Month: August 2025

The Vodacom Origins of Golf, South African professional golf’s longest running consecutive series of pro-am tournaments, tees off its 2025 edition this week with the first of four tournaments featuring combined fields of Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals competing for the same share of a total of R8 million in prize money.

The series – which features professionals and a VIP selection of Vodacom customers – tees off at Parys Golf & Country Estate this Friday, and will then travel to the Gowrie Farm Lodge & Golf Course as well as the Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate in September, before heading to the Pezula Championship Course for the Final in November.

The most iconic pro-am series on the Sunshine Tour, which dates back to 2004, has drawn a quality professional field for its opening tournament of 2025.

Yurav Premlall is the Free State/Northern Cape regional defending champion after winning this event in Kathu last year. He joins a a field that includes eight of the current top 10 on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit, and the top three emerging talents on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings.

It’s a quality field of young stars, proven winners, and several golfers who are hitting form at the moment.

Mexico’s Luis Carrera heads to Parys looking for his third victory this year after dominating with back-to-back wins in the first two tournaments of the season.

South Africa’s Samuel Simpson has also emerged a new talent with his win in the Mopani Zambia Open this year, and heads to Parys having finished in the top 15 in four of his five tournaments this season.

The experienced Pieter Moolman is looking to build on his runner-up finish in eSwatini last week, while Herman Loubser is also pushing for a win following back-to-back runners-up finishes in his last two tournaments.

Multiple DP World Tour champion George Coetzee is hunting his sixth title on the Series, while Luca Filippi continues his comeback to the Tour following a long injury layoff.

And Jean Hugo returns as the perennial favourite on the Series and as the winner of a record 12 Vodacom Origins of Golf titles – the latest of which came last year.

The Sunshine Ladies Tour will be represented by nine professionals, including Nadia van der Westhuizen, a winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this season.

This year’s Series will also once again feature a golf clinic at each event with the Sunshine Tour professionals and young golfers from the local South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) chapters. – Michael Vlismas

Fortress #PoweringGrowth in SA golf with increases in tournament prize fund and Fortress Rookie of the Year prize

The Sunshine Tour and Fortress Real Estate Investments have announced a significant increase in the prize money for the 2025 Fortress Invitational, as well as an increase in the end-of-season bonus for the Fortress Rookie of the Year award.

The 2025 Fortress Invitational will be played at Glendower Golf Club from 16-19 October for an increased purse of R2.5 million. This represents an overall increase of R1 million in prize money since the Fortress Invitational first teed off in 2022, which was the beginning of a valuable partnership with the Sunshine Tour.

This season’s Fortress Rookie of the Year winner will also walk off with a cheque for R400 000, which is double the previous season.

“This year, the Fortress Invitational is powering growth in South African golf at every level with an increased prize purse and a doubling of the Fortress Rookie of the Year prize in a continued show of our support for emerging talent. It’s all part of our commitment to growing the game, backing today’s top competitors, and paving the way for the future of South African golf on the Sunshine Tour, while investing in our brand,” said Steven Brown, CEO of Fortress Real Estate Investments.

The announcement adds significantly to a Sunshine Tour schedule that is now over 30 tournaments strong with almost R200 million in total prize money, as well as offering global opportunities for Sunshine Tour professionals to earn playing privileges on the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour, and exemptions into Majors.

“Fortress has been a valuable partner over the past four years and we’re extremely proud to announce not only the continued support of the Fortress Invitational on our schedule, but at the same time a further endorsement of the Sunshine Tour’s international status as a tour of opportunity. The additional support of Fortress for our leading Fortress Rookie of the Year is an equally strong investment in the development of new talent on our fairways,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

The Fortress Invitational and Fortress Rookie of the Year award have continued to play a vital role in the development of the next generation of South African golf stars.

The tournament has played a key role in the rise of Robin Williams from Sunshine Tour professional to DP World Tour golfer. Williams won the Fortress Invitational back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 and the Fortress Rookie of the Year in the 2023/24 season.

Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini) – Michael Hollick became a four-time winner on the Sunshine Tour with his two-stroke victory in the FNB Eswatini Challenge at the Ezulwini Golf & Country Club on Saturday.

Hollick, who led going into the final round, signed for a final round of 68 to win on 16 under par. It was also a special moment for his caddie, Clavie Taderera, who was also recognised at the prizegiving and presented with a winning Sunshine Tour caddie medal.

It was a commanding performance from Hollick, who ended the previous Sunshine Tour season with a victory in the Courier Guy DNi Tour Championship.

He started the final round strong with successive birdies on his opening two holes. A further two birdies on the front nine and then an eagle early on the back nine kept his title challenge on track. And he was able to seal the victory despite a double bogey on the par-three 14^th hole.

“My gameplan was the same – try and get the ball in the fairway and don’t try and overpower this golf course. It is a short course and a scoreable one, but it still requires a lot of tactics and placing your ball in the right areas,” said Hollick.

The par fives were key to Hollick’s title chase and he played them in 11 under for the week.

“The par fives give you a lot of opportunities around here and when you have a lot of iron shots into the par fives you can make a score,” he said.

The duo op Pieter Moolman (69) and Herman Lobser (64) finished joint second on 14-under-par, with Paul Boshoff (66) joined Germany’s Allen John (70) in fourth place in a share of fourth place on 13 under par. – Michael Vlismas Media

Ezulwini Valley (Eswatini) – The South African trio of Martin Vorster, Altin van der Merwe and Tyran Snyders took the early initiative to lead Thursday’s first round at the FNB Eswatini Challenge at the sweeping Ezulwini Golf & Country Club course.

The leading trio all signed for rounds of seven-under-par 65 to edge one shot clear from Pieter Moolman (66) and Martin Rowher (66).

Vorster, who is back in action after struggling with injuries in 2024, had an adventurous opening round that included eight birdies, three bogeys and an eagle to earn him the early clubhouse lead

“Today was an interesting round –a little bit of everything. But I am really happy with the way I started. I did have a funny moment on the seventh hole. I was under the impression it is a par-four, and as I tapped in the putt my playing partner congratulated me with the birdie. All in all, I am really happy with the way I played today, especially after being out for four months last year due to a hip injury” Vorster said.

Van Der Merwe, last year’s Sunshine Tour Fortress Rookie of the Year, navigated the course without dropping a single shot amongst his seven birdies to join Vorster at the top of the leaderboard.

Snyders then impressed with six birdies and an eagle, and dropping only one shot, on his way to joining the leading group early in his professional career.

The trio of leaders are all still searching for a maiden Sunshine Tour win and will face fierce competition from their nearest challengers, Moolman and Rohwer, who have six titles between them. And Rohwer in particular was a winner on this golf course in 2019. – Michael Vlismas Media