toit 76 77 82
10
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
STEADY SMITH SEALS MAIDEN BIG EASY IGT TOUR TITLE Stuart Smith from Botswana became the second international champion on the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour with his breakthrough at Services Golf Club on Wednesday. Just two weeks after Zimbabwean Ben Follett-Smith finished in the winner’s circle at Kyalami Country Club, Smith produced a well-constructed six-underpar 66 at Services Golf Club to triumph on 15-under-par 201. He finished two shots clear of overnight leader Juran Dreyer and fast-finishing Pieter Moolman, whose seven-underpar 65 earned him the low round honours. Smith started the final round one shot adrift of Dreyer on 10-under, but he shifted the Free State rookie out of pole positon with a birdie-birdie start and never relinquished control. Dreyer got it to 12-under with birdies at 12 and 15, but his efforts to force the tournament into extra time took a nosedive when he dropped a shot at the penultimate hole. “I was 13-under and that left me free to play pressure-free golf over the last two holes,” Smith said. “I birdied 17 and could play the last hole as a three shotter. I hit a great drive, put my second on the green and boxed another birdie putt. I’m really pleased with this result, because I really haven’t played well this season. Hopefully this sparks a better second half of the year for me.” After a second round 67, Smith felt he had the game to win. “I am striking the ball well and putting half-decent,” he said on 18 September 2018. “If I can get off to a fast start to put some pressure on Juran, I could pull it off.”
Solid ball-striking and a hot putter produced just the start he wanted. “The first hole was playing into the wind, and I hit two really good shots to give myself a birdie chance,” said Smith. “I boxed the putt and hit the second green in two, and two-putted for birdie to take the lead. I still felt a bit of pressure, but the bogey at four took care of that. I hit a 2-iron up the right and had 95 flag, but I was a little worried about how the green would react so early in the morning. “I hit sand-wedge in that pitched right in front of the flag, but the ball took a bounce and skipped off the green. I took the knock but boxed a nice sevenfoot uphill putt at five for birdie to get back to two-under for the round.” Smith turned four-under after a brace of birdies at eight and nine, but had another soft bogey at 10. “I hit my worst tee shot of the day at 10,” he said. “I felt something in my shoulder on the downswing and I couldn’t stop at the top of my swing. I pulled it left into the trees, punched out into the greenside bunker and didn’t make great contact with the trap shot. Then I misread the par putt. Turned it around, though, with a bonus birdie at the next hole where I drained a 25-foot putt. “Then I made five straight pars. I just stayed patient and waited for an opportunity to score. I had some chances, but the wind was really unpredictable and I felt happy making par on that stretch.” The victory netted Smith a pay day worth R10 500 and the Randpark golfer
launched from 46th to 14th in the Road to Sunshine Tour rankings. “The goal has been to get inside the top 10 by the end of the season so I earn one of the 10 cards for the Sunshine Tour,” said the Wanna Be A Champion Academy golfer. “There are still five events before the Tour Championship in December and a lot of guys wanting to get into the top 10, so there won’t be any slacking off. I’m just under R5 000 shy of the top 10 after this week, so it’s all to play for now.” Dylan Mostert kept the top spot with a tie for fifth on five-under, while twotime champion Matt Bright hung on to second with a top 20 finish. Ruan Korb, DK Kim from Korea, Heinrich Bruiners, Hendrikus Stoop, Cameron Moralee, Dylan Kok, Paul Boshoff and Duane Keun, respectively ranked third to 10th, complete the top 10.
News
Final Result All competitors RSA unless otherwise specified; amateurs indicated as AMA 201 - Stuart Smith (BOT) 68 67 66 204 - Pieter Moolman 69 70 65, Juran Dreyer 66 68 70 206 - Duane Keun 71 69 66 207 - Teboho Sefatsa 69 68 70 208 - Dylan Kok 69 67 72
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
5
11
Big Easy IGT Statistics
Dylan Mostert, Matt Bright & Cameron Moralee each have multiple wins = 2 each
209 - Cameron Moralee 73 68 68 210 - CJ du Plessis 74 68 68, Matthew Spacey 69 70 71 211 - Gianni Pera AMA 73 71 67, Richard Joubert 78 66 67, Leon Visser 72 71 68, Dylan Mostert 68 74 69, Andrew Burmester 74 68 69, Thabiso Ngcobo 73 68 70 212 - Wayne Stroebel 73 71 68, Makhetha Mazibuko 72 70 70, Peetie van er Merwe 72 66 74, Matt Bright 71 66 75 213 - Francois Coetzee 68 73 72 214 - Thabang Simon 71 73 70, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 69 71 74, Jason Rossiter 70 70 74 215 - Paul Boshoff 72 72 71, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 74 70 71, Divan Marais 76 68 71, Matthew Rushton 74 70 71, Dayne Moore (ZAM) 75 66 74
Otto van Buynder lowest round of 61: BET #4 Juran Dreyer lowest winning score = -21: BET #12 Jabulani Mabilane & Dylan Mostert achieved a Hole-in-one: BET #11 Average Winning Score after 13 events = -10
216 - Jonathan Waschefort 71 73 72, Damon Stephenson (AUS) 70 74 72, John McClean (NIR) 72 67 77 217 - Ruan Groenewald 76 68 73, Bryce Myburgh 71 72 74 218 - Andrew Carlsson 70 74 74, Jack Duthie 73 70 75, Bradley Diggeden AMA 71 69 78 219 - Quintin Crause 76 68 75 222 - Arno Pretorius 71 73 78
*Statistics are correct at the time of publishing
12
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
COACHING CLINIC GETS THUMBS UP AT ARABELLA Lewellyn Buys, an aspiring golf player from Worcester says he learnt a lot from the coaching clinic which was organised by Vodacom Origins of Golf in partnership with the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) at Arabella Country Club on the 13th September. “This coaching clinic really helped me to take my game to the upper level,” the 17-year-old said. “I couldn’t putt well, but now I know how to work on it. It was very good. Now I am very confident to win the next Junior Open on the 23rd of September. This gave me a boost to do the best in my career.” Buys was one of 20 children between the ages of eight and 17 from the Boland region who got an opportunity to learn the sport’s tricks from golf professionals such as Kevin and Brandon Stone, Jacquin Hess and others. “My dream is to play along-side Tiger Woods one day. I see my future in golf. My father works at Riverside Golf Club. He is a caddie master. So, the long and short of it, that is how I gained an interest in playing golf. I have a love for the sport.” Shawn Adriaanse from SAGDB Boland Region said the coaching clinic was an eye-opener for the children. “The clinic helped them with the basics such as how to putt, how to chip and all that type of stuff,” he said. “Hearing that from professionals is going to have an effect on their game. SAGDB creates a lot of opportunities for them to play tournaments. It is not every day that they get this type of coaching clinic.” Adriaanse said SAGDB has produced a number of players who now play at the top level. “Our top players couldn’t make it here today, because of school examinations. Here we have players who play a lot of Boland junior tournaments. They also play in the SAGDB Schools League which we formed for them. So, they do play a lot of golf. We have about 15 junior tournaments which they play during the year. For our top players, we have about 40 tournaments that they play, with the Boland Open as well, and some of them play national tournaments,” he added. Adriaanse said they are moving in the right direction to nurture talent for the children. “These are all beginner players and they never touched a golf club before they came to us. We show them all the basics of the game and from there we
take them to junior tournaments to qualify for the provincial team. This year alone, we had about 10 players who have made it into the provincial team. We created an opportunity for Adam Willemse who went to play in Scotland during the June school holidays. These kinds of opportunities that we create for players are awesome.” Hess, the Sunshine Tour player, always makes himself available for sharing his skills whenever there is a coaching clinic. “It is very important for me to continue taking part in the coaching clinics. I was with SAGDB in 2008. I was the best player in the SAGDB in the country,” the 27-year-old said. “I remember being here for the Nelson Mandela Invitational Continued on Page 13
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
13
when Gary Player was here doing the clinic for the kids. I was part of those kids. Obviously, back then I did not want to turn pro, but I learnt a lot from Mr Player.
fine tuning. I think having Brandon and Kevin Stone as part of the clinic, was massive. Children were taking some photos and getting autographs from them. I spoke to Brandon afterwards and he said it is important for him as well to do the coaching. It is going to encourage children to have some good discipline and develop some good values in life. They will become great people. For me it is about developing a great person,” he said.
“I want to continue helping others as well. That is very important to me. I think it is going to make a massive difference in the children’s lives. The children were so good. We did not have to do a lot of work with them. It is just small
The coaching clinic was conducted a day before the start of the third of six Vodacom Origins of Golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour schedule. The series is this year in its 15th season.
COACHING CLINIC (Continued) Continued from Page 12
DE DECKER DOWNS PALMER IN MARATHON SWAZI PLAY-OFF He had a chance to win it in regulation on Friday, but in the end, it took Andre de Decker five extra holes before he was able to lift his first Sunshine Tour trophy as he won the Royal Swazi Spa Challenge. He downed Michael Palmer on the fifth play-off hole after they both finished on 16-under-par 200 after 54 holes of regulation play in the R800,000 tournament – but a bogey on 17 nearly cost him the title. “I hit a great drive down the left of the 17th fairway,” said De Decker, “and it just caught a tree, and came back about 60 metres, so I had about 120-metre difference for my normal approach. I had to lay up.” In the end, he three-putted on 17 and let Palmer, a winner two weeks ago in Kenya who had eagled 17 on his way to a brilliant 64, in to the play-off. They went to the par-three 18th three more times, and were unable to find a winner. On to the 10th, and Palmer’s
approach to the short parfour through a deep valley hit the flag and dropped three feet from the pin. But he was unable to convert the chance. Instead, it gave De Decker a chance to hit his tee shot on 18 (again!) to 10 feet, and, when Palmer was in trouble in the greenside bunker from which he was unable to extricate himself, De Decker coolly rammed home the winning putt. “It’s very tough going through five extra holes,” said De Decker. “I felt it got a little easier as it went on, and it helped that I was playing with Michael, who is a good friend. I was thinking of the previous play-off I was in in Zambia when I lost to JJ Senekal and how I didn’t want a repeat of that.”
The victory meant the world to him. “This is huge,” he said. “I’ve just got back from the United States. I came back with the intention of getting at least one trophy. It means so much to finally get that win and I’m excited for what the future holds because this year has been trending in the right direction. To see hard work paying off is awesome.” Just one stroke behind the play-off par were Michael Hollick and Louis de Jager, with Rourke van der Spuy, Keenan Davidse and Keith Horne a further stroke back in a share of fifth. For De Decker, it was his A-game which got him the win after what he felt were B-game performances in the first two rounds. “It was close to it in the first 12 holes,” he said. “I started really hot, and form there, it was just trying to birdie every hole.” That A-game was more than enough.
14
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
ADILSON SAVOURS LONG-AWAITED ASIAN TRIUMPH Qualifying school graduate Heungchol Joo of Korea marked his best result so far this season after battling to a 72 to sit in fourth place alongside South African Justin Harding, who closed with a 72, in what is the longest running full-field event on the Asian Tour. Despite missing out on his third win of the season, Harding took pride in his commendable result which moved him up two spots to sixth place on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings, led by India’s Shubhankar Sharma, who finished in tied-42nd place. The top 10 and top four players (not otherwise exempt) on the Habitat for Humanity standings, as of October 7, will qualify for the US$7 million CIMB Classic and US$10 million WGC-HSBC Champions staged in Malaysia and China respectively. • Adilson Da Silva became the first Brazilian to win on the Asian Tour following his victory. He also takes home a career-biggest prize purse of US$170,000 thanks to his win. • Da Silva has an impeccable track record at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. He has not finished outside top-three in his last three starts in the storied event. In his debut appearance in 2012, he also enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish.
Adilson Da Silva of Brazil claimed a long-awaited victory on the Asian Tour after closing with a third consecutive two-under-par 70 to win by one shot at the storied Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday, September 30th. The 46-year-old Da Silva, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round, fired three birdies on the third, seventh and 13th holes before dropping a shot on the last for a winning total of seven-under-par 281 in the US$850,000 event. Da Silva, who started playing on Tour after coming through the Qualifying School in 2011, earned a career-biggest prize purse of US$170,000 thanks to his victory. He also became the first Brazilian to win on the region’s premier Tour since it was inaugurated in 2004. Local hero Lin Wen-tang signed for a 70 to share second place with American Berry Henson, who posted a 69, at the fabled Taiwan Golf and Country Club, which is celebrating its centennial year in 2018.
• Prior to this week, Da Silva has made only three cuts in 11 starts this season. He started the season with six consecutive missed cuts before claiming a tied-ninth place result in Japan last week. • Last year, Da Silva came in joint runner-up after finishing two shots back of winner Gavin Green of Malaysia. He used back the same local caddy this week. • Da Silva welcomed his twin daughters, Sienna and Amelia, three months ago. • Da Silva enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years. • Da Silva has won multiple times on the Sunshine Tour. He started playing extensively in Zimbabwe from between 1996 to 2003, winning more than 30 titles and five Zimbabwean Order of Merit crowns. Played in the British Open in 2000 and 2007. - Source Asian Tour
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
15
DLAMINI ON HER WAY TO MOROCCO good up and downs. “It got a bit stressful on the front nine because I missed a few fairways and it was quite tough to make up and downs coming from the rough and palm trees come into nine. I turned in level par and the back nine was quite solid. I didn’t putt as well as I should have, but overall, I’m really happy. “I was trailing by one heading into 17 and I’m pleased I was able to get the birdie and then make a par on 18. It’s my birthday on Tuesday, November 6th, so maybe I’ll get a nice surprise when I get home.” Dlamini will spend much of her 27th birthday in the air, as she has a long journey ahead of her and several weeks of work lie ahead. “I’m flying to the east, to Doha, then down to South Africa, so I get home at 2.30pm, but it will be a happy journey,” she said.
Nobuhle Dlamini held her nerve on the final day at PalmGolf Marrakesh Palmeraie to win PreQualifier A and book her place in the Final Stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School in Morocco. The big-hitting Swazi golfer finished with a 72-hole total of four-under-par, ending two strokes ahead of Alazne Urlzar from Venezuela, after both players shot last-day 71s. Nigerian amateur Georgia Oboh tied for third with English amateur Sara Gee on level par. The top 36 players will advance to the Final Stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School, to be held at Amelkis Golf Club and PalmGolf Marrakesh Ourika from Friday 16th to Tuesday 20th December. “It feels really, really good. It’s been a while since I won,” said Dlamini, who claimed her breakthrough professional victory in the South African Sunshine Ladies Tour’s SuperSport Ladies Challenge at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club in March. “I’m really happy. I stuck to my game plan, which was difficult, because I was under pressure from the word ‘Go’. My plan was to hit fairways, because it is so tough to hit out of the rough. I missed a couple of fairways and made some
“I’ve still got some work to do on my full swing and my putting. I wasn’t quite ready when I came here and I still have some work to do on my technique, so I’ll be working on that in Johannesburg but my coach, Warwick Druian just moved to England, so we’ll be doing some mobile coaching.”
Have your say & stay in the loop! We promise we won’t fill your inbox with junkmail! Let us know what YOU would like to read about, or share your adventures with the rest of the folk, either way subscribe to our quarterly Newsletter. Send your mails to newsletter@sunshinetour.com
16
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
VODACOM ORIGINS OF GOLF SERIES FOR 2018 Neil Schietekat topped this season’s Heritage Le Telfair Order of Merit of the six-event series of Vodacom of Origins of Golf events after winning one of the events and with two runner-up finishes in five starts. Schietekat won the Vodacom Origins of Golf Arabella, he finished eighth at Zebula and he was tied for second at Selborne. He shared second at St Francis Links and also shared 24th at Parys. He won a total of R303,988.57 from the events. Winners for the other five tournaments were Zander Lombard who won at Zebula, Peter Karmis won at Selborne, while Alex Haindl won at St Francis Links, Garth Mulroy won in Parys and Steve Surry won the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pinnacle Point. Jake Roos was the runner up on the money list for the series with R234,051.00 after six events, Mulroy earned R205,960.00 in three events
while Haindl took home R185,002.50 after playing all the events. Lombard completed the top-five list with R164,943.75 after playing two of the events. Vodacom also organised coaching clinics for all the events as they did since the inception of the series 15 seasons ago. The total amount raised for charity on this season’s Vodacom Origins of Golf series was R791,200. The value of these clinics has been shown in the countless examples of young golfers from impoverished backgrounds who benefit from the instruction they receive from the Sunshine Tour professionals.
Vodacom Origins of Golf Winners list 2018
FACTS
Vodacom of Origins The 2018 Vodacom Origins of Golf marks its 15th season as South African golf’s longest consecutive pro-am series. Jean Hugo has eleven victories on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series since it teed off in 2004, and which is the most of any professional on the series. Only three golfers ever won three of the six Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament in a single season. They are Thomas Aiken (2004), Brandon Pieters (2009), and Jean Hugo in (2011). Major champion Louis Oosthuizen claimed his first professional title on the 2004 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series.
Zebula Winner
Selborne Winner
Arabella Winner
St Francis Winner
Parys Winner
Pinnacle Point Winner
The Vodacom Foundation has donated up to R791 200.00 after two events through the Birdies for Education campaign in Zebula and Selborne.
News
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
ORDER OF MERITS Big Easy IGT Tour
17
as at 28 November 2018
Sunshine Tour
Pos. Name
Pos.
Name
1.
Matt Bright (RSA)
1.
Justin Harding (RSA)
2.
Juran Dreyer (RSA)
2.
Alex Haindl (RSA)
3.
Dylan Kok (RSA)
3.
Daniel van Tonder (RSA)
4.
Cameron Moralee (RSA)
4.
Neil Schietekat (RSA)
5.
Dylan Mostert (RSA)
5.
Louis de Jager (RSA)
6.
Dongkwan Kim (Kor)
6.
Jake Roos (RSA)
7.
Ruan Korb (RSA)
7.
Michael Palmer (RSA)
8.
Paul Boshoff (RSA)
8.
Rourke van der Spuy(RSA)
9.
Heinrich Bruiners (RSA)
9.
JJ Senekal (RSA)
10.
Hendrikus Stoop (RSA)
10.
Peter Karmis (GRE)
For the full table please see the following link: http://igtgolf.org/oom/?season=2018
Vodacom Origins of Golf Pos. Name
For the full table please see the following link: http://sunshinetour.com/stats/sunshine-tour/order-of-merit/
Official World Golf Ranking Top 100 | Week 48 | 28 November 2018
1.
Neil Schietekat (Royal Joburg & Kennsington GC)
Rank
Name
Total Points
2.
Jake Roos (Arabella Golf Estate)
35 ▲
Louis Oosthuizen
133.36
3.
Garth Mulroy (Umkomaas Golf Club)
48 ▲
Branden Grace
130.33
4.
Alex Haindl (Schoeman Park Golf Club)
5.
Zander Lombard (Woodhill Country Club)
75 ▲
Shaun Norris
99.90
6.
Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park)
76 ▼
Dylan Frittelli
99.58
7.
Jacques Blaauw (The Els Club, Copperleaf)
81 ▲
Charl Schwartzel
86.30
8.
Peter Karmis (Clovelly Country Club)
90 ▲
Justin Harding
85.18
9.
Chris Cannon (Unattached)
10.
Jaco Prinsloo (The Els Club, Copperleaf)
For the full table please see the following link: http://www.owgr.com/ranking
**Leaderboards are correct at the time of publishing
18
FAST AND CONVENIENT
Sunshine Tour Newsletter
News
Join the Avis Preferred Loyalty Programme today. Spend less time filling out forms, and more time enjoying the benefits of priority service, upgrades, free additional driver and free weekend rentals.*
Apply today Visit avis.co.za *Terms and conditions apply. Excludes contracted rates.