Month: February 2023

CAPE TOWN –A rare change of equipment benefitted South Africa’s Jared Harvey as he opened with a five-under-par 67 that placed him one stroke off the lead of Spain’s Manuel Elvira after Thursday’s first round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club.

Harvey was delighted with a bogey-free start to this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament following a round that started in calm conditions and finished in a stiff breeze.

“There was no breeze when we teed off early this morning, but it definitely picked up as the round went on and it was tricky at a stage. I also changed clubs recently which was a big thing for me. I’m not much of a changer. So to have no bogeys does give me confidence,” said Harvey.

At the top of the leaderboard, Elvira also took advantage of the calmer morning conditions and produced a bogey-free 66 which he closed off with three consecutive birdies over the final three holes.

“It’s always nice to start the season with a low round. It’s completely different golf here now in South Africa compared with Spain in the winter. I’ve come from four or five degrees Celsius to 25 degrees. But I’ve always liked playing in the heat because you don’t have to wear layers of clothes. It’s a big adjustment but it’s nice,” he said.

England’s Bradley Bawden joined Harvey with a round of 67. Former Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open champions Brandon Stone and Benjamin Follett-Smith both started well with rounds of four-under-par 68, while another pair of former champions in Rhys Enoch and Jacques Kruyswijk are five strokes off the lead.

It was certainly a case of the morning field having a distinct advantage. But as Harvey explained, it was also a surprise to tee off at a windstill Royal Cape.

“When you tee off so early and it’s calm, it’s almost a shock to the system. It can be tough because you’re so used to playing in the breeze here and playing those punch shots. So I felt like I needed to take advantage early on.

“When the wind picked up, there were a couple of tough flags tucked behind corners and downwind, and I just felt they really weren’t flags to go for. I just stayed within myself and kept telling myself that it’s not a bad thing to play for the middle of the green and keep the round together. I managed my game really well. On the holes where I could attack, I did. I feel like the course suits me with the demand on accuracy off the tee.”

The opening day was also a rewarding one for England’s Alfie Plant who scored the first hole-in-one of this year’s tournament on the par-three 13^th on his way to a four-under-par 68. – Michael Vlismas

CAPE TOWN – The Sunshine Tour tees off its first tournament of 2023 in this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club. It marks the start of a four-week stretch of tournaments co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour, and with South Africa’s Dylan Mostert amongst those looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity on offer.

The left hander finished off 2022 with finishes of 18^th in the Joburg Open and fourth in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, both co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour. That was on the back of a ninth-place finish in the South African PGA Championship.

It’s a run of form that’s lifted him into sixth place on the Sunshine Tour’s Luno Order of Merit, and he’s looking to build on this momentum, starting in Cape Town this week.

“I can’t wait for these next four weeks. I’m excited and ready to go. I had some good time off after a very long stretch towards the end of last year. I think the most pleasing aspect of my form has been the consistency. I’ve worked very hard to become more consistent during tournaments and in different conditions and on different golf courses. It’s been really pleasing for me to see that paying off,” said Mostert.

A number of South African professionals have recently used the Sunshine Tour’s partnership with the Challenge Tour to take their careers to the next level and ultimately secure a place on the main DP World Tour.

Mostert’s game has been on the rise ever since he broke through with his maiden Sunshine Tour victory in the KitKat Group Pro-Am last June, and he’s certainly aware of the reward if he does well over this four-week stretch.

“I’ve put myself in a nice position and I’ll just keep my head focused on my goals and keep pushing forward,” he said.

The historic Royal Cape Golf Club also suits his eye.

“This is just a great golf course. You’ve got to be good off the tee here. I’ve been hitting my driver well so hopefully that plays in my favour. But it’s just a great golf course that tests all aspects of your game, and then you can add the wind to that. It will be a good test.”

Jaco Prinsloo, currently ranked fourth on the Sunshine Tour Luno Order of Merit, is equally excited about what this next four weeks will bring, especially after his ninth-place finish in last December’s Investec South African Open.

“I have goals and things I want to accomplish, but I’m taking it one step at a time and just trying to do my job every day. Expectation can be a dangerous word. I feel like if I just do the basics well then the goals and results should follow. So I’m just keeping it simple.”

This week’s tournament also marks the start of the Sunshine Tour’s new competition offering golf fans the opportunity to test their skills and see if they can beat a professional in a par-three shootout under tournament conditions.

Any golf fan over the age of 18 can enter by purchasing a ticket to attend one of 10 selected Sunshine Tour events, including this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. And then 10 lucky fans will be selected to take on the professionals on the par-three eighth hole at Royal Cape Golf Club during Sunday’s final round, and see if they can finish closest to the pin. The winner earns a place in the grand final at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open later this year, where the overall champion will win an all-expenses paid trip to the Major of his or her choice in 2024.
– Michael Vlismas

SA Tourism has joined the list of exclusive partners to the Sunshine Tour and will tee off this relationship during the upcoming international Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa, beginning with this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club.

As the official tourism marketing division of the South African government, SA Tourism’s partnership brings a significant enhancement to the already extensive positioning of South Africa on the global stage through the Sunshine Tour schedule and its international tournaments on the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, with a broadcast reach of millions of homes worldwide.

The Sunshine Tour supports the tourism objectives of SA Tourism through the weekly exposure of hundreds of professional golfers, caddies and their families to the country and which in turn stimulates the local economy in communities where tournaments are played.

“The Sunshine Tour is a major driver of tourism and awareness of South Africa and its wonders through our nationwide tournaments and extensive international broadcast reach at our flagship events. Every week our tournaments showcase another incredible part of South Africa, from our major cities and world-class golf courses to our rich natural wonders,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“The partnership with SA Tourism completes this offering and we look forward to helping them promote South Africa as not only a tourism destination, but also a leading sports destination.”:

Photo: Sunshine Tour professional Jake Roos at this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. Roos won the inaugural tournament in 2012. Credit: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour.