Month: August 2023

BELA BELA, Limpopo – Jonathan Broomhead, Hunter Epson and Estiaan Conradie shared the first-round lead of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Zebula Country Club on Friday with opening rounds of 66, but with Sunshine Ladies Tour professional Cara Gorlei just one stroke behind them.

Gorlei certainly made a statement with her opening 67 in what is a significant week for the local professional game, with the Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals competing together for the first time in the same tournament for the same prize money.

Gorlei, fresh from playing mixed events in Thailand, looked right at home with her round of five under par and sits alongside Jovan Rebula and Heinrich Bruiners in the chasing pack.

At the top of the leaderboard, Broomhead was particularly impressive with his putter in a round that featured two stretches of three birdies in a row. Importantly, his first hat-trick of birdies came at the start of his round as he teed off on the 10^thhole and began with three straights threes.

“I started really well and that has a lot to do with the setting where Zebula is, in the bushveld. I really enjoy the bush. It’s always relaxed and I just wanted to go out and see what I could do, and just take the round as it comes,” Broomhead said.

“It was a very crucial start for me. I’ve been hitting the ball really good lately and I hit it the same today. I’ve just been struggling with my putting and getting the ball in the hole. But my putting was the best part of my game today. I hit the ball well off the tees and the fairway, but I made a few fairly lengthy putts. I rolled the ball really nicely today and the greens are so good. They’re very fast and if you get the right line and pace then it pretty much always goes in. I definitely had more birdies today than I expected,” Broomhead said.

American Epson made an equally fast start to his round and also had three birdies in his first three holes on his way to a share of the lead.

Wingate Park’s Conradie started his round on the 10^thand was in reasonable shape on three-under-par through 14 holes. But then he grabbed an eagle on the par-five sixth and a birdie three on the seventh in the late afternoon to join Broomhead and Epson at the top. – Michael Vlismas Media

BELA BELA, Limpopo – Elevating the profile of women’s sport has ticked all the boxes for the Blue Bulls rugby union, and Jake White, their Director of Rugby, expects it to do the same for the Sunshine Tour.

This weekend the Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals will be in the field alongside their Sunshine Tour male counterparts and making history by competing for the same R2 million prize money at this year’s first Vodacom Origins of Golf series tournament at Zebula Country Club, which tees off today.

White played in the two-day Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am at Zebula, in which four of the Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals also played, and he said the success of the Bulls Daisies rugby team in the Women’s Premier Division showed what can be achieved when resources and opportunity are given to sportswomen.

The unbeaten Bulls Daisies have enjoyed 11 consecutive bonus point wins as they head into the playoffs in rampant form. The Bulls union made the groundbreaking decision at the start of the season to employ the first fully-professional, contracted women’s squad in South African rugby, and White said they are reaping the benefits from this boutique group of rugby stars.

“What women’s rugby has done for the Bulls brand has been fantastic. They haven’t come close to losing and the team is so transformed, giving even players from the Eastern Cape tremendous opportunity. As the first professional women’s team in the country, they are so far ahead of everyone else and we want to make sure we stay ahead. It’s so nice to be at a union which is proactive and not reactive.

“We want to be leaders in all we do and being ahead of all other teams creates a nice environment at Loftus Versfeld. There’s no doubt the women’s team have got it right and part of my job as Director of Rugby is creating opportunities for the women and the Under-19s, which are just as important as the Vodacom Bulls senior side.

“Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour have done something similarly groundbreaking with women competing for the same amount of prize money as the men for the first time. Vodacom and the Bulls have been leaders in promoting things quickly, making things so much better for women’s sport,” White said.

Playing in pro-ams provides the 2007 Rugby World Cup winning coach, ever the student of what makes top-class sports stars tick, to not only enjoy his love of golf and get his competitive juices flowing, but also enjoy the interaction with professionals to see what lessons he can use for his day job at Loftus Versfeld.

“Golf has been very kind to me over the last couple of years and I’m playing nicely. I also get to meet all these young golfers and it’s like coaching rugby players. Golf is also a really tough job and the margins are so small. I played here with a good pro in CJ du Plessis, who has won out here. Professional golf is pressure at its highest. In golf, if you don’t have a sponsor, how do you go to tournaments, pay for hotels, flights? For golfers, if they don’t make cuts, they don’t earn. It’s a different sort of pressure for them,” White, who plays off a nine handicap, said.

BELA BELA, Limpopo – Cara Gorlei struck an early blow for the Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals when she won the Vodacom Origins of Golf Zebula Pro-Am, and she’ll take this confidence into the main tournament as she joins her fellow women’s professionals when they tee it up alongside their Sunshine Tour counterparts in the same tournament, for the same prize money, and for the first time in South African professional golf on Friday.

This year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series, the top 10 available professionals on the Sunshine Ladies Tour have been invited to compete alongside the Sunshine Tour professionals for the same R2 million prize money.

Gorlei and her partner, Investec Corporate’s Manager of Network and Communications Mark Backes, finished the two-round pro-am at Zebula Country Club on 17-under-par, edging out the duos of Wynand Dingle and Azhar Suliman, Jaco van Zyl and Carel Bosman, and Robin Williams and Wade McQue by one shot.

“I’ve just come off four mixed events in Thailand a couple of weeks ago, so I have experience of the mixed format. When I heard the Sunshine Tour were including women professionals on this Vodacom Origins of Golf Series for the first time, I jumped at the chance,” Gorlei said.

“It’s been nice to see the Zebula course for the first time, to see what works here and what I’m up against. It was fun and I’m very excited about the tournament proper. It’s good to be here. It’s great for the women’s game and it helps to get our names out there. It’s really nice for this initiative to start in Women’s Month,” Gorlei said.

The 27-year-old Gorlei modestly credited her partner Backes for “carrying her” over the two pro-am days. But the 19-handicapper was blown away by his professional partner’s performance on the eve of the main 54-hole tournament.

“Cara hits the ball unbelievably well and she is so accurate. We dovetailed well, except for on the 10^th when we both fell apart. I had just looked at the leaderboard after the ninth hole and we were in front, so I thought that was that after the 10^th, we must just have fun for the rest of the round,” Backes said.

Gorlei’s attention is now focused on taking on the men at the highest level.

“The Sunshine Tour pros seem to be looking forward to the challenge of having more competitors in the field. They are such good ball-strikers and I’ve seen how attacking they are. Sometimes women’s golfers are a bit conservative, but playing with the men makes you want to be more aggressive to test your game.” – Michael Vlismas Media

BELA BELA, Limpopo – There could be no better celebration in the week of National Women’s Day than the presence of the Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals in the field alongside their Sunshine Tour counterparts and making history by competing for the same R2 million prize money at this week’s first Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at Zebula Country Club.

The popular Sunshine Tour series has long broken new ground in the game since it first teed off in 2004, and this week is no exception as it now seeks to provide even greater equality in the local professional game by inviting 10 Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals to compete with the men on the series.

“I’m very excited and its pretty awesome to be playing for the same prizemoney,” Brittney-Fay Berger said. “We only have six events on the Sunshine Ladies Tour so it’s good for us to keep getting competitive playing time.

“We’re all looking to play overseas so the prizemoney is really big but it will also be a good test of our games because this course is a little long. It’s going to be tough with a top-50 cut. I’m just going to stay in my zone and bubble and not look at what the guys are doing. They will definitely be driving past us. I’m a short hitter but my irons are my strong point – I’m pretty accurate,” Berger, a 23-year-old from Mount Edgecombe, said.

“It’s a historic moment for golf in South Africa and especially for women’s golf,” added Tandi McCallum.

“The only other tournament that has seen the women competing with the men is the Scandinavian Open. So this is definitely raising the bar and it’s very exciting to be a female golfer in South Africa at the moment with the growth of our game. It’s great to see the surge in women’s golf. There has been an increase of 12% in the number of amateurs turning pro in the last year, and that’s because of more opportunity in the women’s game. And it’s wonderful that Vodacom are supporting us 100%.”

Nadia van der Westhuizen is another of the excited Sunshine Ladies Tour golfers who is eager to make her mark amongst the men.

“I’m very excited. It’s definitely going to be a very new experience for us, playing at the same time on the same course as the men, just with different tee boxes. It’s going to be a real challenge because men’s golf is also amazing. I will just try and play my same game, but I know that I’ll have to go a bit lower than usual. I’m going to be going for more of the par fives in two,” Van der Westhuizen, who has junior provincial colours in three other sports, said.

Clearly, opportunity has emboldened the Sunshine Ladies Tour golfers, and this week is going to be an historic one indeed for South African golf. – Michael Vlismas Media

Major Champion Justin Thomas will tee it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge as ‘Africa’s Major’ returns to Gary Player Country Club from November 9-12. 

Two-time US PGA Champion Thomas will make his debut in Sun City, with the US$6,000,000 event being the penultimate tournament on the 2023 DP World Tour schedule, carrying an increased number of Race to Dubai Ranking Points as the 64-man field vies for a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

The Ryder Cup star and Major winner will bid to become the first American winner of this event since Jim Furyk’s second victory in 2006 and is thrilled by the prospects of teeing it up in South Africa for the first time. 

“I am so excited to get to Sun City for the Nedbank Golf Challenge and experience everything South Africa has to offer,” said Thomas. 

“It is a country I’ve always wanted to visit and this tournament gives me the opportunity not only to do that, but to compete in such an historic event. 

“It’s been going for over 40 years and it is amazing to have Mr Player’s association. I can’t wait to see what makes it so great in November.”

Mike Brown, Chief Executive of Nedbank, said: “The Nedbank Golf Challenge has a proud history of hosting some of the foremost American golfers of their generations and Justin Thomas is definitely one of those. To have a former world number one, a two-time Major champion, a Ryder Cup star and multiple tournament winner at Sun City is a tremendous boost for this year’s field. I’ve no doubt South Africans will be delighted to see him make his debut in the Nedbank Golf Challenge and watch his exciting brand of golf.”

Gary Player, the Tournament Host, said: “The support of America’s leading professionals has also always been important throughout the history of the Nedbank Golf Challenge. It’s wonderful to have Justin Thomas add to this legacy. I’m excited to see him make his debut at Sun City and see how a two-time Major champion of his pedigree performs at the Gary Player Country Club.”

Anthony Leeming, Chief Executive Officer of Sun International, said: “Justin Thomas adds immeasurably to a very strong field being gathered for this year’s tournament. We’re looking forward to hosting another memorable week of the world’s best golfers matched by the unrivalled entertainment offering at Sun City.”

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has been a highlight of the South African sporting calendar since its first edition in 1981, with defending champion Tommy Fleetwood among a glittering list of winners including South African golfing icon Ernie Els – a three-time winner of the event – the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and Major Champions Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Danny Willett.

The 2023 Nedbank Golf Challenge will once again be included on the DP World Tour schedule in partnership with Nedbank and Sun International and will be the penultimate event before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. The winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit will receive a place in the 64-player field at Gary Player Country Club.

The Vodacom Origins of Golf celebrates 20 years as the premier pro-am series on the Sunshine Tour this season, and with Vodacom announcing a three-year renewal of a series that has defined the careers of some of South African golf’s leading stars and contributed significantly to the overall growth of the game. In celebration of this milestone, Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour will make history on the series this year as 10 Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals will compete alongside the Sunshine Tour professionals in the same tournament for the same prize money.

The overall prize money on the four-tournament series has also been increased to R2 million per tournament.

The announcement marks another significant investment into South African golf for a Vodacom Origins of Golf series that since 2004 has seen over 100 tournaments played at the leading golf courses around South Africa, with over R100-million invested into the local professional game.

“We are delighted to announce a landmark feature which will see Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals competing alongside Sunshine Tour professionals in pursuit of the same prize. This goes a long way in efforts to bridge the divide between the gender parity gap and is aligned to Vodacom’s pillar of Inclusion for All. Vodacom is also proud to announce the renewal of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series for a further three-years,” said Andisa Ntsubane, Managing Executive for Brand, Marketing and Sponsorships at Vodacom South Africa.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf series remains a valuable tool for interaction with our customers as they share the fairways with the professionals, but also to meet our objectives of always making an impact in our communities.

“Since the start of this series in 2004, it has been closely aligned with our overall objectives of supporting the elite professional game in South Africa while at the same time growing the game through the golf clinics at every tournament with young golfers from that area.

“We are a company that turns problems into possibilities, with the clear messaging to Turn to Us to be empowered,” concluded Ntsubane.

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said, “It’s a magnificent milestone for the Vodacom Origins of Golf to be celebrating a 20-year partnership with the Sunshine Tour. Vodacom has long been a strong and loyal supporter of South African golf. This series is the bedrock of our winter schedule on the Tour and gives our members valuable playing opportunities as they seek to grow their games for the international stage.”

“We are truly grateful to be able to look forward to another three years of a series that is unique in its pro-am offering and the experience it provides, and which truly embodies the ethos of Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour to deliver greatness on our fairways.”

For two decades the Vodacom Origins of Golf has reflected the changes in the global game through innovative activations, from celebrating the game’s earliest roots with a theme of vintage cars and plus fours to paying homage to the careers of legends Gary Player, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in the years that the series was played in honour of their contributions to South African golf.

“The philosophy has always been to keep innovating in terms of the ultimate golf experience and to evolve with the changes in the game. The experience is one that puts you at the cutting edge of not only the professional playing side of the game and the new generation of stars on the Sunshine Tour, but also the technology and style that is changing the face of the game. We look forward to raising that bar even higher in 2023,” said Jaco Beukes, CEO of SAIL and the rights holders of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

The Vodacom Origins of Golf has been the platform for a selection of South African golf’s stars to launch their careers.

Major champion Louis Oosthuizen won his first Sunshine Tour title in a Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament and fellow Major winner Charl Schwartzel has also competed on the series. Branden Grace, George Coetzee, Dean Burmester, Thriston Lawrence, Justin Harding and Ockie Strydom have all claimed victories on the series on their way to international success.

From experienced professionals such as James Kamte, Madalitso Muthiya, Jean Hugo, Heinrich Bruiners, Brandon Stone, Toto Thimba Jnr., Zander Lombard, Keenan Davidse and Daniel van Tonder, to rising stars Dylan Naidoo, Wilco Nienaber, Yurav Premlall, Martin Vorster and Casey Jarvis, the Vodacom Origins of Golf series has been a vital platform for their careers.

This year’s Vodacom Origins of Golf series tees off in Limpopo at the Zebula Country Club in August, followed by tournaments at Devonvale Golf and Wine Estate in the Western Cape in September, the Wild Coast Sun Country Club in KwaZulu-Natal in October, and the Grand Final at the Pezula Championship Course in November.

VODACOM ORIGINS OF GOLF SCHEDULE

11-13 August: Vodacom Origins of Golf Zebula Country Club

15-17 September: Vodacom Origins of Golf Devonvale Golf and Wine Estate

20-22 October: Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast Sun Country Club

2-5 November: Vodacom Origins of Golf Grand Final Pezula Championship Course

Major Champion and former World Number One Justin Rose will tee it up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge when the popular event returns to Gary Player Country Club from November 9-12.

The 2013 U.S. Open Champion will return to Sun City for the first time in ten years, when he finished in a tie for seventh at ‘Africa’s Major’. 

The US$6,000,000 event is the penultimate tournament on the 2023 Race to Dubai, carrying an increased number of Rankings Points as the 64-man field vies for a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Rose, who was born in Johannesburg, won his first professional event at the Dunhill Championship, held in the country of his birth, and will return to Sun City for the first time since 2013.

“It’s been ten years since I last played the Nedbank Golf Challenge and I’m really looking forward to getting back,” Rose said.

“I am a proud Englishman but South Africa holds a special place in my heart as the country of my birth and also where I won for the first time as a professional.

“To play in front of South African crowds who love their sport is always good fun so I am really looking forward to it.”

Gary Player, the Tournament Host, said: “Justin Rose is a magnificent example of everything this game stands for. He has been a professional since the age of 17 and has shown perseverance, poise and sportsmanship in amassing an incredible CV of victories worldwide and a Major triumph. He also showed a true heart for the game when he supported its return to the Olympics and won the gold medal. It’s going to be great to welcome him back to his South African roots.”

Anthony Leeming, Chief Executive Officer of Sun International, said: “Justin Rose won one of his first professional titles at another of our properties, the Wild Coast Sun Country Club in 2002. This, combined with his strong links to South Africa, make it a very proud moment for us to welcome him back to the Nedbank Golf Challenge and Sun City for this year’s tournament. We’re looking forward to hosting another memorable week of the world’s best golfers matched by the unrivalled entertainment offering at Sun City.”

Mike Brown, Chief Executive of Nedbank, said: “It’s wonderful to have Justin Rose back in South Africa, the country of his birth, and back challenging for glory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. He came close when he finished second to Trevor Immelman in 2007 and it’s great to have him back here as a Major champion, Ryder Cup star and an Olympic gold medallist.”

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has been a highlight of the South African sporting calendar since its first edition in 1981, with defending champion Tommy Fleetwood among a glittering list of winners including South African golfing icon Ernie Els – a three-time winner of the event – the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and Major Champions Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Sir Nick Faldo, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Danny Willett.

The 2023 Nedbank Golf Challenge is once again included on the DP World Tour’s global schedule in partnership with Nedbank and Sun International and will be the penultimate event before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. The winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit will also receive a place in the 64-player field at Gary Player Country Club.