Month: October 2024

EDENVALE, Gauteng – Kyle Barker has been trying to hone his game in preparation for the DP World Tour Qualifying School at the end of this month in Spain, and the 26-year-old fired an exceptional 63 in the opening round of the Fortress Invitational at Glendower Golf Club on Thursday to fill him with confidence.

The Serengeti Estates golfer enjoys a one-stroke lead in the R2 million event, after Werner Deyzel and defending champion Robin Williams pushed him hard with 64s.

Barker’s nine-under-par score, which was also bogey-free, was his best round of the season and it seems he could be peaking at the right time after a solid but unspectacular start to the campaign sees him sitting in 18^th position on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

“I had a great first couple of months but then things just slowed down. I was struggling a bit with my game and the set-up in my bag. But now I’ve found a really nice putter that is rolling the ball fantastically.

“This is my last event before going to the DP World Tour Qualifying School and I really enjoyed the day. I was hitting the ball really nicely on the range in my warm-up and I just wanted to keep that feeling going, so birdies on the first two holes was a great way to start. I didn’t know that I was going to make only 26 putts though!

“The greens were very receptive after the rain on Tuesday night, and long-irons were pretty much stopping where they landed and wayward tee-shots would not bounce into too much trouble under trees. So I could be quite aggressive, but the back nine was a bit tougher because the wind picked up,” Barker said.

The highlight of a round that was just the right therapy for Barker was his eagle on the par-five 11^th.

“I smashed a drive down the middle and I had 196 metres to the front left, but the wind was slightly in my face, about seven or eight metres. So I hit a 205-metre shot with a six-iron, it was a bit long, in the middle of the green, but I had a downhill, 30-foot putt which went straight in the middle of the hole, which was really cool,” Barker explained.

Deyzel and Williams also had eagles in the first round, both of them on the 500-metre par-five sixth. Williams hit a brilliant seven-iron from 165 metres to three feet, which put him level with Barker on nine-under-par, but he bogeyed the par-three eighth, his penultimate hole.

Williams continued the momentum from his brilliant fourth-place finish in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship earlier this month and he was satisfied that he had positioned himself well in his first defence of a title in his professional career.

“It’s been really cool today. It’s the first time I’ve defended and I’m just remembering all the good memories from last year. It all kicked off for me here last year. Playing in Europe was good, but it is so tough there because everything is so different.

“My game was really good today, everything was solid, just a bit of a mistake on eight. But I kept the ball on the fairways. It’s just a course I really enjoy, the par-fives are not that long, so I picture them as par-fours and try to be more aggressive, as long as you find the fairway. I drove well and was able to take advantage of the par-fives.

“I will definitely take that first round. I just want to put myself in a position to defend on the back nine on Sunday,” Williams said.

EDENVALE, Gauteng – Altin van der Merwe will be keenly aware of the power of this week’s Fortress Invitational on the Sunshine Tour to turn a rookie season into a groundbreaking one.

The 27-year-old, who is currently third on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings, will recall how Robin Williams won this title in his rookie season last year and now returns this week as the holder of a DP World Tour card.

Van Der Merwe heads into Thursday’s first round at Glendower Golf Club with two top-10s in his last five Sunshine Tour events. But it’s more the perspective he brings, having turned professional at a relatively later age than most, which Van Der Merwe feels is his biggest asset in this first season on Tour.

“I’ve had a few ups and a lot of downs in my life. As a result I feel like I know what’s out there and the disappointments you can go through. You learn to accept it a lot easier. Accepting is the biggest part of this game. If you hit a bad shot there’s nothing you can do about it but move on,” he says.

Van Der Merwe was 19 years old when he made his first attempt at the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and missed out by a single stroke. It was a career-defining moment for him, in more ways than one.

“I was pretty broken after Q School. We had a 10-hour drive the next day back to George and I decided we were going to drive through the night because I wasn’t going to stay there any longer. I didn’t say one word to my caddie or best friend at the time for 10 hours. The golf wasn’t the same for about two years after that. You get so emotional with this game.”

But what he did with his time thereafter was transforming. Van Der Merwe became one of South Africa’s top amateurs, rising through the ranks of GolfRSA and claiming a string of big titles. He also completed his studies and saw the real world in action while working as a waiter.

“I think if I’d made it at Q School then I would’ve struggled because I was a bit naive then. I was 19 and I thought I could take on anyone and anything, but you can’t beat golf. Now I’m glad I missed because I’ve achieved a lot of cool things in the past few years.”

This year April he returned to Q School, and won it.

Van Der Merwe has been close enough to a win twice already on the Sunshine Tour this season.

“I want to perform out here. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but my wife will often tell me to relax. But as long as I put myself in that position regularly, I’m going to have my chance.”

This week’s Fortress Invitational will also see South African Tyran Snyders play his first tournament as a professional on the Sunshine Tour as a product of the new Global Amateur Pathway. The Sunshine Tour, as part of the Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, is a key supporter of the Global Amateur Pathway which was launched by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and The R&A. Its vision is to help the best eligible male non-collegiate amateur players within the top 20 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings take the next step in their careers and secure playing rights on the DP World Tour and partner tours such as the Sunshine Tour. – Michael Vlismas

EDENVALE, Gauteng – Robin Williams heads into this week’s Fortress Invitational knowing that his incredible form has not just caught the eye of golf fans, but also of South Africa’s greatest ever golfer – Gary Player.

The 23-year-old Williams will make the first title defence of his career in this Sunshine Tour event, which tees off at Glendower Golf Club on Thursday.

He does so having just enjoyed one of the most successful weeks of his career with a tied fourth place finish in the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, where he competed alongside Major winners in one of the strongest field in this tournament’s history.

And just when he thought it couldn’t get any better, the legendary Gary Player reached out to the young Sunshine Tour star.

“It’s unbelievable. This is something I couldn’t even dream of. I’ve looked up to him for so long and for him to contact me and congratulate me on my recent performances is something out of my wildest dreams. I just feel honoured,” Williams said during a practice round on Tuesday.

Williams is keenly aware that his journey to this point all started with his victory in the 2023 Fortress Invitational, which subsequently also secured him the Fortress Rookie of the Year title that season.

“I’ve got great memories from this golf course and it’s special to be here to try and defend my title. Everything kicked off from this week last year, and I’ll definitely draw on those memories this week.”

It’s been a whirlwind trip to Glendower for Williams. His groundbreaking week in Scotland secured him a place in the DP World Tour’s French Open the following week where he finished tied 65^th.

“I’ll probably take next week off so I can just process it all and plan my future. The week in Scotland has opened a lot of doors for me. But it’s just so good to be back in South Africa again and seeing all the familiar faces on the Sunshine Tour. I feel really blessed, and proud to be that player who came through the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, played a whole season on the Tour and won, and then to do well in a big event like the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – I think it shows the value of the product that is the Sunshine Tour. It shows that what they’re doing works because it’s producing great young players to come through and fly that South African flag. So this is going to be a special week and I’ll try and enjoy it as much as I can.”

And the congratulations of what he’s achieved recently will no doubt continue this week.

“I’ve definitely gotten a lot of congratulations. But none as big as Mr Player.” – Michael Vlismas

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – Mount Edgecombe amateur golfer Neelesh Sitlu nearly retired injured after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast Pro-Am this month, but the 16-handicapper bravely soldiered on in the second round and ended up winning the competition alongside Sunshine Tour professionals Pierre Pellegrin and Pride Sembo.
 
Sitlu, who played with Sembo in the first round and Pellegrin in the second as part of the unique format of this pro-am, finished on 87 points for a two-point victory.
 
It was a remarkable achievement for a golfer who only started playing the game two years ago and was playing in his first pro-am. And even more so considering his injury.
 
“On the first day I was trying to outdrive the pros from our forward tees, but I ended up pulling or tearing something in my right arm. I barely slept. I was buying ice for my arm, using towels soaked in hot water and I even called my dad, who is a GP, and my cousin, who is a physio, for advice.
 
“On the second morning I could barely move my arm, but then one of the pros said I shouldn’t be using my right arm much anyway, I should be pulling with my left arm. So I focused on that and I had my best round ever, my lowest score,” said Sitlu.
 
The business analyst and software developer in the health services sector had nothing but praise for professional partners Sembo and Pellegrin, and they in turn said Sitlu was the perfect gentleman.
 
“Playing in my first pro-am, I was quite nervous because I didn’t really know how you are meant to play with a professional. But they were so calm and welcoming, it was like playing with a friend. They are so disciplined and they were both exactly what you’d imagine a pro to be,” Sitlu said.
 
“He was fun to play with, a very good partner,” Pellegrin said of Sitlu. “It was a good day in an amazing place, we combined perfectly together and to win was just a bonus. Our job as pros is to make the amateurs happy, and I really enjoy playing in pro-ams because you meet new people from around the country and make connections. I’m always grateful to play in a pro-am because it’s a way of thanking the sponsors, who make it possible for us to play golf,” Pellegrin said.
 
The Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast also featured a golf development clinic with the local chapter of the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB).
 
A total of 30 children, split evenly between the Durban, Margate and Wild Coast areas, and aged between eight and 14 years old, took part with a clinic run by the Sunshine Tour professionals.
 
The clinics are a vital part of the growth of the game in South Africa and have helped to unearth some new talent on the Sunshine Tour, such as Siyanda Mwandla, Thanda Mavundla and Sabelo Majola.
 
“Players like Thanda Mavundla, who played in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am, and Siyanda Mwandla and Sabelo Majola have all come through this programme,” said local SAGDB coach Joseph Kunene.
 
“For all the kids, these clinics are a real eye-opener because they see professionals in the flesh, coaching them. They’re not just seeing them on TV and it gives them hope. One day their wish will hopefully be to become a professional as well.”
 

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – Jonathan Broomhead was able to daub his scorecard with red numbers for birdie as he charged up the leaderboard in the final round to secure himself a place in the playoff, which he subsequently won to claim the Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast title at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on Sunday.

Broomhead shot a tremendous seven-under-par 63 on Sunday, which included nine birdies, as he posted the clubhouse lead at 11-under-par. Two hours later, it was only Luke Brown, who fired a brilliant 66, who managed to match that score.

Brown and Broomhead then both parred the 348m, par-four 18^thtwice before Broomhead nailed a 20-foot putt for birdie on the third playoff hole, to secure his second Sunshine Tour title.

The Durban Country Club golfer began the final round seven strokes behind leader Pieter Moolman, and did not start well, making a bogey on the par-four first hole. But thereafter he played with tremendous freedom going out in 32 strokes. Another dropped shot, at the par-three 11^th, sandwiched birdies at the start of the back nine, and Broomhead finished in fabulous fashion with birdies at the last three holes to get to top spot.

“I definitely didn’t think about winning at the beginning of the day, but conditions were all in our favour and I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I teed off two hours before the leaders and there was no pressure on me. I played really well and just attacked everything,” Broomhead, whose previous victory came in the prestigious Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at the end of last season, said.

“I definitely thought the leaders would make a few birdies on the back nine because the wind was down, and I thought my score was okay, but not where it ended up. I wasn’t under pressure to make pars, I was always in play and just played very solidly, plus I made some good putts.

“Winning once is nice, but you can start doubting if you can do it again. I’ve played nicely since Tour Champs and had quite a few chances to win. So I thought another chance would come and today was my day. I just always felt in control and my swing was really good,” Broomhead said.

Brown played with unfailing determination and focus as he also reached 11-under-par, but he just failed to pip Broomhead because he could only par the last three holes, including the 18^th, which he then parred three times in the playoff.

Keenan Davidse also piled on the pressure as he shot a marvellous 65 to finish on 10-under-par, just one stroke off the playoff.

Otto van Buynder (65), Simon du Plooy (65) and Ruan de Smidt (68) shared fourth place on nine-under-par.

Overnight leader Moolman slipped to a 74 on Sunday, finishing tied-12^th on seven-under-par.

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – The second round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast event saw much movement on the leaderboard but no change at the top as defending champion Pieter Moolman, drawing on all his happy memories of the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, backed up his 63 on the first day with a 66 on Saturday to extend his lead.

Moolman will go into the final round with a three-stroke lead over Ruan Korb, having weathered a testing back nine into the wind, after collecting four birdies on the front nine.

The 33-year-old Moolman shot a 62 in his last tournament at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, his fantastic final-round effort lifting him to tied-fifth in the SunBet Challenge event here in July. And last year Moolman shot a 64 in the final round to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf event here in a playoff, while he was also the runner-up in the 2022 SunBet Challenge tournament on the Wild Coast.

The Benoni Lake golfer backed up his tremendous front nine as he was able to make eagle on the 441m par-five 12^th.

“I had a lucky break on 12 because I didn’t hit a great tee-shot but I got a good bounce out of the car park. I then hit a lob-wedge to three feet,” a restrained Moolman said. “We always play golf to win and to pull it through tomorrow would make me really happy. But I will have to stick to the same game-plan tomorrow, just me playing the golf course the best I can.

“Obviously I’m happy with the position I’m in, especially since the wind was tougher today and it was more different. But Jacques Blaauw also shot 66 in our three-ball today and it helped to be able to feed off his momentum. I just tried to keep giving myself chances,” Moolman said.

Moolman did slip up after his eagle on the 12^th with bogeys at the next two holes, when he misjudged the switching wind, but the hour’s golf that followed was practically faultless, apart from a couple of missed birdie opportunities.

Silver Lakes Country Club golfer Korb also struggled on the back nine, copying Moolman with an eagle on 12 but also dropping two shots. Korb also had a wonderful front nine though, going out in 31, as he also posted a 66 to finish on eight-under-par, three behind Moolman.

Five golfers were tied for third on seven-under-par – Craig Ross (68), Ruan de Smidt (67), Keelan van Wyk (67), Fredrik From (67) and Luke Brown (67).

Ricky Hendler, who was second just one stroke behind Moolman after the first round, could only shoot level-par 70 on Saturday and slipped into the tie for eighth place on six-under-par, five strokes behind Moolman, with Jaco van Zyl (67), Samuel Simpson (65), Jean-Paul Strydom (67) and Ruan Conradie (67).

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – Defending champion Pieter Moolman continued his phenomenal hot streak at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on Friday, shooting an excellent seven-under-par 63 to claim the lead after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast event.

Moolman leads by one stroke over Ricky Hendler, with the Benoni golfer overcoming a slow start after beginning his round on the 10^th, being one-over after six holes. But Moolman then birdied 16, 17 and 18, before a remarkable front nine in which he collected five birdies – at the second, third, fifth, seventh and eighth holes.

The 33-year-old Moolman shot a 62 in his last tournament at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club, his fantastic final-round effort lifting him to tied-fifth in the SunBet Challenge event here in July. And last year Moolman shot a 64 in the final round to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf event in a playoff, while he was also the runner-up in the 2022 SunBet Challenge tournament held here.

“I can’t exactly explain it, but I’m just happy here,” Moolman said. “It feels like home. I really enjoy the layout and I just seem to know what to hit on whatever hole and whatever the wind. I just think I’m comfortable here no matter which way the wind blows, and you always play a little better when you like being somewhere.

“I hit some good shots coming in on my front nine after I started a bit slow. Starting on the 10^th was a bit tough because we were into the wind and it was blowing hard. I didn’t play badly, but I just missed a couple of up-and-downs on 11 [bogey 4] and 12 [par 5].

“I just tried to keep giving myself opportunities and this course is really about whoever makes the putts, and that was a bonus today. I was then really steady on my back nine, my tee-shots weren’t bad and I hit some good irons. It’s all about giving yourself the best chance when you are out of position, it’s more about where you miss than hitting perfect golf shots. On the weekend, I will just keep doing what I always do around here,” Moolman said.

A trio of golfers who also live far away from the coast also excelled on Friday, as did an overseas golfer.

Hendler, from Dainfern in Johannesburg, posted a 64, his lowest ever score on the Sunshine Tour. He also started on the 10^th but was out of the blocks straight away with birdies on his first two holes. In a wonderful round of bogey-free golf, Hendler collected further birdies on the 16^th, 18^th, first and ninth holes.

Veteran Trevor Fisher Jnr from Modderfontein had bogeys on the par-four second and par-five 12^th holes, but gathered five birdies and an eagle on the 492m par-five 16^th, to post a 65 and finish in the tie for third.

Gerhard Pepler of Mogol Golf Club in Limpopo dropped just one shot, on the 168m par-three 13^th, but also eagled 16 and made four other birdies to also shoot 65.

The other golfer to shoot 65 was Scotsman Craig Ross, who was also bogey-free.

Brittney-Fay Berger was the leading women’s golfer with a 71.

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is at Wild Coast Sun Country Club this week, a perilously rugged course, and young contender Jonathan Broomhead says it is important for him to bring his best game for the challenge.

Fortunately Broomhead is in good form, having ended in the top-10 last week, further up the east coast at the SunBet Challenge Sun Sibaya event, and the 23-year-old has had five other top-10 finishes this season, including being the runner-up at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Highland Gate tournament. He is currently seventh on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, the same position he finished last season, speaking to the consistency the Durban Country Club player is producing.

“At the Wild Coast, you always hope that you’re going to be on the better side of the weather, because it can get really nasty around here. You can’t come here with expectations, you just have to try and play your game. When the wind blows, you can only focus more on what you can control, play according to your game-plan, make sure you stick to that,” Broomhead said.

“You have to make sure your golf is where it needs to be when you come here because it is a very tough course. You need to manage yourself and play the course as it is. You have to stay patient because you can get bad bounces every now and then; you can quickly be two or three over and scrambling. But if you make a putt or two, then you can ride that momentum.

“Last week was nice for me; I struggled a bit for the first two rounds but then had a good third round of 67. My game is heading in the right direction, it’s in a nice place, but there are still a few things to improve on. I just need to take every opportunity and try and keep going with that momentum,” Broomhead said.

Broomhead’s mature approach and comfort in the wind mark him out as one of the main threats in this R2 million event, which is the third leg of the series and the last before the final at Oubaai from November 14-17.

Veteran Jean Hugo was the runner-up in the SunBet Challenge event held here last season and pipped Broomhead to the Vodacom Origins of Golf title at Highland Gate, while the seasoned MJ Viljoen is fifth on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

The experienced Heinrich Bruiners, a member of the Sunshine Tour’s Papwa Sewgolum Class, is also in great form, having finished fifth in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Sishen event last month and fourth last week at Umhlali Country Club, while Pieter Moolman is the defending champion and has a couple of other recent top-five finishes at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club.

ST ANDREWS (Scotland) – Before this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Robin Williams’ best memory of the famed 18^th hole of the Old Course was the amount of times he’d played it on PlayStation. But on Sunday he turned a dream into reality when he birdied the hole to finish tied fourth on debut in this prestigious DP World Tour event.

The 23-year-old South African and young Sunshine Tour star ended a dream week with a 66 on the Old Course for a total of 19 under par. England’s Tyrrell Hatton won the title by a shot on 24 under par, becoming the first player in history to win it three times.

Williams finished as the leading South African in a star-studded field of Major winners, and was overwhelmed by his performance.

“As we walked up 18, my caddie said to me, ‘Just enjoy this moment and soak it in. You’ve played this hole so many times on PlayStation, so just enjoy it and soak it in’. And I did that. And then they introduced us as we walked up. It hasn’t sunk in enough yet. It’s a dream come true. My main goal this week was just to make the cut and enjoy the week, but I managed to play some good golf. I’m just trying to soak it all in,” he said.

It’s certainly been a breakthrough week for the Sunshine Tour golfer who was the Tour’s Fortress Rookie of the Year in the 2023/24 season, and whose second place on the Sunshine Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy that season earned him a DP World Tour card for this season.

“It means everything in terms of my confidence. At the start of this year I was at a really low point with my game and kind of questioning a lot of things. To be able to turn it around and be in this situation competing against the big names on such a big stage, it’s mind blowing. I would never have believed it at the start of the year.

“It’s more just seeing my name alongside some of the biggest names in golf. This is such a strong field so to be able to perform the way I did against these guys means the world to me.” – Michael Vlismas

ST ANDREWS (Scotland) – History beckons for England’s Tyrrell Hatton as he seeks to become the first golfer to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship three times after equalling the course record on the Old Course with a 61 to lead by one shot on Saturday.

Hatton took advantage of a beautiful day on one of golf’s most venerated courses and signed for a magnificent round of 11 under par to lead the field on 22 under overall. Darren Fichardt remains the leading South African on 15 under par following a 70 at Carnoustie.

Of the other South Africans in the field, Robin Williams and former champion Branden Grace came through the third round on 13 under par, while Dean Burmester finished the day at 11 under overall.

It was a magnificent day of incredible scoring, with Hatton leading the way with his nine birdies and an eagle for what was also his lowest competitive round as a professional.

“I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I’ve shot 10 under on this course before so I really wanted to birdie the last and was trying harder than I normally would. It was a cool day. It’s really exciting. I know I’m capable of winning around here. This course has been pretty good to me. It’s a special place to play golf. There probably isn’t another course in the world where I play so well,” said Hatton, who won here in 2016 and 2017 and who also leads the team competition this week with his father, Jeff.

His nearest challenger is Nicolas Colsaerts on 21 under par, with the Belgian creating some drama of his own with an albatross on the 16^th at Kingsbarns on his way to a 65.

A Saturday of remarkable scoring also included a 61 from Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at Kingsbarns – the second on this course this week –  to see him finish on 17 under par.

And Rory McIlroy threw in a 29 on the front nine of the Old Course on his way to a 68 and a total of 10 under par. – Michael Vlismas