Author: Michael Vlismas

Hennie du Plessis earned himself a one-shot lead going into the weekend of the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood as he added a 65 to his opening 62 to lead the field on 17 under par.

Spain’s Nacho Elvira and Pablo Larrazabal and South Africa’s Tristen Strydom are his nearest challengers just one shot back. Elvira and Strydom signed for second rounds of 66 on Friday while Larrazabal posted a 65.

With strong support as the local favourite here at Pecanwood, Du Plessis was six under for his round through 15 holes and tied for the lead at this point. He then holed a tremendous eagle putt on the par-five seventh hole – playing as his 16^th – that took him two shots clear. But then a bogey on the last drew him back to just one shot clear.

“It was hard work out there because I had to stay patient. The greens were a bit more tricky. So there was a lot of grinding out there and a lot of patience required. But my game has been good all week and I’m happy with my score,” said Du Plessis.

The weekend will bring more of the same pressure to keep playing attacking golf on a course that is certainly rewarding the field with some very low scores.

Larrazabal has said he’s “ready for the birdie festival” that the weekend will bring.

“That’s the only strategy. This is a tournament where many guys will be shooting lows 60s. The course is there for a 59. You have to go out there and make as many birdies as you can and try to reach 30 under par. That’s the number. When they told me that on Tuesday I didn’t believe it, but now I believe 30 is a great number to aim for.”

As for Du Plessis, his strategy won’t change too much on a golf course he knows extremely well.

“I’ve been doing something right so I’m just going to relax with my family tonight, have a braai and get back at it on Saturday. If you keep hitting good shots and stay patient it will happen on this course. I’ll just keep focusing on my targets on enjoy it.” – Michael Vlismas

It was a low-scoring opening round of the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood on Thursday as four rounds of 62 from Hennie du Plessis, Tristen Strydom, Ross Fisher and Nacho Elvira led the field.

A Pecanwood golf course primed to reward this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour field has set the tone for a week in which Richard Sterne, who ended round one just two strokes off the lead, believes a 59 is a distinct possibility.

The leading quartet are only one stroke clear of Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal, while Sterne, the in-form JC Ritchie and Germany’s Nicolai von Dellinghausen are all on eight under par. Wilco Nienaber and Dean Burmester are also well placed at seven under par.

But the man perhaps feeling the most comfortable this week is Du Plessis. He has only a one-minute ride from his house at Pecanwood to the first tee, and is clearly determined to take advantage of that home-course knowledge.

“It was an incredible round today,” said Du Plessis. “Sometimes it’s hard when you’re on your home course to expect a good score, but this course is forgiving and I know the greens well. But you know, if you give yourself a lot of opportunities you can shoot low on any course. It just makes it that much more special that it’s on my home course.”

“It’s still a long week with three more rounds to play, but this has been an awesome start and I’m looking forward to the next three rounds.”

Strydom used to live here as well, and his memories of this course were equally rewarding.

“I’m very familiar with the golf course and I gave myself a ton of chances today. The thing with this golf course is there are going to be chances out there, so you just have to be patient and give yourself good opportunities.”

Spain’s Elvira went on a scoring run that included seven straight birdies on the back nine. “I’m quite pleased. I loved it. Days like these you don’t want the round to end. It’s going to be a birdie fest this week.”

And England’s Fisher enjoyed every bit of his 62 as well in a county he loves and where he claimed his fifth DP World Tour victory in the 2014 Tshwane Open. “It was a lot of fun. I chipped in for an eagle on my first hole. That’s a nice little eagle three to start the day.”

Zander Lombard has every reason to feel confident ahead of this week’s MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood as he returns to home fairways with finishes of tied third in two of his last three tournaments.

The South African is amongst a strong list of contenders for this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour event, which tees off on Thursday.

The MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood is one of two new South African tournaments on the DP World Tour, and offers even more opportunity for the likes of Lombard to make the kind of breakthrough his form is suggesting could be imminent.

He finished second in November’s Joburg Open, which was reduced to 36 holes because of the weather. Then in February he finished tied third in the Ras al Khaimah Classic and followed this with another tied third in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

“I’m feeling confident. Golf is all about confidence. When you believe you’re going to pull a shot off, then nine out of 10 times you do. So confidence is a massive part of golf, and it’s nice for me to have it for a change. I feel like my golf has been in a good space for the last three months now,” said Lombard.

“It’s been a good build-up to these two new events. I feel like my golf is in a good spot. Everything is solid. There’s nothing to complain about.”

His Wednesday practice round at this Jack Nicklaus golf course alongside the Hartbeespoort Dam was focused more on awakening some distant memories of a golf course he last played competitively during his amateur days.

“I remember the golf course, but it has been 11 years now. If I remember correctly it is a forgiving golf course so I think the scoring will be low.”

Keenan Davidse is moving in the right direction in terms of the hard work he has put into his game, and this week’s MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood offers another big opportunity for the South African to take the next step in his career and realise the dream he’s been chasing.

The first of two new DP World Tour events on the Sunshine Tour tees off at the Pecanwood Golf & Country Club on Thursday.

With this week’s field a level up from the Challenge Tour co-sanctioned fields of the past few weeks in South Africa, Davidse has the perfect opportunity to test his good form in those events against the likes of DP World Tour winners Dean Burmester, George Coetzee, Thriston Lawrence, Daniel van Tonder, Justin Harding, Brandon Stone and a strong European presence as well.

He comes into this week with finishes of tied fourth and tied sixth in his last two Challenge Tour co-sanctioned events, which has seen him move into eighth place on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings, and well within the top 20 that will gain automatic qualification to the DP World Tour at the end of this season.

He’s also decided to take up Challenge Tour membership for the first time in his career and commit to his dream of playing internationally.

“I’ve always told myself I want to play on different tours but I’ve never had the guts to sign up for membership. My friend convinced me to sign up for Challenge Tour membership now and I’m lying well on the rankings at this point in the season. So it’s just onwards and upwards for me now. I just want to work hard and keep enjoying my golf. I’m chasing a dream now,” said Davidse.

Davidse is also preparing to become a father for the second time, and is more motivated than ever to take his career onto the international stage.

“The due date for our second boy is 28 March. We’re really excited about that. I’m just going to take what I have and trust that I can achieve this dream. It doesn’t matter if I have to sleep in a bunker or drive through the night to tournaments. I’ll do it. I’ve never worked this hard on my game. I want to take that next step now, and also set an example for my kids that it’s about hard work, dedication and following your dream. I’ve always had the game to compete. I’ve never doubted this.”

The MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood significantly enhances South African golf’s global footprint and brings international golf back to a venue that opened in 1996 as the country’s first Jack Nicklaus signature golf course.

The Sunshine Tour today announced that the winner of the 2021/22 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit will receive an exemption to play in the 2022 US Open, courtesy of the United States Golf Association (USGA).

The Sunshine Tour’s current season ends with The Tour Championship in early May, whereupon the leading professional on the final Order of Merit who is not already exempt for this Major will gain automatic entry to the 16-19 June US Open at The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts.

Should the leading player on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit already be exempt, the exemption will fall to the next leading player on the Order of Merit who is not yet exempt.

“We are extremely grateful to the United States Golf Association for this incredible incentive for our Sunshine Tour Order of Merit champion,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“South Africa has a proud US Open record with victories by Gary Player, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Through this exemption we can hopefully add to that number and continue to show that greatness does indeed begin on the Sunshine Tour.”

Retief Goosen holed out for eagle from a greenside bunker on the short par-4 first hole, birdied the next two and cruised to an 8-under 63 and a four-stroke victory Sunday in the Hoag Classic.

A stroke behind fellow South African star Ernie Els entering the round, Goosen pulled away quickly at Newport Beach Country Club in breezy but calmer conditions than the players faced Saturday.

After hitting his opening drive into the left bunker, Goosen’s long blast hit the flagstick and dropped in the cup without touching the green.

Goosen finished at 15-under 198. Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, the two-time U.S. Open champion won for the second time on the PGA TOUR Champions. He also won the 2019 SENIOR PLAYERS.

Goosen followed the early 4-under burst with a birdie on the par-4 sixth. He birdied the par-3 10th, rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 11th with birdies on the par-4 12th and par-5 15h and finished with 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th.

K.J. Choi was second after a 66.

Lee Janzen (69) and Stephen Ames (67) tied for third at 9 under. Doug Barron and Tim Petrovic each shot 67 to finish at 7 under.

Els was sixth at 6 under after a 73. He won the event in 2020 the last time it was played.

Bernhard Langer closed with a 70 to tie for eighth at 5 under. The 64-year-old German star, the 2008 winner, won the Chubb Classic two weeks ago in Florida for his 43rd PGA TOUR Champions title, two behind Hale Irwin for the record. Langer is the oldest winner in PGA TOUR Champions history. – PGA Tour Champions

BLOEMFONTEIN – Denmark’s Oliver Hundeboll came like a bolt of lightning out of a dark Bloemfontein sky and struck with a final round of 66 to take victory in the inaugural Mangaung Open at the Bloemfontein Golf Club on Sunday.

With all eyes on the likes of Scotland’s Craig Ross and South Africans Luke Jerling, Tristen Strydom and Jbe Kruger as the most likely contenders for this title, Hundeboll came from five shots back on the final day and produced a strong back nine of 31 to take the victory on 21 under par.

His one-stroke victory earned him a maiden title on the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour, and made him yet another champion to come out of the famous Silkeborg Ry Golf Club in Denmark that is the home club of the country’s most famous golfer Thomas Bjørn, and also the regular golf club of the twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard.

But it was a victory made all the more surprising by the fact that Hundeboll missed the cut in the previous two Challenge Tour events on South African fairways.

“I just wanted to try and put a good score out there today,” Hundeboll said of his mindset going into the final round and in a tournament where he and the rest of the field were challenged by weather delays and a wet final day.

“The weather was like Denmark actually – good weather in Denmark. So I am used to this kind of weather. After nine holes I wasn’t even thinking about the win but just focused on a strong finish.”

With the title looking to be decided between the trio of Jerling, Strydom and Ross, all of their challenges faltered over the closing holes.

Jerling bogeyed the par-five 18^th, which cost him a maiden professional victory. Strydom bogeyed the short but tricky 16^th, and a birdie at 17 and par at 18 was just not enough for him either as they both shared second place on 20 under par. And Ross came home with a bogey, double-bogey and birdie finish to drop to a share of fourth place.

Hundeboll birdied the 18^th to cap off a great back-nine charge on his way to victory.

“The birdie putt on 18 was unbelievable. But overall I’d just like to thank the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour for these tournaments in South Africa. It’s been such a nice experience for me to come here for the first time. I’ve done a bit of sightseeing in South Africa. It’s such a nice country,” he said.

The Sunshine Tour now shifts its co-sanctioning status to the main DP World Tour over the next two weeks with the hosting of two new events, the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood, followed by the Steyn City Championship at The Club at Steyn City. – Michael Vlismas

BLOEMFONTEIN – Jbe Kruger shot a course-record 11-under-par 61 at Bloemfontein Golf Club on Saturday to place him one stroke off the lead of the Mangaung Open before the third round was suspended because of dangerous weather conditions.

Kruger made it into the clubhouse on 18 under par shortly before play was suspended at 17:01 and then called off for the day. The third round will resume at 07:00 on Sunday.

Scotland’s Craig Ross currently leads the tournament on 19 under par and at nine under for this third round with two holes still to come. Spain’s Scott Fernandez joined Kruger on 18 under and with a third round of 63.

Kruger has been playing incredible golf of late. At last week’s Jonsson Workwear Open he carded a 29 on the back nine at Durban Country Club on his way to finishing 12^th there. And then at a Bloemfontein Golf Club where he grew up, Kruger went on a run of nine birdies and an eagle that has set him up for another shot at victory on the Challenge Tour.

“I’m very happy. Finally I can get my name on this course record,” he said.

“I know the course well but I was battling to read the greens over the first couple of days. I just couldn’t remember the lines. Then slowly it started coming back to me. I also began to hit the ball better, and if you’re hitting fairways and greens then the pressure is off.”

It was those memories that came flooding back to him that also allowed him to play aggressive golf on a day of low scoring that saw Tristen Strydom shoot a 64 to see him well-placed on 16 under par, and Louis Albertse added a 63 to join him on that total.

“The greens here have always been soft. I remember that growing up here, so it’s always felt like I can attack them a bit more,” said Kruger.

After years of struggling to get his swing back to the natural one he had when he started the game, Kruger felt he’d truly turned a corner when he won the Gauteng Championship on the Sunshine Tour last year. But he’s not about to get ahead of himself as he looks to take another step up with a Challenge Tour victory.

“Sunday is a new day. Golf is golf and it’s a crazy game, so you just have to take it one shot at a time and see what the outcome is. But I wouldn’t be able to describe what it would mean for me to win here, because I’m from here. It would be a tremendous victory for me personally because it’s been a tough battle for me to get here.” – Michael Vlismas

BLOEMFONTEIN – Pieter Moolman put the weather disruptions behind him and forged a clear path to the top of the Mangaung Open leaderboard on Friday as he claimed a one-stroke clubhouse lead going into the weekend of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament.

After Thursday’s suspensions, the weather again delayed the resumption of the first round on Friday morning. When it was finally completed there was no change to the top of the leaderboard, with South Africa’s Luke Jerling still in a three-way tie for the lead with the Spanish duo of Alejandro Del Rey and Scott Fernandez on nine under par.

The delayed second round then teed off, and Moolman produced a solid bogey-free 66 at Schoeman Park Golf Club to take the lead on 13 under par and set the clubhouse target for the remainder of the field, who will have to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning.

Jerling and Del Rey, playing Schoeman Park Golf Club, had moved to 10 under through three holes of their second rounds when play ended for the day.

Moolman is currently one stroke clear of Lars van Meijel of The Netherlands, who signed for a 66 of his own at neighbouring Bloemfontein Golf Cub. The two courses share the first two rounds of this event, with the final two rounds played solely at Bloemfontein Golf Club.

It was a marathon day for Moolman on Friday as he finished off his first round of seven under and then went into the second round.

“I’m pretty tired. I played 28 holes today. I’ve been at the golf course for 13 hours so it’s not like a usual tournament,” he said.

“The only way you can deal with it is you just have to stick to your routine. It drains you a bit physically and mentally, but you just have to stay in the moment and I did that well.”

While happy with his result, Moolman said he’s still not quite where he wants to be in terms of his swing.

“I’m not really hitting the ball very well. I scrambled well and the putter was working, so that kept the momentum going.

“I feel like my form has been showing good signs for a while. But the last couple of weeks my swing hasn’t been where I would want it to be. I’m using the opportunities I’m getting, but I feel like I could have more out there.”

And yet he’s still top of the leaderboard and chasing a maiden Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour title.

“That’s a big goal. If you win on the Challenge Tour you gain a Challenge Tour card, so that’s a big step in your career. It opens up a lot of doors.” – Michael Vlismas

BLOEMFONTEIN – South Africa’s Luke Jerling is in a three-way tie for the first-round clubhouse lead of the Mangaung Open after recording his lowest ever round as a professional on a golf course he’s hardly ever played as a professional.

The left-hander opened with a nine-under-par 63 at Bloemfontein Golf Club on Thursday to secure himself a share of the clubhouse lead with the Spanish duo of Alejandro Del Rey and Scott Fernandez, who also both played Bloemfontein Golf Club. The round was suspended shortly after 1:20pm because of dangerous weather. Play resumed at 4pm before another suspension at 4:34pm. The first round will now be completed on Friday morning before the start of the second round.

The first two rounds of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour event are shared between Bloemfontein Golf Club and neighbouring Schoeman Park Golf Club, with the final two rounds played solely at Bloemfontein Golf Club.

Jerling and his co-leaders are currently two strokes clear of the rest of the field. The in-form JC Ritchie, seeking his third consecutive victory this week, and home favourite Wilco Nienaber both opened with rounds of five-under-par 67 at Schoeman Park Golf Club.

Jerling was pleased, if somewhat surprised, by his 63 on Thursday.

“It sort of came out of nowhere because I haven’t been playing too well,” he said. “A few loose shots have crept into my game over the last few weeks and I’ve been very hard on myself. I played a practice round at Schoeman Park and didn’t play well at all. Then I went to the range and after about 20 minutes I just packed it in and decided to kind of just stop worrying about it. I think I was getting in my own way a bit. So on Thursday I came in with a more relaxed mindset, and it’s nice to prove to myself that my game is definitely still there.”

After holing an eight-footer for par on the first which he said could’ve decided the round right there, Jerling had a strong stretch of three birdies and an eagle in five holes on the front nine, followed by a further four birdies on the back.

“I missed a short eagle putt on the third, but I think the birdie on the third and then fourth holes, and then the eagle on the fifth really set the tone for my round. My iron play was definitely good.”

Apart from a junior interprovincial tournament and the 2016 Sunshine Tour Qualifying School at Bloemfontein Golf Club, Jerling has no other previous experience of this course or neighbouring Schoeman Park.

“Although they’re right next door to each other they seem to have a different character about them. Bloemfontein Golf Club seems to allow you to hit driver a lot more, while Schoeman Park has a few more quirky holes where I’d probably hit irons off the tee about five or six times. The greens at Schoeman Park also seem a bit softer.”

The good start has given Jerling plenty of confidence to now build on this rather than have to play catch-up after day one.

“It’s nice to be up there again. I’ve finally put myself in a good position after round one.”

Belgium’s Kristof Ulenaers scored the first hole-in-one of this week’s tournament when he aced the 126-metre par-three eighth hole at Schoeman Park Golf Club with a wedge. It helped him to an opening score of two-under-par 70. – Michael Vlismas