Author: Michael Vlismas

BLOEMFONTEIN – This week’s Mangaung Open could be the scene of Challenge Tour history if JC Ritchie continues his winning streak when the $250 000 tournament tees off at Bloemfontein Golf Club and Schoeman Park Golf Club on Thursday.

Ritchie has arrived in Bloemfontein as the hottest golfer on both tours with back-to-back wins in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open and last week’s Jonsson Workwear Open. A third consecutive victory would be a first in Challenge Tour history and would also earn him automatic promotion to the DP World Tour.

“I thought about taking a week off this week to get a rest, but while I’m hot I’ll keep playing and see if I’ll be blessed to get another win,” said Ritchie.

“I’ll take this week as calmly as I can and get my energy levels back up because there are still a lot of events coming up. These Challenge Tour events on the Sunshine Tour are life-changing for us. Previously, the chances were quite limited for South Africans to get onto the DP World Tour. You had the big co-sanctioned tournaments and then qualifying school. For us to have another foot in the door and a few more stepping stones we can climb with this Challenge Tour series is life-changing for us.”

Ritchie is currently first on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings. If he doesn’t claim another victory this week, a place inside the top 20 on the rankings at the end of the season will also secure him DP World Tour playing privileges.

That’s a goal Wilco Nienaber is also chasing after narrowly missing out last season. Nienaber is back in his hometown and will have plenty of local support as he seeks a second Challenge Tour title after winning last year’s Dimension Data Pro-Am. He narrowly missed out on a place inside the top 20 last year, finishing 21^st.

Keenan Davidse will also be looking to push on from his fourth-place finish in last week’s Jonsson Workwear Open in Durban, and which has lifted him to inside the top 10 on the Road to Mallorca rankings.

RANDBURG – The inaugural SDC Open hosted by Zebula Golf Estate and Spa was launched in Randburg on Wednesday as one of the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour’s new co-sanctioned tournaments and forming part of the strong lineup of international tournaments to start the local golf season.

The $250 000 tournament will be played at both Zebula Golf Estate and Elements Private Golf Reserve from 24-27 March and will feature an impressive array of young Sunshine Tour and European stars in what is a key South African swing of tournaments in terms of the career development of the game’s next generation of stars.

“As the Skills Development Corporation (SDC) we’re delighted to play our part in what is essentially the development of, as well as an investment in, the skills of South Africa’s future golf stars,” Daniel Gibhard, CEO of The Skills Development Corporation, said at the launch held at the SDC Office Block in Randburg.

“At SDC we have witnessed first-hand the power of a high level of training combined with opportunity. The golfers that will take part in the inaugural SDC Open hosted by Zebula Golf Estate and Spa have spent years honing their skills, and we are delighted to be able to give them this opportunity to not only gain a foothold on the Challenge Tour, but to perhaps even go further and progress onto the DP World Tour and continue to showcase the phenomenal talent South Africa has.”

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “The Skills Development Organisation (SDC) plays a vital role in investing in and upskilling young South Africans. As the Sunshine Tour we echo this on our fairways and through our philosophy that ‘GreatnessBeginsHere’.

“The SDC Open hosted by Zebula Golf Estate and Spa has allowed us to put together a strong South African swing of seven Challenge Tour co-sanctioned events that offers our members vital playing opportunities, access to test themselves against international competition, and finally the opportunity to advance their careers and take another step to a place on the main DP World Tour.”

The first two rounds of the SDC Open hosted by Zebula Golf Estate and Spa will be shared by both Zebula Golf Estate and Spa and Elements Private Golf Reserve golf courses, with the final two rounds to be played solely at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa.

A daily maximum of 2 000 fully vaccinated spectators will be able to attend.

Photo (From Left to Right): Daniel Gibhard, CEO of The Skills Development Corporation (SDC); Francois Pulzone, Head of New Business Development at The Skills Development Corporation; and Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, at the official launch of the 2022 SDC Open hosted by Zebula Golf Estate and Spa and which will be co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

DURBAN – JC Ritchie won the Jonsson Workwear Open at Durban Country Club on Sunday to claim back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour, and take another bold step towards his goal of playing on the DP World Tour.

On a far more windy day at Durban Country Club, Ritchie withstood a strong charge from Belgium’s Christopher Mivis and signed for a final round of 71 to win by six shots on 26 under par.

“I don’t have the words for this. This week has been unbelievable. I had a hole-in-one, set a course record, had my birthday, broke my lowest score twice, and then won the tournament. I’ve never dreamt of this. This is special,” said a delighted Ritchie, who also won last week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

The Johannesburg golfer went into the final round with a 10-shot lead and having set a 54-hole scoring record on the Challenge Tour of 25 under par. But on a more tricky final day that changed the nature of this golf course, his lead was whittled down to two shots with five holes remaining as Mivis took up the challenge that was offered to the rest of the field.

As Ritchie came through 13 holes at one over for the day, Mivis was eight under through 15 holes. The Belgian made four birdies in five holes over the turn, bogeyed the 12^th, and then birdied the 13^th, eagled the 14^th and birdied the 15^th to suddenly have Ritchie in sight for the first time this week.

“I had no idea what was going on until we finished playing the 14^th hole. That’s when my girlfriend Sarah came up to me and asked if I’d like to know the scores and I said, ‘Yes’. I was surprised. But I never felt like I was in trouble. I always knew somebody was going to shoot maybe seven under par, and that would still be three short of where I was. I knew I just needed to be level par or under par. I was hitting the ball well enough to not shoot over par. I was a bit nervous but once I settled in to the final round I was one over par and still had the lead by a couple of shots, so that made it easier coming down the stretch to make a couple of good swings and find birdies on the last two holes,” Ritchie said.

Mivis bogeyed his final two holes to settle for second place on 20 under par with a closing 66.

The win is another major boost towards Ritchie’s goal of playing on the main DP World Tour. Earlier in the day, Mark McNulty gave a glowing endorsement of Ritchie, who was chasing his Sunshine Tour 72-hole scoring record of 29 under par.

“I’ve been watching JC for a while now and I think he has immense talent. I love his swing and he is a very solid putter. He has it all. I think whether he is able to progress onto either the DP World Tour or on the PGA Tour, he will be very successful,” said McNulty.

And Ritchie is just as eager to make that step up.

“That’s what I’ve been dreaming of and I’m glad I’ve managed to get a step closer than I was last year. Hopefully I can close it out before these Challenge Tour events in South Africa finish. I’ve always felt my game is good enough to win in Europe and I’m good enough to take the step. In golf it comes down to one tournament for everything to change, and it sort of has.” – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – JC Ritchie has received a glowing endorsement from the very man whose 72-hole Sunshine Tour scoring record he will attempt to break in Sunday’s final round of the Jonsson Workwear Open at Durban Country Club.

“I sincerely hope he breaks it,” said Mark McNulty of his record of 29-under-par 259 in the 1987 Royal Swazi Sun Open.

Ritchie came through 54 holes of this tournament at 25 under par following what McNulty himself described as some of the finest golf he has seen and from a golfer he believes has all the attributes to compete on the biggest stages in the game.

“Records are there to be beaten and I hope he does it. I’ve been watching JC for a while now and I think he has immense talent. I love his swing and he is a very solid putter. He has it all. I think whether he is able to progress onto either the DP World Tour or on the PGA Tour, he will be very successful.”

Louis Oosthuizen came close to McNulty’s record when he won the 2008 Telkom PGA Championship with a 72-hole total of 28-under-par 260.

Ritchie has already set a new Challenge Tour 54-hole scoring record by eclipsing the previous best of 23 under par set by Kristoffer Broberg in the 2012 Rolex Trophy.

And on Sunday, Mark McNulty will be one of the many watching with delight at a golfer who has his fellow professionals in awe of the kind of form he is currently in, and excited about the heights he could potentially reach in the game. – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – JC Ritchie will take a 10-stroke lead into the final round of the Jonsson Workwear Open after another magnificent performance on the fairways of Durban Country Club on Saturday that broke a Challenge Tour record and which could still reach a few Sunshine Tour milestones as well.

With a bogey-free third round of 65, Ritchie pulled away from the field and to a distant 25 under par that eclipses the Challenge Tour’s previous 54-hole scoring record of 23 under par set by Kristoffer Broberg in the 2012 Rolex Trophy.

“It was another brilliant day. This golf course has been very generous to me. I keep trying to respect this golf course as much as I can and it keeps giving. I’m just very pleased,” said Ritchie.

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is Ritchie’s nearest challenger on 15 under par following a third round of 66 and is once again chasing a title of his own after also being in contention in last week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. Ritchie won on that occasion, and the feeling amongst his fellow professionals is that there is again very little that can stop one of the finest displays of golf seen on the Sunshine Tour.

At his current 25 under par, Ritchie is closing in on the 72-hole total of 28-under-par 260 that Louis Oosthuizen reached when he won the 2008 Telkom PGA Championship at Country Club Johannesburg. And with his current 10-shot lead, he’s also in line to match or better Oosthuizen’s 14-shot margin of victory in that 2008 tournament.

Ritchie’s current lead over 54 holes is just one short of Nico van Rensburg’s 11-stroke victory in the 2000 Vodacom Series: Gauteng played at Silver Lakes Golf Estate, over 54 holes.

And judged on pure numbers alone, it provides some perspective to the golf Ritchie is playing when you consider that Tiger Woods won the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots, and Retief Goosen led the Johnnie Walker Classic by a record 13 shots through 54 holes before going on to win in 2002.

“My ball striking was pretty awesome again today. It helps to make easy decisions when you’re hitting the ball good and giving yourself chances,” said Ritchie.

It was really only Durban’s intense February heat and humidity that seemed to be his biggest challenge on Saturday.

“The heat is something special here. I’ve heard that February is the hottest month of the year here so I added a third glove in my rotation today just because it’s so hot. It makes it super tricky because you’re just trying to make sure you’re hydrated and also getting the right nutrition into your body.”

As he chases back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour and with such a commanding lead, Ritchie is doing everything in his power to stay in the present.

“The only goal is to focus on my process and what I’ve been doing and working on for the last two years. As long as I keep focusing on that then the game takes care of itself. It makes it easier to hit the shots where I want to hit them. I’ve dreamt of having a lead like this, and as much as I can I’m going to try and keep playing with my eyes closed but have them open just to enjoy it.”

When JC Ritchie was sleeping in the garage of his coach in pursuit of his dream to become a professional golfer, very few believed in him.

But now, very few will dare bet against him. – Michael Vlismas

Frenchman David Ravetto has already booked his trip back to South Africa with his girlfriend after winning a seven-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch thanks to his hole-in-one on the par-three 12^th hole at Durban Country Club during the first round of the Jonsson Workwear Open on Thursday.

Ravetto aced the famous 135-metre par three with a nine iron, claiming the Hilton prize on this hole on day one and prompting the sponsor to proudly produce another sponsorship board for the remainder of the tournament declaring, “Hole-in-Done! Congrats David!”.

“It was a perfect shot, just tracking all the way, and it took one bounce and went in. It was awesome,” said Ravetto.

“I had just taken a look at the board before I hit the shot and thought, ‘Well, that could be quite a nice prize’. Then I hit the perfect shot and thought, ‘Ok, it’s mine now’. Obviously I’ll be coming back now to have a little vacation, which will be awesome.”

Photo Caption (From left to Right): Lovet Robinson, General Manager Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch, French professional golfer David Ravetto, and Fanie Meintjes, Commercial Manager Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch at the official handing over of Ravetto’s prize on the 12^th tee box at Durban Country Club. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

DURBAN – JC Ritchie locked himself away in that quiet place in his head, in the way he does so well but can’t describe how to even his caddie. And there in that place where he says he finds perfect peace, he once again found perfect golf.

For the second day in succession in the Jonsson Workwear Open, Ritchie was untouchable as he followed up his first round 61 with a second round of 63 at Durban Country Club on Friday.

And now the fear from the rest of the field is that he may just be unreachable as well as he takes a six-shot lead into the weekend of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour event, and chasing back-to-back victories after his triumph in last week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

“The golf is feeling amazing. My swing is in a really good place. My mental game is in a really nice place. I feel like everything is as close to perfect as it can be. There’s always room for improvement, but I think what I’ve got right now and where I am I’m really happy,” said Ritchie as he came through 36 holes at the top of the leaderboard on 18 under par.

“There’s been some really tough times over the last 20 or so years since I decided to play the game, so if this is form then I gladly welcome it.”

There’s no doubt Ritchie is in the form of his life at the moment, and even he is struggling to explain just how he’s able to get to that place mentally that yields such incredible golf.

“It’s a tricky one. I struggle to explain exactly how I get there and where I go to in my head. Even my caddie has asked me, and I told him I just don’t know how to explain it. It’s just a quiet place in my head that I manage to go to when I’m under pressure. It’s a place that’s calm and peaceful in my head, and where I feel like I can make the best possible decisions. I try and keep that space as clear as I can – no negative thoughts or bad memories.”

His nearest challenger is Jbe Kruger, who as his playing partner over the past two days has had a front-row seat to Ritchie’s process and his golf.

“It’s some of the best golf I’ve ever seen. He’s not making a single mistake and he’s putting well. I almost want to say that if you don’t shoot 64-64 on the weekend, you won’t beat him. JC is playing unbelievable golf,” said Kruger, who was in some great form himself with a 66 at Durban Country Club on Friday that puts him on 12 under headed into the weekend.

Kruger had a day of contrasting nines, starting on the back nine with a 29 that included seven birdies and two pars – matching the back nine of John Bland when he shot a course record 62 here in the first round of the 1993 SA Open. He then came home with a 37 featuring eight pars and a bogey.

“I did everything well on the first nine, and then it was completely different on the second nine. It’s been pretty much my form. If it comes together it comes together nicely, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. So let’s hope it comes together on the weekend.”

Challenging for a title on the weekend at the historic Durban Country Club is exactly where these golfers want to be, and Ritchie is certainly keen to ensure he stays in front in this race.

“Durban Country Club has had some amazing tournaments and some pretty big golfers have won here, and to be able to put my name on that list would be pretty special,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better for JC Ritchie, it did.

Only four days after his last victory, Ritchie carded a nine-under-par 61 at the par-70 Woods course at Mount Edgecombe to lead the Jonsson Workwear Open on Thursday. He also had a hole-in-one. And his 61 was a course record. Oh hang on, it was also all on his birthday.

“Today was pretty strange. It was probably the best ball striking day I’ve had in my life. I don’t remember ever having that control on a golf course. That was really nice. And to have a hole-in-one on my birthday was pretty awesome. Today was just really special,” said Ritchie.

His hole-in-one came on the 213-yard par-three second hole with a golden five iron. It was one of two holes-in-one on the opening day. At Durban Country Club, David Ravetto aced the par-three 12^th hole to win himself a seven-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch.

Ritchie leads by two shots over Rupert Kaminski, whose 63 was also at the Woods course at Mount Edgecombe. The first two rounds are shared between the Durban Country Club course and Mount Edgecome Country Club’s The Woods course.

MJ Viljoen and Christopher Mivis led the scoring at Durban Country Club with their rounds of 66 to place them in a group on six under.

But on the east coast of Durban, the man clearly riding the wave of form at present is Ritchie.

Last Sunday, he holed a magnificent putt on the final green at Royal Cape to win the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, successfully defending this title. He arrived in Durban having sorted out what he said were a few niggling issues with his ball striking, and feeling as confident as ever.

“I didn’t hit the ball well at all last weekend. I think it might have been a combination of nerves and the wind in Cape Town. But I managed to do some work and straighten out everything,” he said.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard before I teed off. We were all wondering what kind of score you’re looking at for this week, but I just closed my eyes and took what the golf course gave me. And today it was really generous. My aim was to just keep hitting the ball in good spots and give myself realistic chances.”

Ritchie heads to Durban Country Club on Friday and has a very clear strategy for this venerable golf course.

“Durban Country Club is sneaky, so I’ll respect her as much as I can. Hopefully the ball striking stays where it is and I can just stick to my gameplan.” – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – The similarities between golf and rugby don’t seem obvious, but on the eve of this week’s Jonsson Workwear Open, professionals from both sports showed they do have something in common.

On Wednesday, Sunshine Tour professionals Callum Mowat and Martin Rohwer challenged Cell C Sharks flyhalf Jordan Chait to a golf versus rugby competition on the hallowed turf of the Kings Park Stadium.

From various positions on the field, the golfers had three opportunities to chip through the rugby poles and Chait had to match this with a placekick. Then the golfers had to chip one-handed while Chait had to drop-kick from the same position.

It was a challenge the golfers won, with Mowat scoring a flawless 6 out of 6, and Chait and Rohwer sharing second place with scores of 4 out of 6.

“It was an unbelievable experience. I love my golf and I follow most of these Sunshine Tour professionals. It’s unbelievable what these guys can do with a golf ball. You know, we’ve got to kick a ball around on a rugby field, but the mental side in professional golf is a whole other ball game. I’ve got a lot of respect for that,” said Chait.=

And in his opinion, the approach of both placekickers in rugby and professional golfers is very similar, especially when it comes to the different styles, techniques and mental strategies.

“In rugby, placekickers all have a different kicking style. I think it’s just about finding what is right for you, drilling that in and making it the best for you. Some kickers are very straight on, while others like a Dan Carter come around the corner and almost kick like a soccer kick. You see some very funny run-ups while others are very simple. At the end of the day it’s about what works for you and being very consistent with your technique. I think golf and place kicking are very similar in that it is very mental and you’ve got to believe that you can put the ball where you want it to be.”

However, it appears a lot easier to move from rugby to golf than the other way around. In a friendly competition after the main challenge, Chait outscored the golfers with his chips, and then was kind enough to give them a few pointers on placekicking and drop-kicking.

The $250 000 Jonsson Workwear Open is a Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament that will be played at both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club golf courses from Thursday to Sunday, with the final two rounds played solely at Durban Country Club. – Michael Vlismas 

It’s another week of significant opportunity for the rising stars of the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour as the inaugural Jonsson Workwear Open tees off at both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club golf courses on Thursday.

The $250 000 tournament is the third on the seven-tournament schedule of co-sanctioned events between the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour and features a strong international field headlined by the return of multiple DP World Tour champion Brandon Stone.

It was precisely this co-sanctioning strategy that enabled Stone to achieve a first in his career when he won last year’s Limpopo Championship to record his maiden victory on the Challenge Tour.

“I’ve won on the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour, and I always wanted to add a victory on the Challenge Tour as well, which I was able to do,” said Stone.

JC Ritchie also knows the value of this week’s event for the field, and he heads to Durban as the latest winner after defending his title in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open last week.

“It’s brilliant for us to have these events, especially for the South Africans. To get the season off to a good start early in the year and here at home could mean that the rest of the year is a bit more comfortable,” he said.

“We have a lot of brilliant players in South Africa who often don’t have the financial support to get onto the Challenge Tour or main DP World Tour, or even to the qualifying schools. So to have these events, and in general to have that collaboration between the Sunshine Tour, Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, is so special for us as players.”

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin, who made a strong push for his maiden Challenge Tour victory in Cape Town last week, also represents that sense of this being a true breeding ground of future champions of the game. The 19-year-old plays out of the same Holywood Golf Club that produced Rory McIlroy, and is held in high esteem by McIlroy.

The first two rounds of the Jonsson Workwear Open will be shared by both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club courses, with the final two rounds to be played solely on the historic Durban Country Club course.

All of which adds to the significance of just how special this week could be for a young professional to be able to win on a golf course as iconic as Durban Country Club, and which this year also celebrates its Centenary.

A daily maximum of 2 000 fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to attend, and the final two rounds of the tournament will be shown live on SuperSport.