Month: October 2023

JOHANNESBURG – Durban professional Michael Hollick described his opening 63 at Glendower Golf Club for a share of Thursday’s first-round lead in the Fortress Invitational as amongst the top three rounds of his career. And it’s no surprise that it comes at a time when he is the most settled in his life – both on and off the fairways. 

Hollick came through day one of this Sunshine Tour event tied for the lead with Trevor Fisher Jnr. following their rounds of nine under par, and two strokes clear of the field. 

“A 63 around Glendower in a tournament is always a very special round of golf. It’s probably in my top three tournament rounds of golf ever. My iron play was phenomenal and I drove the ball well. I like Glendower and the course really suits my eye,” said Hollick. 

Clearly, what also suits Hollick’s game is fatherhood and building a life off the fairways. 

“My wife Gina and I had our baby two weeks ago. Fatherhood puts things into perspective. She is absolutely adorable and she is the most important thing for me now. I do have a lot of stability in my life now. I’m coaching at Mount Edgecombe and it’s going really well. We own a gym in Durban. My wife is a psychologist and she has her practice. Life does feel pretty settled. It’s a good time of my life. 

“I don’t play as many tournaments anymore, but when I do I play well because I’m hungry to play and not just on that weekly treadmill out on tour. As a touring professional in the past it was hard to pay the bills. But now with the increases in prize funds on the Sunshine Tour it’s giving good players the opportunity to express themselves on the golf course and make a living out of it, and the standard of golf is incredibly strong on the Sunshine Tour. 

“But I’m enjoying tournaments again and long may it continue, with hopefully many more good results.” – Michael Vlismas 

JOHANNESBURG – If the name of this tournament is anything to go by, then Glendower Golf Club is indeed somewhat of a fortress when it comes to Trevor Fisher Jnr. who once again showed his love for this classic parkland course to share the lead in the first round of the Fortress Invitational on Thursday. 

Fisher Jnr. and Michael Hollick both opened with rounds of nine-under-par 63 and lead by two strokes over Heinrich Bruiners, and with Robin Williams well-placed on six under par. 

It was an impressive start on a Glendower golf course that is always a true test of the game, and which Fisher Jnr. in particular has shown to enjoy over the years. 

On the five occasions that the South African Open Championship (now the Investec South African Open) was played here most recently, Fisher Jnr. finished no worse than tied 15^th. In 2017, the year Rory McIlroy played in the SA Open at Glendower, Fisher Jnr. finished as high as tied fifth. 

On Thursday, Fisher Jnr. made only one bogey in a round that also included five birdies, an eagle and an albatross on the par-five 17^th. 

“That albatross on 17 really helped a lot. I had a few pars in the middle of the round but pars are never bad at Glendower. But I just played solid golf all day and wasn’t really in too much trouble. I gave myself a lot of chances for birdie which was my goal for the day,” said Fisher Jnr. 

“This golf course has always been good to me and I’ve played some of my best tournaments here. I nearly won the SA Open here. It just suits my eye. So let’s see what we can do with the next three rounds.” 

Fisher Jnr. also credited his good friend and fellow Sunshine Tour professional Ulrich van den Berg for a putting tip that played a part in his success on Thursday. 

“Uli helped me earlier in the week and I’m putting really well. You have to do that around here. I’ll just stay patient and give myself chances on each hole.” 

Just two shots off the lead, Bruiners has certainly been building towards a breakthrough on the Sunshine Tour this season. He came close to a win when he finished second in the Vodacom Origins of Golf in August, and then came into this week with a finish of tied 18^th in the South African PGA Championship. 
– Michael Vlismas

The young Sunshine Tour trio of Aldrich Potgieter, Dylan Naidoo and Luca Filippi were in awe of their first experience of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as professionals as they walked the fairways of the fabled Old Course in wind and rain in St Andrews on Wednesday. 

“It’s like a childhood dream come true. You achieve quite a bit of those dreams as a professional golfer, but this is truly special. I played Carnoustie for the first time earlier this week. I’m a golf nerd so Hogan’s Alley and all of that was so special for me. And at the pro-am function I sat with and chatted to the actress Kathryn Newton. Everyone is just so friendly here,” said Naidoo as the three young South Africans shared a practice round ahead of Thursday’s first round of this prestigious pro-am tournament on the DP World Tour. 

The trio form part of a healthy Sunshine Tour contingent of 28 golfers who are at The Home of Golf this week. 

“There are so many South Africans playing this week. I saw Louis Oosthuizen last night and he’s been so incredible in my career. I’m really looking forward to the week and can’t wait for the tournament to start. St Andrews is just such a special town,” said Potgieter. 

Filippi has also been soaking up the experience. 

“I’ve played the Old Course a few times as an amateur but this is my first Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as a professional. It’s been an unbelievable experience already. At the pro-am draw I had the actor Bill Murray sitting next to me, and then I also managed to get a selfie with the footballer Gareth Bale.” – Michael Vlismas

Pieter Moolman will not defend his Fortress Invitational title on the Sunshine Tour this week because he has a date with The Home of Golf as he makes his debut in the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour.

Moolman was delighted to qualify for this week’s festival of links golf in St Andrews where he will join a glittering pro-am field of celebrities, sports stars and some of the world’s leading golfers.

“It’s a pity that I can’t defend my Fortress Invitational title because I do love the Glendower golf course. But at the same time I feel incredibly privileged to have qualified for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. It’s the biggest tournament of my career so far,” said Moolman.

His victory in the 2022 Fortress Invitational played a key part in his journey to qualifying for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. As a result of that win, Moolman went on to finish within the top 10 on the Sunshine Tour’s 2022/23 Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, which secured him a tee-off time in St Andrews this week.

“It does feel like an achievement in my career so far because I didn’t receive an invitation into this tournament. I played my way into it.”

The Sunshine Tour professional will find himself in the company of celebrities such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Kathryn Newton and Matthew Goode, rock and pop stars Ronan Keating, Tom Chaplin, Dave Farrell, Mike Rutherford, Huey Lewis and Tico Torres, and a host of the world’s leading professional golfers including defending champion Ryan Fox, victorious European Ryder Cup stars Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Bob MacIntyre, as well as PGA Tour stars Billy Horschel and Matt Kuchar.

“I’m excited to compete against some of the best golfers in the world and to just enjoy the whole experience,” he said.

Moolman joins a strong South African contingent in St Andrews this week that also includes Justin Walters, Thriston Lawrence, Oliver Bekker, Zander Lombard, Louis de Jager, JC Ritchie, Bryce Easton, Deon Germishuys, Wilco Nienaber, Thomas Aiken, Jaco Prinsloo, Dylan Mostert, Hennie O’Kennedy, Casey Jarvis, Hennie du Plessis, Aldrich Potgieter, Louis Oosthuizen, Jayden Schayper, Dylan Naidoo, Martin Vorster, Christiaan Burke, Ryan van Velzen, Yurav Premlall, Louis Albertse, Luca Filippi, Dean Burmester and Rupert Kaminski.
– Michael Vlismas