Category: Featured News

BENONI, Gauteng – With the sun breaking through the clouds after two days of rain interruptions, Casey Jarvis made his intensions clear with a stunning 63 to earn him the lead in The Hyundai Open at the Ebotse Links.

Jarvis closed off the second round, which had been suspended because of the weather, at the top of the leaderboard on 14 under par on Saturday, one stroke clear of Nikhil Rama who signed for a 64. Warwick Purchase was two shots off the lead following a 65.

And then as the third round teed off, Jarvis birdied the first to climb to 15 under par before darkness brought an end to play. Rama is now two shots adrift and still on 13 under following a par at the first. And Purchase also parred his first hole to remain on 12 under par.

The final round will be played directly after the completion of the third round on Sunday.

Jarvis put himself in a strong position with his 63, which included a front nine of 29 and only one bogey overall.

“I played solid golf and hit some good shots. I unfortunately got punished at the 11^th hole with that bogey, but I can’t dwell too long on the negatives. I’ve hit the ball really nicely today, so there are lots of positives heading into the third round,” he said.

Jarvis is still searching for a maiden victory on the Sunshine Tour after four second-place finishes to date. He won on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2013.

“It’s tough to win out here, but I will just try and stay patient tomorrow and see what I can do,” Jarvis said after he completed just one hole in his third round. – Michael Vlismas Media

BENONI, Gauteng – Haydn Porteous hadn’t even teed off his second round and still held the lead in The Hyundai Open as another wave of weather resulted in a suspension of play at the Ebotse Links on Friday.

After the suspended first round was completed on Friday morning, the second round was also suspended because of weather and will resume at 07:00 on Saturday.

Porteous, who held the overnight lead, was unable to tee off his second round and leads by one shot on eight under par.

But Ireland’s Rowan Lester and South Africa’s Lyle Rowe and Ryan van Velzen managed to close the gap as his nearest challengers on seven under and still on their front nines.

Lester is in his first season on the Sunshine Tour, and is loving life on the fairways in South Africa

“I’ve been here a few times before with the Irish team. I really like it here and the style of golf suits my game. The food is good and the people are very friendly,” he said.

Lester is also quite pleased with his progress thus far.

“I feel like I have been playing nice all season to be honest. I’ve been just a few shots out of top-10s the last sort of six weeks. It’s just the putting that has been letting me down. This tournament, I had a few good putts and that’s the difference between shooting one or two under par, compared to six or seven under par. It was nice to keep the bogeys off the scorecard.”

Luis Carrera, the current Fortress Rookie of the Year leader, is in a group of players on six under par. – Michael Vlismas Media

Haydn Porteous is chasing his second title this season on the Sunshine Tour after opening with a 64 to lead Thursday’s incomplete first round of The Hyundai Open by two strokes at the Ebotse Links.

After losing nearly five hours of play to a typical highveld thunderstorm, Porteous, the winner of the recent Vodacom Origins of Golf Gowrie Farm tournament, managed to finish his round with an eagle, eight birdies and two dropped shots.

The first round will resume at 07:00 on Friday, with the second round scheduled to start at 10:10.

Porteous’s round of golf was destined for something special as he holed out with his second for an eagle two on his first hole of the day – the par-four 10^th hole.

“It was a great round today, starting with an eagle and two birdies. It was just the start I wanted. Unfortunately I made a couple of soft bogeys, but I played some solid golf to give myself good chances. But there is still a lot of golf to be played,” Porteous said.

Tristen Strydom is his nearest challenger after an opening round of six under 66. It was an equally positive start for Strydom, who is finding his feet again after only returning to the Sunshine Tour this season following a back injury.

His front nine of 29 was exactly the confidence boost he needed.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start. I holed a 35-footer on the first hole for birdie, which opened the gates and I tried to keep the foot on the gas and attack the golf course. It’s my first 29 I’ve ever shot in my life so it was really cool. I am very pleased with putting up a good score on the board.”

JC Ritchie, fresh from having secured his DP World Tour card for next season, opened with a round of five under 67 to place him in a group of six players in tied third place. – Michael Vlismas Media

JC Ritchie and Daniel van Tonder will tee it up in Thursday’s first round of The Hyundai Open at the Ebotse Links still revelling in having secured their DP World Tour playing privileges for next season.

Ritchie and Van Tonder are back on home fairways this week for The Hyundai Open, a new tournament on the Sunshine Tour schedule. They return home after an emotional Grand Final on the HotelPlanner Tour in Spain last week where they both took the opportunity to graduate to the DP World Tour.

Ritchie in particular is back on the Sunshine Tour having made history by becoming the first South African to win three times on the HotelPlanner Tour this season, and the first South African to win the Tour’s overall Road to Mallorca ranking.

“That is probably the best achievement I could’ve gotten this year to justify all the hard work and the struggles of the last couple of years. I’m glad I could prove to myself that it is possible. I think I’ve had an unbelievable season. It’s been a dream season for me. It’s such an awesome opportunity to be able to graduate to the DP World Tour,” Ritchie told the HotelPlanner Tour.

Ritchie will use his time back on the Sunshine Tour to prepare for his new campaign in the upcoming DP World Tour co-sanctioned events in South Africa towards the end of the year.

“I’m relieved. It’s been a long season with a lot of hard work.  I feel like the last time I played out on the DP World Tour I didn’t know what I was doing. I sort of just felt out of my depth when I was playing there and I just didn’t know how to find my feet. It took coming back to the Sunshine Tour and grinding it back up all the way to get back here.

“I decided to lose some weight just to feel better about myself, and started working hard again. I started treating golf like a nine to five and not a hobby, and it’s rewarded me. I’m happy with my game – I know what I’m doing. I’m very excited. I can’t wait,” he told the HotelPlanner Tour.

This week’s field is a strong one and also includes the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit leader Herman Loubser, the Fortress Rookie of the Year leader Luis Carrera, and all but five of the winners on the Sunshine Tour this season. – Michael Vlismas Media

• Changes designed to challenge players and thrill spectators
• World-class field matched by elevated hospitality experience for fans.
• Tickets and hospitality now on sale HERE.

The Gary Player Country Club golf course will feature several changes to this iconic layout when it welcomes this year’s field of professionals for the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player.

As part of the ongoing drive to enhance the player and spectator experience at “Africa’s Major”, Gary Player has personally overseen key strategic and aesthetic changes for the
4-7 December showpiece.

“When it comes to the Nedbank Golf Challenge we’re synonymous with providing both a great spectacle and challenge for the players. Mr Player has been instrumental in making these changes. These players are the best in the world and we want to keep challenging them while also keeping the balance that it remains exciting for the fans to watch,” said Ken Payet, the Tournament Director for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Bush has been cleared from the right side of the par-three fourth hole, showcasing more of the green and water hazard from the tee. “From the tee it really opens up the hole and makes it even more visually appealing,” said Payet.

The par-three seventh has a new tee complex, with the professional tee pushed back 25 metres. “We’re very excited about this change because it offers some great tee options in relation to flag position,” said Payet. Bush has also been cleared on the left of the hole, and a bunker at the front left of the green has been removed.

The right fairway bunker on the par-five ninth has been removed to entice the players to be more aggressive on this feature hole.

“Mr Player removed the fairway bunker on the right to encourage the professionals to hit driver down that right-hand side, and then entice them to go for the green in two and chase the birdies and eagles the fans wants to see,” said Payet.

The par-five 14^th has also had bush cleared down the right-hand side in preparation of a new tee here in the future.

“We’ve cleared a lot of bushes down the right-hand side to open up the fairway a bit. In the player’s mind he thinks he can take off a bit more on the corner, but he can still get himself into trouble. There is also a plan to extend the distance of this hole by at least 40 metres next year, and this helps with that,” said Payet.

Behind the 14^th green there is a new player pathway through the bush leading to a new back tee on the 15^th. “It’s a nice experience we’ve created for the players to walk through the bush a bit and maybe have a bit of quiet time with themselves and their caddies. Then regarding the new back tee on 15, Mr Player has taken it back almost 45 metres to create a strong par four. It puts a driver into the player’s hands. To carry the left-hand fairway bunker is now 305 metres, so even for the likes of big-hitters like Aldrich Potgieter, it will get their attention. This hole generally plays downwind with the wind from the north, but if we get a wind from the south it will be a really tough hole. This was a key change from Mr Player to make the golf course more challenging for the players.”

With the golf course now closed to the public, Payet said he is really pleased with how their course preparation is going in the final build-up to Nedbank Golf Challenge.

“From today when we close the golf course to the public, right up to the tournament, we focus on every bit of detail regarding the conditioning of the course. It’s all about making sure we’re as close to perfection as possible by the time tournament week arrives.

“We’re in a good space in terms of our preparation. We’ve had some good rain. We’ve fertilised the rough so that’s definitely going to kick in. We’re very pleased with the players we’ve announced, including a lot of South Africans who are playing great golf this year. So the stars just need to align in order to bring it all together in tournament week.”

The enhancements to the golf course are matched by several enhancements to the fan hospitality experience this year.

The Hospitali-TEE Lounge – an enhanced VIP hospitality option for the public – is offering a first-of-its-kind in the history of “Africa’s Major”, with fans gaining exclusive 18^thgrandstand access as well as player autograph opportunities, a photo opportunity with the Nedbank Golf Challenge trophy at the Hospitali-TEE Lounge facility, a voucher to the value of R500 per Hospitali-TEE Lounge ticket purchased for official Nedbank Golf Challenge merchandise at The Pro Shop at Sun City, and a range of other enhancements to this popular concept.

And the Sunbet Signs on 18^th viewing seating area will make its debut this year, offering a prime viewing experience in comfortable director’s chairs right alongside the 18^thfairway and close to where most of the professionals will land their tee shots. – Michael Vlismas

Tickets available at https://www.ticketbox.mu/event/abmo-2025

Christo Lamprecht, South Africa’s latest PGA TOUR member, has confirmed his place in this December’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open as he looks to go one better than his runner-up finish here last year.

Lamprecht will compete at the spectacular La Réserve Golf Links, Heritage Resorts, from 18-21 December having just secured his PGA TOUR playing privileges for the new season.

The 24-year-old heads to Mauritius on the back of a groundbreaking debut season on the Korn Ferry Tour where he claimed a victory on his way to finishing ninth overall amongst the top 20 who earned their PGA TOUR cards.

Lamprecht made a spectacular debut in the 2024 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open where he challenged for the title before finishing tied second with Dylan Naidoo two shots behind champion John Parry.

He returns to the island representing a new generation of South African golfers which he believes is one of the strongest to emerge from the country in recent years. Lamprecht names several young South Africans who’ve competed in Mauritius over the years on this list, including Naidoo.

“We’re a strong group of golfers in our generation, from Dylan Naidoo to Aldrich Potgieter and Wilco Nienaber, Jayden Schaper, Deon Germishuys, Garrick Higgo, Luca Filippi and so many others. I think it’s one of the strongest generations that has come through South Africa in a long time, and it’s awesome to be a part of that.”

Both Lamprecht and Naidoo used their runners-up finishes in Mauritius to build to bigger things, with Naidoo going on to secure his full DP World Tour card for the first time in his career.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was certainly a defining week for Lamprecht early in his professional career.

“I think it helped that I had my family with me and I just treated it as a holiday week, which is easy to do in Mauritius.”

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, ER Group, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Mont Choisy Group, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Range Rover, Emtel, Poncini, Mauritius Golf Federation, Phoenix Beverages, ticketbox.mu, DStv, C-Care, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, CBE and Miko Coffee. – Michael Vlismas Media

SUN CITY, North West – A selection of Sunshine Tour professionals and an array of South Africa’s most iconic sports stars started arriving at Sun City on Friday, as well as guests from around the world. And the man they have all come to celebrate with on his 90^th birthday – Gary Player – was out doing what he does best. He was on the golf course.

South Africa’s greatest ever sportsman was quietly driving around his beloved Gary Player Country Club golf course casting an eye over the layout he designed and constructed, and which itself has become an icon in the game.

It’s a golf course he has seen go through many evolutions as the game has changed over the decades. And similarly, Player will walk its fairways this weekend in his 90^th year as a man who has also evolved, from one of the game’s most iconic golfers to a leading golf course designer and then to a philanthropist.

This weekend, the Gary Player Country Club and Player’s other masterpiece here at Sun City, the Lost City Golf Club, will host the 36-hole Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational tournament in partnership with the Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation and its support of the Blair Atholl Pre-Primary School.

And the Sunshine Tour is paying its own tribute to a man who has been its greatest ambassador for decades, with 43 Sunshine Tour professionals – from stars such as David Frost to current champions such as Luis Carrera, Pieter Moolman and Warwick Purchase – competing this weekend alongside the sports stars, celebrities and business leaders who will all challenge for the famed baobab trophy.

Sunshine Tour Commissioner Thomas Abt said it was a privilege for their professionals to pay tribute to Gary Player this weekend.

“Gary Player has always been one of the Sunshine Tour’s greatest ambassadors. We are truly blessed by his ongoing support of our Tour and the inspiration he is to our professionals. It is an honour for our professionals to be here, and to wish him a very happy 90^th birthday on behalf of the Sunshine Tour,” said Abt.

More importantly, they will join the other luminaries in the spirit of golf and giving that this event represents and which, through partners such as Sun International, BMW, Citadel, Tabono, The Pro Shop, Rolex and Cell C, continues to support the valuable endowment fund created to help ensure the sustainability of the Blair Atholl Pre-Primary School.

Join the campaign:
Follow and share your acts of kindness using the hashtag #90Acts
Support the Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation South Africa’s work at: https://garyandvivienneplayerfoundationdonate.org/southafrica/

Watch the stories:

@gary.player

@gvpfsa

• Haotong Li seeks to become first Asian champion in the history of “Africa’s Major”

• World-class field matched by elevated hospitality experience for fans.

• Tickets and hospitality now on sale HERE.

After coming close to being the first male golfer from China to win The Open this year, Haotong Li has now set his sights on “Africa’s Major” where he’ll join a strong DP World Tour field at the Gary Player Country Club from 4-7 December.

Li will make his sixth appearance in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player as he seeks to become the first Asian champion in the history of this tournament.

The 30-year-old returns to a tournament where he has a strong record, including top finishes of fourth and fifth in 2017 and 2018.

Li forms part of a stellar field at Sun City including world number 11 Viktor Hovland, PGA TOUR champions Aldrich Potgieter, Nick Taylor, Will Zalatoris, Garrick Higgo and Thomas Detry, and a host of DP World Tour stars including Francesco Molinari who was a vice-captain for the victorious Team Europe in the Ryder Cup this year.

Li was chasing a unique place in the history of the game when he challenged for The 153^rd Open at Royal Portrush this year, looking to become the first male golfer from his country to win a Major before finishing fourth.

He has consistently blazed a trail for Chinese golf as he’s represented his country in The Olympic Games and Presidents Cup, and climbed as high as 32^nd on the Official World Golf Ranking.

This year he claimed his fourth DP World Tour title in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

The strength of this year’s field will be matched by an elevated fan hospitality experience.

The Hospitali-TEE Lounge – an enhanced VIP hospitality option for the public – is offering a first-of-its-kind in the history of “Africa’s Major”, with fans gaining exclusive 18^th grandstand access as well as player autograph opportunities, a photo opportunity with the Nedbank Golf Challenge trophy at the Hospitali-TEE Lounge facility, a voucher to the value of R500 per Hospitali-TEE Lounge ticket purchased for official Nedbank Golf Challenge merchandise at The Pro Shop at Sun City, and a range of other enhancements to this popular concept.

And the new Sunbet Signs on 18^th viewing seating area will make its debut this year, offering a prime viewing experience in comfortable director’s chairs right alongside the 18^th fairway and close to where most of the professionals will land their tee shots.

The Sunshine Tour’s next wave of players looking to make their way onto the DP World Tour will be confirmed this week as four South Africans tee it up in the HotelPlanner Tour’s Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A in Spain.

JC Ritchie, Daniel van Tonder, Jovan Rebula and Wilco Nienaber are all at the Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca chasing their DP World Tour dreams.

The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Ranking at the end of the Grand Final will secure DP World Tour cards for the next season.

Ritchie, the top-ranked player on the ranking, has already secured himself a DP World Tour card following his sensational three victories on the HotelPlanner Tour this season which earns him automatic qualification.

Daniel van Tonder is also virtually assured a DP World Tour card thanks to his 11^th place on the ranking after his victories in the first two events of the season in the co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa – the SDC Open and the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood Estate.

“I’ve been very consistent this season, and that has been the most satisfying for me,” said Van Tonder, who has had experience of the DP World Tour before. “I think the biggest thing I’ll take with me onto the DP World Tour this time is to just trust myself,” he said.

Both Rebula and Nienaber are currently just outside the top 20 so this week is a key opportunity for them. Rebula is in 22^nd place and Nienaber in 29^th.

“Starting the year out with no status, it’s a good thing for me to be here now and have a chance to get my hands on a DP World Tour card because that was the goal from the beginning,” said Rebula.

“These are always high-stake weeks and it’s a privilege to feel a little bit different at an event like this because there’s a lot on the line. It’s a good golf course and it suits me pretty well. It’s also lekker to have four South Africans in the field. Hopefully we can get four more South Africans on the DP World Tour.”

Nienaber is equally excited about the possibilities of this week.

“I’m feeling confident in the work I’ve done and am swinging it as good as ever. I know this course and that helps. But this week I can finish in the top 10 and it can be good enough, or I can finish in the top five it can’t be good enough depending on what the others guys do. I’ve made a few changes this year and I’m at peace with those. I haven’t had the results, but it will change at some point, so why not this week?” – Michael Vlismas