Category: Featured News

ZAMBIA, Chingola – Haydn Porteous will head into Sunday’s final round of the KCM Golf Challenge at the Nchanga Golf Club in Zambia as the overall leader on 16-under par, one shot clear of Sunshine Tour rookie Oliver Goldhill.

Fresh from a joint third place at last week’s Mopani Zambia Open, Porteus  made a big statement during Saturday’s third round, powering his way to a round of eight under par 64, to take him to the top of the leaderboard.

The three-time Sunshine Tour champion Porteous started his strong run with four birdies over five holes on the front nine, followed by another five birdies and a drop shot on his way to the clubhouse and the overall lead.

Sunshine Tour rookie Oliver Goldhill, who was leading the tournament after the first round made his intentions clear in search of a maiden Sunshine Tour title. Goldhill started his round with back-to-back birdies on the opening two holes before dropping his only shot on the par three third hole. Another five birdies followed for a round of six under par 66, only one shot behind tournament leader Porteous on 15-under par.

“Today was really good, I hit the ball very well that gave me some good opportunities. I made some putts and got a few lucky and unlucky breaks, but I kept going knowing I was up there” Goldhill said.

The South African duo of Porteous and Goldhill will bring an exciting mix of experience and youth to the final round.

“It will be quite cool to play with Haydn (Porteous) tomorrow. I’ve played a few times with him last year on the Big Easy Tournaments so it will be a nice pairing and I am looking forward to it.”

“It’s a big moment for my career, it’s my first time in this sort of situation on the big stage. I am looking forward to giving it a crack tomorrow,” Goldhill said.

Germany’s Allen John who finished joint second at The Courier Guy Play-Offs played himself into a strong position to challenge for the title. John signed for a bogey-free round of six under par 66 that moved him into third place on 14-under par, one shot clear of South African Kyle Barker (69). – Michael Vlismas Media

ZAMBIA, Chingola – Pieter Moolman is leading the KCM Golf Challenge at the Nchanga Golf Club in Zambia on 12-under par heading into the weekend, after signing for a solid two under par 69 on Friday.

Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi finished with a strong nine under par 63 and is just one shot from the leader Moolman in second place on 11-under par.  

Moolman followed up an opening round of 63 with a solid second round that included four birdies with only one dropped shot.  He feels however that there is still room for improvement.

“Today was not as good as yesterday. I felt like I didn’t hit the ball as good and as close as I did yesterday. I hit a lot of good putts but didn’t make a lot of them. That goes hand in hand with being too far from the hole. On these greens you want to give yourself the best chance with short putts.”

Moolman’s fourth and most recent Sunshine Tour title came in October of last year at the Limpopo Championship, but he has been struggling since then to hit top form.

“My golf swing is not fully on point where I want it to be, it is still a work in progress since last year. When I am on, I hit it extremely well, but when I’m slightly off, I feel like I don’t hit the exact shots that I want. It makes it a little bit interesting” Moolman said.

Leading by two shots heading into the weekend, Moolman is looking forward to what might be, especially with the course offering scoring opportunities.

“There’s still a lot of golf over the next two rounds. This is a shortish golf course so if you attack and hit it nicely, you will have a lot of short birdie opportunities. You need short birdie putts to overpower this course, as there is a bit of forgiveness. I will play the best I think I can and try and stay aggressive. I am happy to be somewhere near the top as you always give yourself the best chance to be in the mix, so let’s see what happens.”

The South African quartet of Ethan Smith (67), Stals Swart (68), Kyle Barker (63) and Toto Thimba Jnr (68) is well placed on 10-under par in joint third place, with the first round leader Oliver Goldhill and Chile’s Agustin Errazuriz one shot further back on nine under par. – Michael Vlismas Media

ZAMBIA, Chingola – Pieter Moolman opened with an impressive 63 to lead the KCM Golf Challenge by two strokes at the Nchanga Golf Club in Zambia on Thursday.

Moolman’s round of nine under par was bogey free as he distanced himself from the chasing trio of Oliver Goldhill, Jaco Prinsloo and Estiaan Conradie.

The four-time Sunshine Tour champion started his round with four birdies over the first five holes followed by an eagle on the par-five seventh, and then added three birdies over the closing four holes.

Sunshine Tour rookie Goldhill made a strong start with his opening 65.

“I’ve played some really good golf today. I think the putter was probably the key club today. I made some really good putts, kept the ball in play and made a nice eagle on the 17^th hole, which is for me the highlight of the day,” said Goldhill, who seems quite comfortable having made the transition from amateur to professional.

“I lived in Europe for a while and after returning to South African I played on the GolfRSA circuit. I then made my way to the Betway Big Easy Tour where I graduated by winning the recent final at Waterkloof in a playoff.

“It’s my first season on the Sunshine Tour and it’s an awesome experience to be here in Zambia with new cultures and lifestyles that you got to get exposed to. The travel is just awesome. I am looking forward to the rest of the week,” Goldhill said.

A shot behind him on six under par is the duo of Toto Thimba Jnr and Stals Swart. – Michael Vlismas Media

ZAMBIA, Kitwe – Zimbabwean Stuart Krog became a first-time Sunshine Tour winner by clinching the Mopani Zambia Open title by a single shot at the Nkana Golf Club on Sunday.

Krog closed with a 66 to finish on five under par, one shot clear of Jason Roets, who signed for a final round of 75.

Krog, who ended in joint seventh place at this tournament two years ago and who has had multiple top-10 finishes in his Sunshine Tour career, went into Sunday’s final round in joint 14^th place on one over par.

“It’s something I’ve dreamt of for the last couple of years and I’ve had a couple of close calls. I can’t really process any of the feelings right now. It’s going to take a while,” an overjoyed Krog said.

It was an impressive comeback after Krog opened the tournament with a 76 that left him in joint 68^th position, before he climbed the leaderboard thereafter with rounds of 72 and 69.

“I’m so excited. I mean, being four over par through two rounds I knew I was going to need a big weekend and a big final day. I just played dream golf today. I loved every second of it and still can’t believe it.

“I just tried to keep calm today, putt well, and hit good shots. I’m glad I got it done today,” Krog said.

In a tournament where only 10 golfers finished under par, and with overnight leader Roets struggling on the final day, Krog rolled in seven birdies and dropped only one shot on his way to the clubhouse lead on five under, with a tense wait for the final group to finish behind him.

A birdie for Roets on the 11^th hole saw him move two shots clear, but a run of three bogeys in three holes on the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th dropped him to one shot behind Krog, and from which he was unable to recover from over the closing holes.

Haydn Porteus, the Sunshine Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year last season, finished in joint third place on three under par with fellow South African Keagan Thomas, both signing for final rounds of 73.

Defending champion Samuel Simpson (70) shared fifth place on two under par with Frenchman Pierre Viallaneix (75). – Michael Vlismas Media

ZAMBIA, Kitwe – Jason Roets will head into Sunday’s final round of the Mopani Zambia Open at the Nkana Golf Club with a two-stroke lead over Frenchman Pierre Viallaneix, with Roets seeking to become a first-time Sunshine Tour winner and Viallaneix seeking to become the first French winner of this historic national Open.

Roets had to dig deep on Saturday as he signed for a round of one-over-par 73 and an overall score of seven under par. It was his highest round of the week.

Roets started the day with back-to-back birdies on the opening holes and quickly climbed to 10 under par as he opened an extensive lead. But then a bogey on the seventh was followed by a double-bogey on the par-four eighth hole.

The South African tried to steady the ship on his way to the clubhouse, but more bogeys followed on the 14^th and 16^th holes for Roets to draw level with Viallaneix, who took the clubhouse lead on five under par after signing for a round of 70.

An eagle on the par-five 17^th hole proved his saving grace however and gave him the two-shot cushion he will carry into the final round.

But his nearest challenger Viallaneix, who missed out on his PGA Tour card and has come to the Sunshine Tour for the opportunities it provides, has his own motivation to win on Sunday.

“Zambia holds a special place for me because one of my closest family friends is from Lusaka. If I can win in him home country it would be incredible,” he said.

“I just fought hard. My ball striking wasn’t the best today but I just stayed steady all day. I made some good momentum putts when I needed to. I’m excited for the final round. It’s a good golf course and very demanding off the tee. You’ve got to hit it straight. But I like it.”

Keagan Thomas impressed with his round of 68 that included five birdies and only one bogey to join the first-round leader Haydn Porteous (71) on four under par and in joint third place. – Michael Vlismas Media

ZAMBIA, Kitwe – Haydn Porteous’ love for golf in Zambia shone through as he led the first round of the Mopani Zambia Open at the Nkana Golf Club on Thursday.

Porteous, the Sunshine Tour’s Comeback Player of the Year last season, made a strong statement with his opening five-under-par 67 to lead by one stroke over Chile’s Martin Leon.

The South African has a strong record in Zambia, having finished tied fifth and tied fourth here before.

Porteus took advantage of an early tee time on a challenging Nkana Golf Club course. The South African, who teed off on the 10^th, rolled in four birdies on his way out before adding another birdie on his second nine for the lead.

But only 14 golfers in the field were able to shoot under par on day one.

“I’m really happy with my round today. To go bogey-free is always good, no matter where you are. The course played quite tricky as it was very firm, but I chipped and scrambled well and took the opportunities that were given to me,” Porteus said.

The Chilean Leon ended his front nine with three birdies in a row before adding four more birdies on his back nine to briefly take the overall lead. But a double bogey on his last hole pushed him into second place.

But Porteous is looking to build on the momentum of his victory in last year’s Vodacom Origins of Golf at Gowrie Farm that ended a lengthy win drought.

“I’m all-in-all very happy with my game and hopefully I can keep going for the next three rounds,” he said.

South Africa’s Rigardt Albertse and Pierre Viallaneix from France opened with respective rounds of three-under-par 69 and are in joint third place.

Defending champion Samuel Simpson signed for a three-over-par 75. – Michael Vlismas Media

GAUTENG, Johannesburg – Caitlyn Macnab may have only turned professional in 2025, but the past season’s R&A Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Ladies Tour showed massive composure to win the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions supported by Attacq and WCMC by one shot on eight under par.

It was a tense finish though, with three players tied for the lead with only one hole to play on Royal Johannesburg’s East Course.

Macnab had to sink an eagle putt on the 18th hole to win the tournament outright, and she did just that for a 69 to win by one shot from the Sunshine Tour’s 2025/26 Fortress Rookie of the year, Luis Carrera (69).

“My caddie Matt (Saulez) did a good job of keeping me grounded and keeping me within the shot. I couldn’t really feel much so we decided on a line and thank goodness it went in,” a happy Macnab said. Saulez was awarded the Sunshine Tour Medallion for the winning caddie.

Macnab, who led from day one at Royal Johannesburg, started Sunday’s final round with six pars in a row before birdies on the seventh and ninth holes got her round going. Drop shots on the 11th and 14th holes however opened the door for Mexico’s Luis Carrera who took the outright lead on seven under par after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole.

“It was a tight leaderboard all week. I just tried to stay patient which was hard at times, but I was really hitting some great golf shots. I wasn’t really making putts today, but it felt good for that last one to drop,” Macnab said.

Pieter Moolman (66) ended in third place on six under par after finishing with four birdies over the last five holes, and one shot clear of Gabrielle Venter (70), who ended on five under par and secured fourth place. – Michael Vlismas Media

GAUTENG, Johannesburg – Caitlyn Macnab, the past season’s R&A Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, heads the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions supported by Attacq and WCMC by one shot over a quality field going into Sunday’s final round at Royal Johannesburg.

Macnab heads the field on five under par following her third round of 70 and is one shot clear of the Sunshine Tour’s 2025/26 Fortress Rookie of the year, Luis Carrera (65), and recent winner Justin Walters (70).

Macnab started Saturday’s third round on Royal Johannesburg’s East Course with four birdies over the first six holes and led by three shots at the turn. However, a double-bogey on the 10th hole and bogeys on the 13th and 17th holes wiped away her lead. But her birdie on the 18th took her clear again.

“I got off to a good start which was ideal as I was hitting the ball well. Then I went into a bit of wobble in the middle of my round but managed to turn it around by finishing with a birdie.  All in all, I am happy with the day. Going into the final day with a lead is always a positive, I am grateful to be in the position, and I am hungry to keep fighting tomorrow” Macnab said.

Carrera made his charge with a strong front nine featuring two eagles on his way to the lowest round of the day.

And Walters played his way into contention for a possible second title after winning the SunBet Challenge-Sun Boardwalk tournament two weeks ago.

“This tournament is quite unique – playing nine holes twice is different,” said Walters.

“It’s quite tricky, especially with the mixed nature of the event and the use of different tees. It is however nice to have the change. I am enjoying it. I played really well when I won the SunBet Challenge at Humewood, but this week I wouldn’t say that I have been playing great. It’s been solid but I haven’t been able to piece it all together on a day as yet. It’s been a bit of a mental struggle the whole week. You have to stay patient out there and I have been able to do that reasonably well.”

“The final round will be key to take advantage of the par-fives, but overall the backbone of the course is holes one-through-five, or 10-through-14. If you can play those holes solid and take a run at the par-fives you can compete. That will be my goal and then knock in a few birdies.”

Deon Germishuys (68), Altin van der Merwe (68), Herman Loubser (69) and Gabrielle Venter (71) are tied for fourth place on three under par, only two shots behind Macnab. – Michael Vlismas Media