Author: 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

ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – Rupert Kaminski stayed calm and centred through a gruelling and testing final day of the SA PGA Championship at the St Francis Links on Saturday, holding off Matthew Spacey, who stayed in contact with him the whole day, to claim victory by one shot and make his first Sunshine Tour title a big one.

With extreme winds expected on Sunday, Saturday was a race against time to get the tournament finished with both the third and fourth rounds being played, with three-balls going off at the same time in shotgun starts.

Kaminski and Spacey both fired terrific six-under-par 66s in the third round in the morning to close to within one stroke of leader Peter Karmis (71) on nine-under-par.

In the afternoon, it became a two-horse race as Kaminski, who teed off on the first hole, and Spacey, who set off on the 18^th, separated themselves from the field. Karmis could only manage a 77 in the final round, finishing on four-under and in a tie for third with Ryan van Velzen (72) and Adam Breen (73).

Spacey had a troubled start with two bogeys in his first four holes, while Kaminski played sublime golf on the front nine, with three birdies in the first six holes.

Spacey fought back though with birdies on the par-four 12^thand par-three 14^th holes, while Kaminski made a couple of bogeys coming home.

Kaminski parred the last though for a level-par 72, while Spacey fell agonisingly short with bogeys on the par-four 15^th and on the par-three 17^th, his closing hole.

“I’m still extremely overwhelmed and I don’t think it’s ever going to really sink in. I’m blown away with the way I played and it’s such a privilege for me to lift this prestigious trophy,” Kaminski said some time after his triumph.

“Par was definitely a good score today. I thought two-under for the whole day [both rounds] would be good enough, but I was six-under for the third and fourth rounds, which is really tremendous.

“I was just very calm through the day and I had a lot of trust in everything I was doing. I hit the ball well, I putted well and I just had a lot of faith and belief today. I continued to focus on what was in front of me.

“In the last couple of years, I’ve been in position to win a few times, but I let it get the best of me, I let the occasion get to me. But I was impressed by how in control I felt today,” Kaminski said.

Like an astronaut being rocketed off to Mars, Kaminski now finds himself in a new world of golf; in celebrated company as the winner of South Africa’s second-oldest professional golf tournament. He joins the likes of Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Tony Johnstone, Ernie Els, David Frost, Mark McNulty and Louis Oosthuizen in putting their names on the impressive trophy.

“It’s incredible, apart from moving into fifth on the Order of Merit, I’m also into all the big events for the rest of the season, the co-sanctioned tournaments at the end of the year.

“Hopefully this will be the start of really big things and it’s a nice step in that direction. And I love coming to the St Francis Links, there’s something about this place, I really enjoy the course and the people,” Kaminski said.

The R2 million event this year celebrated the significant support of the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency and African Bank.

ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – On the fairways of a St Francis Links golf course that is as stunningly beautiful as it is rich with temptation, Peter Karmis was able to avoid the latter and claim a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the South African PGA Championship.

Karmis fired a brilliant five-under-par 67 on Friday, the lowest round of the day, to move to eight-under-par overall and sitting pretty as the leader of this prestigious event, which will conclude a day early on Saturday when the third and fourth round will be played. This is due to extreme winds being expected on Sunday, the scheduled last day.

“Due to gale-force winds predicted for Sunday, play will not be possible. In order to get a 72-hole result we will have a double shotgun start on Saturday. Round three will start at 06h40 and the round four shotgun start will be no earlier than 12h00. In the event of us being unable to complete round four on Saturday, the tournament result will be based on the conclusion of the third round,” Sunshine Tour Tournament Director Gary Todd said.

Karmis, who was one stroke off the lead after the first round, enjoyed a great start to the second day as he birdied the first two holes and then eagled the par-five sixth. Impressive birdies on the 16^th and 18^th holes stretched his lead.

“The course is difficult and long and the wind was up today, although it did die down a bit towards the end, but it was still at least one club then,” Karmis said.

“I played pretty nicely, but your heart is pounding on so many holes here. And with the weather forecast saying it’s going to be even windier, it’s going to be a pretty hair-raising last day.

“This course is designed for the wind and it’s intimidating. The key is not to be tempted, to not push too much. You mustn’t get greedy and do something unnecessary, otherwise you’ll get hurt.

“But I’ve played here enough to know what is doable and what is not. I hit driver everywhere and I hit a lot of good ones today, some lovely irons and I putted and scrambled well, getting lucky a few times,” Karmis said.

One of those up-and-downs came on the last hole, with its sumptuous views and elegant clubhouse that make it a prime candidate for the sort of photograph that sells for plenty at golf auctions, as Karmis holed his bunker shot for birdie.

Also gunning for the win on Saturday, and looking to join such eminent previous champions as Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Tony Johnstone, Ernie Els, David Frost, Mark McNulty and Louis Oosthuizen, are Adam Breen (68) and Keegan Mclachlan (71) tied in second place on five-under-par.

Veteran Jaco van Zyl could also be in the mix after shooting a 70 to go to three-under-par in the R2 million event that this year celebrates the significant support of the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency and African Bank.

Robin Williams, who shared the lead overnight with Mclachlan, posted a 74 on Friday to slip to two-under-par, sharing fifth place with Rupert Kaminski (73), Ryan van Velzen (72) and Matthew Spacey (72).

ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – With every outing on the Sunshine Tour, rookie Keegan Mclachlan is learning, and on Thursday he broke new ground as he claimed a share of the first-round lead with Robin Williams in the PGA Championship at the St Francis Links with an impressive four-under-par 68.

The SA PGA Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in the local game with a list of past champions including Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Tony Johnstone, Ernie Els, David Frost, Mark McNulty and Louis Oosthuizen. And this year the event celebrates the significant support of the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency and African Bank.

It is the first time Mclachlan, who has a title apiece on the Blue Label Development Tour and the Altron Big Easy Tour, has led on the Sunshine Tour.

Playing in his 11^th event, he started South African golf’s second-oldest professional tournament on the back nine and birdied his first two holes, before picking up another two birdies to go to four-under through seven holes.

Back-to-back bogeys on the tricky par-four 18^th and first holes were offset by three successive birdies from the fourth hole. Mclachlan closed with a bogey-five on the par-four ninth hole.

“I played quite nicely in the morning and it was a good start. There was not too much wind, but it started to pick up on my back nine. But overall it was a good round, for most of the day I kept the ball in play well, my approach shots were good and I made a few nice putts,” Mclachlan said.

“Overall it was very solid and you just have to accept the bogeys and enjoy the challenge. I feel that my game is in a good spot at the moment, I just haven’t scored as well as I would have liked, but it’s been feeling close.

“I’ve learnt a lot already in my 10 tournaments on tour but this is the first time I’m leading. It’s been a cool learning curve and I’m just trying to learn and enjoy myself as my career continues,” the 24-year-old Mclachlan said.

The South African born but England-based Williams also started solidly, from the first hole, managing to go bogey-free until the par-four 12^th hole, while also collecting four birdies in five holes from the third.

He collected further birdies on the par-five 13^th and par-four 15^th holes, but also bogeyed the 400-metre 18^th hole.

Williams and Mclachlan have a one-stroke lead over a quartet of golfers on three-under 69 – Rupert Kaminski, CJ du Plessis, Peter Karmis and Jake Redman.

Du Plessis, who started his round on the 10^th, had birdied the par-four eighth hole to go to five-under and the sole lead, but he then managed to double-bogey the ninth, his last hole, to drop back.

ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – This week’s South African PGA Championship has drawn a strong local field including a former three-time champion, past contenders and the next generation of stars all seeking a place on the trophy of South African golf’s second oldest professional tournament.

The windswept fairways of St Francis Links will from Thursday to Sunday feature a tantalising mix of the best of the Sunshine Tour in a tournament that also celebrates the significant support of the Eastern Cape Tourism and Parks Agency for three years, and African Bank.

The in-form Kyle Barker, fresh from his second victory this year in last week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Western Cape which has moved him into third place on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, and former South African Open champion Daniel van Tonder headline the field for this R2 million tournament.

The field this week includes three-time South African PGA Championship winner Jaco van Zyl, former top amateurs and now rookie professionals Aldrich Potgieter and Kyle de Beer, and the leading rookie on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings, Gerhard Pepler, who claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour victory this season in the Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge.

There are also several players who in the past have come close to adding their names to the illustrious history of this event.

Pieter Moolman is back to try and win a title he lost to Dean Burmester in 2021, finishing runner-up on that occasion.

Trevor Fisher Jnr. has twice finished second in this event, while Combrinck Smit was runner-up in 2018, Makhetha Mazibuko lost in a playoff with Erik van Rooyen in 2017, and Hennie Otto has also twice had to settle for a runners-up finish.

This is one of the most prestigious titles in the local game and has a list of past champions including Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Tony Johnstone, Ernie Els, David Frost, Mark McNulty and Louis Oosthuizen.