Author: Michael Vlismas

GEORGE (Western Cape) – Zander Lombard forms part of a strong group of in-form South African professionals who will seek to end the European dominance of the current Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour Swing when the prestigious Dimension Data Pro-Am tees off at Fancourt on Thursday.

The first two tournaments of this co-sanctioned stretch have been won by Welshman Rhys Enoch and Swede Mikael Lindberg.

It’s in stark contrast with last season’s Swing where the Southern Africans dominated with victories in all four co-sanctioned tournaments.

But the return of Lombard, Casey Jarvis and Jayden Schaper from DP World Tour action has certainly strengthened the South African challenge this week.

Lombard has been in sublime form this year which has carried him to fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and a career-high of 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings. Since last year’s Joburg Open, Lombard has finished in the top 16 in seven of his last eight tournaments.

Both Schaper and Jarvis have been solid on the DP World Tour this season as they return to home fairways this week. Jarvis led the first round of the 2023 Dimension Data Pro-Am with an impressive 64.

And Ryan van Velzen drove into Fancourt with finishes of seventh and a playoff defeat in his last two tournaments on this Swing as he holds onto third place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

Oliver Bekker is also back to defend his title and is seeking to make Dimension Data Pro-Am history by becoming the first three-time winner of this tournament. Currently Bekker, Darren Fichardt and Nick Price are the only golfers to have won this title twice since it first teed off in 1996.

The amateur field for the pro-am is once again a glittering display of South African sporting talent including rugby stars Schalk Brits, Akona Ndungane, Odwa Ndungane, Schalk Burger Jnr. and John Smit, cricket greats Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, and former Bafana Bafana star Jimmy Tau.

The 72-hole tournament is played on Fancourt’s three golf courses of The Montagu, The Outeniqua and The Links. – Michael Vlismas.

CAPE TOWN – Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg holed a magnificent birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat South Africa’s Ryan van Velzen and win the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club on Sunday.

In a tightly-contested final round, Lindberg birdied holes 16 and 17 to take a one-stroke lead over Van Velzen playing the last. But the Swede three-putted the final green for a bogey to slip into a playoff on 16 under par with a final round of 67. Van Velzen closed with a bogey-free 66.

Both golfers parred the par-four 18^th as the first playoff hole. Then playing it again, Lindberg had a similar putt from where he’d three-putted in regulation play, and this time he made no mistake as he holed it.

“It was a rollercoaster day but it was a very good day,” said Lindberg.

It was a fitting end to a tournament that always seemed destined to go down to the wire, with 10 players sharing the lead after the second round and Lindberg one shot clear of a group of seven players going into Sunday’s final round.

In perfect conditions several players made an early run at the lead, including Van Velzen who made two birdies and an eagle in three holes on the front nine. JC Ritchie came with a charge of his own as he made three birdies in his opening four holes. And Louis Albertse birdied the 16^th to put him just one shot out of the playoff as he went on to finish third on 15 under with a final round of 67.

But it was Lindberg’s early birdies on the back nine at holes 11 and 12 and then the key birdies on 16 and 17 that allowed him the leeway for his bogey on the last.

“I saw a couple of players made an early move and were playing well out there. The putt on 17 was huge for me. Then as I was walking up to the 18^th green I just kept telling myself to just two-putt for the win. But my first putt was probably the worst putt I hit all week – I barely hit the ball. In the playoff I had it in the back of my mind that I’d just three-putted this same putt, so it was a huge relief when it went in.”

Lindberg is the second Swede to win the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open following countryman Anton Karlsson in 2020, and he was delighted to do so as he paid tribute to a wonderful week in the City of Cape Town.

“I love Cape Town. I love the whole culture here and always enjoy my time here. To win here is really special.” – Michael Vlismas

CAPE TOWN – There were 10 golfers who shared the lead going into Saturday’s third round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, and yet the leader by the end of the day didn’t come from any one of them. Instead it fell to Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg to overtake them all.

Lindberg teed off five shots behind the leaders on Saturday and signed for a 65 – including two eagles – at the Royal Cape Golf Club that earned him a one-stroke lead on 11 under par in this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament.

His nearest challengers on 10 under par are South Africans Michael Hollick, Thomas Aiken, Louis Albertse and Ryan van Velzen; Frenchmen Robin Sciot-Siegrist and Martin Couvra; and Englishman Sam Hutsby.

“I played pretty good all day and obviously I’m pleased to shoot to seven under. I made some really nice momentum putts early in the round which helped,” said Lindberg.

A tight golf course and a stiff breeze combined to prevent any one player making too much of a move away from the field in the third round.

“I saw the wind was forecast to pick up around lunchtime so I felt like even though I was a few shots off the leaders at the start of the day, if I could post a good number today I felt like I could get myself in contention. When I started there wasn’t much wind. I was in a good place to take advantage of teeing off early,” he said.

But even the professionals have been surprised at just how tight this leaderboard has remained.

“Before today’s round there were 10 people sharing the lead, and after 15 holes today I saw that there were 17 players on nine under par. I’ve never really seen that before. It builds up for an interesting Sunday,” said Lindberg.

South Africa’s Albertse also said he was surprised to see so many players in contention going into Sunday’s final round.

“I’ve never experienced a tournament where 10 players have shared the lead. After the second round I was one shot off the lead and I was lying in tied 11^th place. It’s very weird. I think this is a golf course where you can’t really run away from the field. It will be hard to see somebody build up a big lead here.” – Michael Vlismas

CAPE TOWN – Ryan van Velzen holed a 15-metre birdie putt on the last to force his way into an incredible 10-way tie for the lead heading into the weekend of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, and with the young South African hunting his second victory in the last three weeks.

The 23-year-old Van Velzen, who won January’s Mediclinic Invitational before this stretch of Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournaments, had a wonderful look of control about his game at Royal Cape Golf Club on Friday as he joined one of the largest shared leads seen on the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour in some time.

His birdies at the first and last holes bookended a round including four birdies in seven holes over the turn and only one bogey for a second-round 67 that put him in a traffic jam of players on nine under par.

Fellow South Africans Deon Germishuys, Rhys West and Gerhard Pepler as well as Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus, Englishmen Sam Hutsby, James Allan and Alfie Plant, Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, and Frenchman Benjamin Hebert are also on nine under par and just one stroke clear of the field.

The wind that threatened to unsettle the field in the afternoon didn’t fully materialise, making for a leaderboard that is set up for the kind of weekend Van Velzen is becoming used to.

“I’ve been nine under going into the weekend for three weeks now, and I think I’m 52 under par for the last 10 rounds, so I’m playing well. I’m running high on confidence and I’m looking forward to the weekend,” he said.

Not even a golf course which typically doesn’t suit him can put Van Velzen off at the moment.

“This golf course is quite tight, but I’m playing so well at the moment that it feels like I could score well on any course. I’m hitting the driver very straight and I’m putting well. I also make one or two very long putts in a round which helps the game. It just felt like I was in control of what I was doing during the whole round.”

The expected wind on the weekend should shake up the leaderboard, with co-leader Germishuys looking forward to that prospect.

“I grew up about 30 minutes from here and played a lot of junior golf and Western Province amateur golf here. I’ve played in the wind here a lot. I think I still fancy my chances to grind it out and shoot a decent score even if the wind blows on the weekend.” – Michael Vlismas

CAPE TOWN – Englishman Bradley Bawden and Tapio Pulkkanen from Finland made full use of the perfect conditions during the first round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club to secure top spot on the leaderboard on Thursday.

Taking on a golf course with little to no wind, they shared a one-stroke lead on six-under 66 at the second of four Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournaments.

Bawden was the early leader with a solid round that included two fantastic eagles on the seventh and 11^th, three birdies and a single bogey.

“It’s a pretty decent start. I didn’t play well last week so made a few changes and it showed today. I hit a few nice shots and holed a couple of nice puts.

“I wouldn’t say I was overly aggressive. On this course there are some tough shots, so you have to keep it in play. If you hit it in the right spots, you can shoot a score, and I was able to do that today.”

Pulkkanen then handed in a bogey-free scorecard that also saw him sink an eagle on the seventh and add four birdies.

“I’m very pleased. It was kind of a quiet day. I didn’t make too many putts or anything, just played steady before the finish.

“I didn’t make any bogeys, so that’s always important. I also made a few good par saves. Overall I hit it good off the tee and didn’t make too many mistakes.”

A group of six players, including South Africans Tristen Strydom and Stefan Wears-Taylor, are just one shot adrift on five-under 67.

Benjamin Follett-Smith, who won last year’s tournament by one shot, was among those who teed off in the morning.

Starting on the back nine, the Zimbabwean managed to grab four birdies before the turn, with a bogey on the par-four 17^th the only blemish on that nine. The second nine produced one birdie and a bogey for a first-round score of three-under-par 69.

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – South Africa’s leading DP World Tour stars will return to local fairways at the end of this month as the Eastern Cape is treated to a showcase of professional golf with the second edition of the SDC Championship at St Francis Links, co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour.

The $1.5-million tournament has drawn a strong South African challenge including Zander Lombard, Thriston Lawrence, Darren Fichardt, Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis.

All five golfers are currently ranked within the top 50 on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings and will relish the opportunity to drive home their advantage on local fairways.

Lombard and Lawrence in particular have both been pushing for a victory early in this year already.

Lombard returns to home fairways with recent finishes of tied second in the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies and tied sixth in the Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour.

Lawrence has been in equally good form this year and came close to adding a fifth DP World Tour when he finished second in the Dubai Invitational. He also finished in a share of 14^th place in last year’s SDC Championship.

The SDC Championship forms a large part of Lawrence’s goals for this year as he looks to break into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking and secure himself a place in every Major in 2024, as well as push for a place in The Presidents Cup and South Africa’s Olympic golf team.

Jarvis, one of South Africa’s rising young stars on the DP World Tour, is looking forward to returning to a golf course he rates highly and where he finished second in the 2022 South African PGA Championship.

“I think it’s one of the best golf courses in the country. It’s just a really good golf course, and a challenging one in the wind. It’s quite soft around the greens so doesn’t play like a true links, but the overall layout is just really really good.” – Michael Vlismas

CAPE TOWN – The day that Codi Ruiters fell off building machinery and broke his ankle in the Heideveld squatter camp where he lived with his family in a shack with no running water, electricity or a toilets and in the heart of the ganglands of the Cape Flats was the best day of his life. On that day, in a neighbourhood where children no longer even flinch at the sound of gunshots, Ruiters’ life changed forever.

The machinery belonged to Nedsteel, a company owned by Charles Fourie who came from this same neighbourhood and who was busy with building work for the government. That was the day his path crossed with a young boy who was described as a lost cause, and the game of golf changed that.

As 13-year-old Ruiters hit shots on the driving range at Royal Cape Golf Club this week as part of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open golf development clinic with the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour professionals and a group of South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) golfers, Fourie recalled the journey he has been on with Ruiters.

“When Codi injured himself on our site, I decided to take him under my wing and I arranged for him to be treated and got him to a biokeneticist when his cast came off. I grew up in that area and was lucky to get out of there a long time ago,” says Fourie.

“When Codi came to me he couldn’t read. His school principal told me that I’m wasting my time. He said Codi was a bully and wasn’t even going to pass the year and that he’s a lost cause. I arranged that he gets tutoring three times a week. Now he’s a prefect at the school, a top 10 student there and he plays chess for his school.”

Fourie says Ruiters and his family originally lived in a small shack before he recently helped them to get a flat in the area. The prevalence of poverty, drugs and violence is still overwhelming, and the SAGDB’s golf programme is a vital escape.

Peter Little, an SAGDB Coordinator in the Western Province, has seen first hand the impact golf has had on changing a boy like Ruiters’ reality.

“We have kids who come from the ganglands and some very rough environments. Many of them didn’t know anything about golf and in a year they get down to single-figure handicaps. We get letters from the local schools congratulating us as the SAGDB for the players that we have from there and how their marks have improved.

“Western Province won the last Under-19 Interprovincial and the team had two players from the SAGDB, and one of them was voted the MVP (Most Valuable Player) in the A Division. We’ve also had four tournaments victories by SAGDB golfers this year so far. There is a lot of talent around here.”

Ruiters himself has come down to a six handicap and is a member of the SAGDB National Squad. “I’ve been playing golf for three years now. I love the game because golf can take you far in life. I’d like to be a professional one day like my hero on the Sunshine Tour, Robin Williams.”

It’s exactly what Fourie wants to see happen for Ruiters as he knows the power of sport, and specifically golf, to create opportunities.

“It’s a rough area these kids come from and they grow up in an aggressive lifestyle. But you know, since we’ve been working with Codi and seen the change in him, it’s also helped his family. His own father is no longer using drugs because of the change he’s seen in his son’s life. You can’t help everybody, but you can change one boy’s life.” – Michael Vlismas

Photos: Sunshine Tour professional Michael Hollick helping SAGDB golfer Codi Ruiters with a few swing tips at the golf development clinic ahead of this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

CAPE TOWN – Justin Harding will continue his comeback to professional golf in this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club, which is the perfect venue for a man seeking the inspiration to return to the form of his 11 victories worldwide.

The City of Cape Town is the ideal backdrop for the 12^th edition of this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament, bringing together an international field in an internationally-recognised city.

Cape Town was recently ranked second in the world behind New York as the most desirable city to visit according to Time Out’s World’s Best Cities for 2024. The Mother City also saw a record number of 317 000 overseas visitors in December and 2.9 million visitors during 2023, with a number of the city’s major attractions also receiving a record number of tourists including Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Chapman’s Peak Drive.

Table Mountain still stands out as one of of the most visited attractions, and it’s against the backdrop of this iconic natural wonder that this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open will play itself out from Thursday to Sunday, with Harding in particular taking another step on his comeback journey in the province where he grew up and honed his game.

Harding made his return to competitive golf on the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour last week following a long struggle with injury.

“It’s been an interesting journey. I developed a limp in September 2022 and the tour doctor sent me for a scan which revealed a stress fracture in my hip. Specialists suggested a 16-week recovery timetable. I had a full card on the DP World Tour and thought I would gradually work my way back, but then I got assessed again last year by the same doctor and the results weren’t good. Another scan revealed a double fracture and that it was a repetative strain issue,” said Harding.

“Before my comeback last week it was over 300 days since my last competitive round. The hardest part in coming back is that you come back with the knowledge of what you did in the past and what you know. I can’t do that anymore because of my body.

“As a professional golfer you also quickly realise how vulnerable you are when an injury likes this occurs. Through no fault of your own you can just lose the opportunity to earn. But I was also blessed to have had a little girl and fortunate to spend 15 months at home looking after her and ticking off those milestones. So now I’m also adjusting to being a dad on the road for the first time. Before I became a dad I never really related to the other dads on tour and how hard it is for them to leave the house and travel. So that’s new for me.

Harding finished second in the 2016 edition of this tournament. That and being back in the province where it all began for him could prove a powerful motivator for him this week.

“I’ve done a lot of good work physically and it’s now about taking that onto the course and in tournaments. Ideally I’d like to be as close to 100% physically and mentally by the time my first full DP World Tour event comes along. If that happens halfway through the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open then that would be great.” – Michael Vlismas

BELA-BELA, Limpopo – Welshman Rhys Enoch overcame a weather delay and an onslaught of low scoring in the final round of the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned SDC Open to claim a two-stroke victory at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa on Sunday.

Enoch started the final round one shot behind the leaders and made three straight birdies from the first on his way to a 66 and a winning total of 24 under par.

It was an emotional triumph for Enoch who dedicated the victory to the passing of his father’s best friend on the Friday of the tournament. It’s also a win that comes after a difficult past two years of injury for Enoch.

“I had an operation on my left shoulder in April 2022 and I’ve just had a few niggles. I was trying to improve and didn’t quite have the control I needed. But I’m now a bit more settled with what I’m doing and I feel like I’ve stepped up a level, which is nice,” said Enoch.

It was a thrilling final round of some incredible scoring and a weather delay.

Englishman Joshua Berry turned in 29 and was 11 under before the delay and seemingly on track for a 59. A bogey on the restart cost him that honour, but he still signed for a remarkable 61 to finish on 17 under overall.

Deon Germishuys and Martin Rohwer then came surging up the leaderboard and both signed for rounds of 64 to share second place on 22 under par.

But as he rolled in a birdie putt on the last to win, Enoch says he felt an immense sense of relief.

“It’s been three years since I last won and you keep asking when it will happen again. I’m just so happy to be playing the golf I know I can play again.”

Enoch also wins a four-night stay for two in the Presidential Suite at QWABI Private Game Reserve valued at R150 000 and including accommodation, private dining, drinks, game drives and a signature spa treatment for two.

The Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour now move to Cape Town for this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club. – Michael Vlismas