Year: 2022

Dylan Frittelli’s love for links golf continues as he heads into Sunday’s final round of the 150^th Open Championship in tied 18^th place on six under par.

Frittelli did exactly what he said he was going to do, namely make a move up the leaderboard on day three. And he did so while feeling he didn’t have his best golf with him, despite two eagles on the par-four ninth and 18^th holes for his third-round 69.

“Not my best golf at times, but I somehow threw two crazy hole-outs in there,” he said.

“The ninth hole was a terrible tee shot. I hit it in the fairway or greenside bunker and had 45 yards to the pin. I was just trying to get it up there on the green on nine and it somehow went in. On 18, I hit a great tee shot. I thought it would get up on the green, but it didn’t. I had a tricky one from the Valley of Sin there but somehow made that one as well. The rest was a bit patchy but happy with the overall score.”

Frittelli is 10 shots off the shared lead of Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. McIlroy and Hovland lead the field by four shots, with Cameron Smith and Cameron Young their nearest challengers.

Frittelli has had his best Major performances in The Open, including fifth in 2021 and tied 32^nd in 2019. Add his fifth place in The Masters in 2020, and Frittelli is showing he’s more than capable of winning a Major.

Dean Burmester is the next best-placed South African on five under par following a third round of 67. Christiaan Bezuidenhout will start the final round on four under par, with Thriston Lawrence at three under and Garrick Higgo at one over.

Thriston Lawrence remains at the forefront of the South African challenge heading into the weekend of the 150^th Open Championship in St Andrews.

The South African posted a second round of 71 to come through 36 holes on four under par overall. Australia’s Cameron Smith leads the field on 13 under par following a magnificent 64 on the Old Course on Friday.

Smith is two clear of American Cameron Young, while Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland are three shots off the lead.

Tiger Woods failed to make the cut of level par and bowed out of this milestone Open at nine over. South Africa’s Justin Harding, Louis Oosthuizen, Ernie Els, Zander Lombard, Shaun Norris and amateur Aldrich Potgieter also failed to make the cut.

But Garrick Higgo (-3), Dylan Frittelli (-3), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (level) and Dean Burmester (level) joined Lawrence in going through to the final 36 holes.

Frittelli in particular said he was looking forward to the weekend.

“I’ll go as low as I can. On Saturday I’ll go out in the morning, try to knock down all the pins and make every putt I look at. Try to shoot 6-, 7-under.”

And he’ll have enough time to watch the Test series decider between the Springboks and Wales on Saturday.

“Last week was really disappointing. I didn’t catch the first game. I was in the States and the timing didn’t work out. The second game I watched when I was in Scotland. I’ll definitely have enough time to get back to the room and watch it. But hopefully the Boks can get it done.”

As far as Major debuts go it was a memorable one for Thriston Lawrence as he led the South African challenge on day one of the 150^th Open Championship at the Old Course on Thursday.

Lawrence, who qualified for The Open with his maiden DP World Tour victory in last year’s Joburg Open, opened with a round of three-under-par 69 to place him tied 13^th behind leader Cameron Young of America.

Young signed for an eight-under-par 64 and leads by two shots over Rory McIlroy. Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent is also tied 13^th.

Ernie Els made a memorable start in this most significant Open Championship as he birdied his first two holes and was five under through 15. But a finish where he dropped three shots in two holes, including a double bogey on the  infamous Road Hole 17^th, saw him sign for a two-under-par 70.

“Yeah, it was good. Obviously just that one hole burning me at the moment. I played good. I putted nice and played good. I just had that one frickin’ tee shot on 17. Anyway, that’s my day,” said the winner of the 2002 and 2012 Opens.

“I played well overall. Hit it in play and hit good iron shots and played the course the way you should play it. Just felt comfortable. As I said, just that one shot is going to keep burning me until tomorrow.

“I haven’t played links golf since last year. I only came in Monday afternoon. I needed to get over the jet lag and never really had a proper practice round. I needed to find my feet, and that’s what I did, and I felt comfortable today. The golf course is playing fast. I’m under-par, which is good. I’ve got to take the positives when I start thinking about it.”

Dylan Frittelli joined Els on two under.

Louis Oosthuizen, winner of The Open here in 2010, began his week with a round of one-under-par 71.

Countryman Dean Burmester also signed for a 71. “I hit a lot of good golf shots but I missed too many short putts. I missed three or four putts inside five feet. That’s kind of cost me a good score today. It’s the 150^th Open so a little bit of nerves. It’s only human to be a little nervous out there. I had a couple of bad reads, but it’s the nature of the game. That’s links golf,” he said.

South African professional golf now has its clearest pathway to greatness for historically disadvantaged professional golfers, with the new Papwa Sewgolum Class combining more playing opportunities with support from major corporates to promote greater inclusion in the game.

A total of 61 historically disadvantaged golfers – including experienced professionals such as Dylan Naidoo, Keenan Davidse and Heinrich Bruiners as well as the younger generation of Franklin Manchest and Karabo Mokoena – will be given every opportunity to take their professional careers to the next level as the first intake of the new Papwa Sewgolum Class for the 2022/23 season, and with major support from Investec, SuperSport, Betway, VAT It, DNI, Credit Guarantee, Cobra Puma and TaylorMade, and The Papwa Foundation.

Papwa Sewgolum was a great Indian golfer who played a pioneering role in the advancement of South African golf amongst the historically disadvantaged and who through his international success in the game remains a role model to many South African golfers.

“The establishment of the Papwa Sewgolum Class 2022/23 not only recognises Papwa’s role in highlighting the need for golf to be more inclusive, but it also contributes to building a lasting legacy in keeping with the notable success he achieved at home and abroad,” said Jehad Kasu, Executive Board Member and Spokesperson of The Papwa Foundation.

“We are encouraged by the Sunshine Tour’s commitment to meaningfully transform the sport in collaboration with the Papwa Foundation and look forward to crystallising a lasting partnership through which we enable an opportunity to all qualifying, aspirant historically disadvantaged golfers, to achieve greatness.”

The Papwa Sewgolum Class is one of the most comprehensive development initiatives within South African sport, and which seeks to build on the work done by the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) and GolfRSA to identify the raw amateur talent within the game, and to then provide a sustainable pathway into the professional arena for historically disadvantaged golfers.

Naidoo is a key example of what the Papwa Sewgolum Class aspires to achieve, with the rising star having come through the ranks of securing his playing privileges via the Vusi Ngubeni Tournament for historically disadvantaged professionals and winning on the Altron Big Easy Tour before progressing to his place on the Sunshine Tour where he finished third in the Rookie of the Year race in 2020 behind current PGA Tour and DP World Tour stars Garrick Higgo and Wilco Nienaber.

Naidoo has now also secured his playing privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States, which is the main feeder tour to the PGA Tour.

Davidse has also used his opportunities to move to the next level in his career, working his way up to his current Sunshine Tour status and finishing a career-high of 16^th on the Luno Order of Merit for the past season. He has also progressed onto the Challenge Tour, the main feeder Tour to the DP World Tour.

The inaugural Papwa Sewgolum Class for this season will have greater opportunities to compete on the Sunshine Tour and Altron Big Easy Tour through the expanded schedules and increased prize money offered on both these tours, and with monthly financial assistance towards their tournament golf expenses, including their tournament entry fees.

The Altron Big Easy Tour alone, one of the main areas of competition for the Papwa Sewgolum Class, will this season feature 10 tournaments in a schedule running from May to September and which includes record prize money for the Tour. The prize money for each 36-hole tournament will be R150 000, which is an increase of R50 000 per tournament from the 2021 season.

The Papwa Sewgolum Class golfers will also receive access to quality coaching, golf courses, gyms and fitness instructors at the World of Golf. TaylorMade and Cobra Puma Golf will provide them with equipment and apparel, and they will have access to a sports psychologist and career counseling.

Further career paths within the golf industry have also been created through a partnership with the PGA of South Africa that allows for members of the Papwa Sewgolum Class to begin the qualification to become recognised PGA Professionals.

Photo: The Sunshine Tour announced its inaugural Papwa Sewgolum Class for the 2022/23 season at Randpark Golf Club on Tuesday, and which aims to help promote greater inclusivity in the professional game. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

South Africa’s MJ Daffue celebrated his recent PGA Tour status with a strong start in the US Open at The Country Club in Brookline as he came through round one just one shot off the lead.

Daffue, who recently earned his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour, opened with a round of three-under-par 67 to place him tied second just one shot behind leader Adam Hadwin of Canada.

“I think a lot of things worked well. Obviously the putter. I put a lot of work in on the speed on the greens. I’m not used to US Open speed. That translated into leaving myself in good spots, making it as easy as I can. Sometimes it meant hitting it in the rough. We had a good strategy. I drove the ball pretty decent. The times I missed the fairway, I missed it in good spots, and so, yeah, execution of the strategy, and I would say I can’t believe how relaxed I was out there. I was able to feel my hands, and that’s a big deal,” said Daffue.

The South African shares a close relationship with double US Open champion Retief Goosen, who he says did have a few words of advice for him before this week.

“The one time I asked him, I said, ‘Hey, how do you do so well under pressure in US Opens?’ He said, ‘I’ve just done it a few times’. It makes a lot of sense, actually. The more you do it, the more you get used to it. But he has just been encouraging. He has been really sending me encouraging messages as far as, listen, the ability is there. It’s just how do you put it together and believe in yourself.”

Daffue said that finally securing his PGA Tour card has also helped him to play with a lot more freedom this week.

“I’ve been just so focused on my process and my goals, and I know that the ability is there. It’s just how do I bring it out. I think now I’ve finally probably started feeling the freedom because I’m, like, I secured my card next year, and maybe I can go for a few more things that I would never have. Yeah, it’s definitely some more freedom.

“But I’ve really tried to come into this week not putting too much pressure on myself, just trusting that I have everything right now that I want. My life is really good. I have a great family, and everybody is healthy, and I think just being grateful for things has really given me a step back and looking from the outside in, and eventually this is just a game. We’re playing against the best in the world, and it’s just a privilege to be here.”

Of the other South Africans in the field, Shaun Norris opened with a level-par 70, Branden Grace with a six-over-par 76, Louis Oosthuizen with a 77, and Erik van Rooyen with a 78.

IRENE, City of Tshwane – Dylan Mostert showed great mental composure and produced a bogey-free back nine for his maiden Sunshine Tour title on Sunday, as he won the KitKat Group ProAm at Irene Country Club by three strokes.

Mostert shot a fantastic 68 in the final round for a 17-under-par total of 199, three clear of MJ Viljoen (67), to become the fourth first-time winner on tour this season.

A bogey on the par-five second hole made for a nervous start for the left-handed Mostert, but he showed he was up for the challenge when he chipped in for birdie on the third in superb fashion on the undulating green.

Malcolm Mitchell went out in three-under 33 to make for an exciting challenge for Mostert, but the 23-year-old from Modderfontein Golf Club birdied the ninth and then produced a fabulous hybrid approach shot from under the trees, in the dirt, finding the middle of the 10^th green and then sinking the putt for birdie for some breathing space.

Further birdies at the 12^th and 17^th holes meant he was partitioned by three shots from Viljoen, five clear of the dangerous Louis Albertse (70) and half-a-dozen strokes ahead of Kyle Barker (67) and Ryan van Velzen (71) by the end of the R1 million tournament.

Mitchell fell away with a horrible double-bogey at the 14^thfollowed by bogeys on the next two holes as well, finishing on nine-under-par.

The pro-am competition was won by the team of Sunshine Tour professional MJ Viljoen and his amateur partner Japie Holtzhausen from Sasko. The duo finished top of the leaderboard with 91 points, two ahead of the field. The teams of professional Madalitso Muthiya and amateur Nash Soni, and professional Hennie O’Kennedy and amateur Moe Mitha shared second place on 89 points.

IRENE, City of Tshwane – Dylan Mostert produced a top-class display of putting for a second day in a row as he took a two-stroke lead on 13-under-par on Saturday heading into the final round of the KitKat Group ProAm at Irene Country Club.

Mostert was just a shot off the lead after a brilliant 65 in the first round, and on Saturday he followed up with a marvellous 66, leaving him a couple of shorts clear of Keagan Thomas on 11-under after rounds of 66 and 67.

First-round leader Ryan van Velzen (70) is in a tie for third on 10-under-par with Louis Albertse (68).

The 23-year-old Mostert, a big-hitting former U.S. College golfer at Dalton State, said it was a hot putter which had made the difference for him so far at Irene CC.

“My mental game has been very good, I’m hitting it in the right spots and then putting well,” Mostert said. “I just seemed to have had the knack of reading the greens right.

“It feels like if you leave yourself in a bad spot on the green here, then it will be really tough. The greens are undulating and some of the putts are very quick and can go sideways.

“I actually haven’t hit the ball that well off the tee, but I have missed in the right spots and then my play has been very good from there,” Mostert said.

The Modderfontein Golf Club representative now has a wonderful opportunity to claim his first Sunshine Tour title in Sunday’s final round, having finished second in the Blue Label Challenge at Gary Player Country Club last October.

“It takes consistency over all three rounds to be successful, so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” Mostert said. “It’s going to be important to stay calm and patient, and just let it happen.

“For tomorrow, I will try to stay neutral emotionally, just do what I’ve been doing. But I also need to keep pushing because you’re not going to win this tournament shooting level-par.

“So I’ll be trying to make birdies and just keep that putter rolling,” Mostert said.

MJ Viljoen and Madalitso Muthiya both fired wonderful six-under-par 66s on Saturday to join Malcolm Mitchell (69) and Ockie Strydom (68) in the tie for fifth place on nine-under.

IRENE, City of Tshwane – Sunshine Tour rookie Ryan van Velzen roared to a marvellous eight-under-par 64 at Irene Country Club on Friday to claim a one-stroke lead after the first round of the KitKat Group ProAm, the R1 million tournament being held for the second time after flooding washed out the tournament in February.

The 21-year-old Van Velzen, playing just his fifth Sunshine Tour event, was particularly rampant on the par-fours, picking up six of his eight birdies there, to go with birdies on the par-five 10^th and 17^th holes. It was also a bogey-free round for the Benoni golfer, who won his card from the Big Easy Tour in January.

“I’m really happy and I played really nicely, hitting the ball good and close and making the putts,” Van Velzen said after racing past his previous best Tour round of 68.

“I drove the ball straight most of the day, I didn’t miss many fairways and my iron play was really good. I was surprised how good the greens were after all the rain and flooding earlier in the year.

“The course is in really good shape and you have to hit it straight off the tee because of all the trees. And the greens were pretty quick so you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of the hole,” Van Velzen said.

The former GolfRSA squad member was on the right side of most things on Friday, including an extraordinary tussle for top spot on the leaderboard that he eventually won.

Dylan Mostert finished just one stroke back after a brilliant 65, converting a great start after he was three-under through five holes.

Merrick Bremner, Ockie Strydom and JJ Senekal made the early running with their five-under-par 67s, but endured the frustration of watching the leading duo sweep past them in the afternoon, as well as the in-form Louis Albertse, Malcolm Mitchell and Keagan Thomas, who all shot 66s.

Rourke van der Spuy, who drank from the champagne bottle a week ago when he won the SunBet Challenge hosted by Sun City, was also part of the bottleneck at the top as he started on the 10^thtee and moved to four-under-par after his birdie on the third hole. But the aggressive 32-year-old did not quite have the finish he intended as he then bogeyed the par-four sixth and made pars the rest of the way in to finish with a 69.

IRENE, City of Tshwane – The Kit Kat Group Pro-Am returns to the Sunshine Tour schedule this week following the extreme flooding that forced the February edition of the tournament to be postponed.

From Friday to Sunday, Irene Country Club plays host to the second edition of this R1-million tournament, which features three of the four winners on the Tour this season as part of another quality field with a new wave of young stars making their presence felt.

Herman Loubser, Albert Venter and Rourke van der Spuy have set a youthful tone to the start of the season as they’ve all claimed victories on the Sunshine Tour this season.

Dylan Naidoo will be keen to join them as he returns to a tournament where he led the first round in February before the weather forced the cancellation of the event and its rescheduling to this week.

And both Louis Albertse and Hennie O’Kennedy will keep pushing hard for victories as well.

Albertse has finished no worse than 15^th in his four tournaments played this season and came close to a win when he finished runner-up in the FBC Zimbabwe Open. He’s worked his way up into fourth place on the Luno Order of Merit.

O’Kennedy has been equally impressive as he’s climbed into third place on the Luno Order of Merit with three top-10s in his last four tournaments.

But it could well be the experienced Louis de Jager who teaches the youngsters a lesson this week. The five-time Sunshine Tour champion tops the Luno Order of Merit with two runner-up finishes and a fourth place in his last three tournaments as he keeps driving to win for the first time on Tour since the 2019 Eye of Africa PGA Championship.

Apart from providing another vital playing opportunity for the Sunshine Tour professionals, the Kit Kat Group has played a key role outside the ropes as well and has embraced its vision of making a difference in its communities.

Through its Birdies for Kit Kat Group initiative in 2021, the company partnered with the Sunshine Tour and its professionals in donating 2 543 food hampers to needy families who were reeling under the economic impact of COVID-19. The hampers were specifically donated to the South African Caddie Association (SACA), the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) and FeedSA.