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JOHANNESBURG – England-based James Mack shot a six-under-par 66 on Wednesday to lead the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge after the first round at Kyalami Country Club, but there is a group of strong South African Sunshine Tour talent chasing him down just one stroke behind.

Simon du Plooy, Jacques P. de Villiers, Ruan de Smidt, Christiaan Burke, Martin Rohwer and Jonathan Broomhead all posted five-under-par 67s on Wednesday to ensure Mack has plenty of challengers in his rearview mirror.

De Villiers, whose only bogey came on the par-five 13^th when he three-putted, said the key to doing well at Kyalami Country Club on Wednesday was shaping the ball on the 6631-metre course with tight fairways.

“The fairways are very hard and they’re tight, so it’s tough to hit them with the ball bouncing so much. You’ve got to be able to shape the ball off the tee and I did that well today,” De Villiers said.

“I also putted really well and even though I made four birdies and an eagle, I still had a few horseshoes, including one that came right back at me. But it was a really solid round, I played well today in conditions that were very nice. It wasn’t too cold this morning and the wind didn’t blow too much either.”

The highlight of De Villiers’ season thus far has been finishing third in the FBC Zambia Open, which was then followed by a long break. His finishes since the Sunshine Tour returned to action have been 20^th, 43^rd, 35^th and 37^th, but the Schoeman Park golfer still feels his game is well-toned as he looks towards the co-sanctioned events in the summer.

“I’ve been working hard on my swing with Doug Wood and the changes are there or thereabouts. But the game has been trending in the right direction for sure over the last couple of weeks. It’s all preparation now for the big events on the summer swing,” the 34-year-old said.

Mack started his round on the par-four 10^th hole and immediately picked up a birdie. Two more birdies in a faultless back nine saw him go out in three-under, and he collected four more birdies on the front nine, although a bogey on the par-three fourth hole was a hiccup.

Ten other golfers are two shots behind on four-under-par.

Even while on a ranch visiting a friend in America, Gary Player’s thoughts are always on South Africa. He marvels at how well the Vodacom Bulls rugby team that his late wife Vivienne so proudly supported is doing in the Currie Cup. And he knows everything about the rising stars of South African golf who will tee it up in this week’s Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge on the Sunshine Tour.

“Vivienne would’ve had a good chuckle at the rugby the Vodacom Bulls are playing. She was a great rugby supporter and loved watching them play. Our rugby players have been such great supporters of our charity efforts over many years now. They always come out in their numbers to help us raise funds, and we’re very grateful to them for that. We’re truly blessed to get the support we do,” says Player, who at the age of 88 divides his time between America and South Africa raising funds as part of his desire to leave a greater legacy in philanthropy than in his golf career.

The R2 million Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge is an important part of this quest.

The 54-hole tournament will take place at Kyalami Country Club from Wednesday to Friday.
It is the Sunshine Tour’s own tribute to South Africa’s greatest golfer, and the Tour’s ongoing support of The Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation that in turn supports the Blair Atholl Pre-Primary School that Player and his wife started over 30 years ago. The school provides education, nutrition and medical care to underprivileged children around Lanseria.

“The tournament field looks great, with so many young South African stars in there. Ryan van Velzen has had such a good run of late and I’m excited to see what he does over the next few months in the co-sanctioned tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, and on debut in the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Yurav Premlall has been playing some wonderful golf this season and looks set to make his Sunshine Tour breakthrough, while Jonathan Broomhead is also having a good season. Kyle de Beer is another great prospect. He nearly won this tournament last season, and he’s a rookie on the Tour. South African golf is in a really strong position and it’s wonderful to see,” says Player.

There is an added incentive for the field this week. The winner of this week’s tournament as well as the next leading 22 professionals, the top five transformation professionals and two tournament invites will earn a place in the prestigious Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational at Sun City in November, where a collection of professionals golfers, celebrities, sports stars and business leaders will come together to raise even more funds for The Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation.

PRETORIA – Thriston Lawrence cautioned overnight that his three-shot lead going into the final round of the SunBet Challenge Time Square Casino event at Wingate Park Country Club would not be immune to threat, but he did not see any significant challenges on the last day as he cruised to a five-shot victory in the R2 million Sunshine Tour tournament on Friday.

And it’s not as if the rest of the field produced mediocre golf either. Lawrence was just once again pure class as he fired a five-under-par 67 to take him to 20-under for the 54 holes.

The exciting 26-year-old Dylan Naidoo matched that 67 to finish second on 15-under-par, with Yurav Premlall third on 13-under after a 71 on Friday, both making powerful statements as members of the Sunshine Tour’s Papwa Sewgolum Class for historically disadvantaged golfers. Ryan van Velzen, the 2023/24 winner of the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, produced the low round of the day, a 66 that took him into a share of fourth place on 12-under with Michael Hollick (69) and Neil Schietekat (71).

Jacques Blaauw, who was tied for second with Premlall after the second round, struggled off the tee on Friday and shot a 73 that left him on 11-under-par, tied for seventh with George Coetzee (70) and Werner Deyzel (70).

Lawrence settled any nerves right from the outset as he birdied the first two holes, and then went out in four-under 31 as he also birdied the fifth and ninth holes. The world number 76 then birdied the 11^th and 13^thholes to stretch his lead to a mighty seven shots, and he could afford a bogey on the par-three 14^th before cruising home with pars.

“It was definitely a dream start, but from the third to the eighth there was a wind change which made it tricky. But I just had to stay composed and hit my numbers. It was a good driving day, everything pretty much went where I wanted,” Lawrence said.

Even though Lawrence has a hunk of professional titles, he said his fourth Sunshine Tour win was still very special, coming in his first competitive round since injuring his back during his fourth-place finish in the Open Championship last month.

“It’s awesome, every victory is still insane to pull off. I haven’t won a normal Sunshine Tour event since 2019, and I haven’t had a win anywhere since last year, so this is nice. You never know when you’re going to win again, so I am very grateful. I will always support this tour because it gave me my start.

“It’s been a great week and to win just before I go back overseas is really nice for the confidence. No matter how much you lead by, it’s always a cool feeling on the 18^th green because you don’t want to mess up. I’m proud of my patience because the greens were tricky. My game feels great and my body feels amazing.

“But it’s back to the drawing board on Monday. I still have a job to do on the DP World Tour, I’m trying to get one of the 10 cards for the PGA Tour. Then I’ll be back for Africa’s Major [Nedbank Golf Challenge] and Leopard Creek [Alfred Dunhill Championship]. I’ve always wanted to win both of those, so hopefully I win one this year,” Lawrence, currently sixth on the Race to Dubai, said.

PRETORIA – It was not as inspired a round as his 62 on the opening day, but Thriston Lawrence was still delighted with his five-under-par 67 on Thursday in the second round of the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino tournament at Wingate Park Country Club, giving him a three-shot lead going into the final day.

Lawrence is sitting pretty on 15-under-par, having finished strong on Thursday as he birdied the par-five 18^th to come home in four-under. The 27-year-old has pulled ahead of Jacques Blaauw, who followed his 62 with a two-under-par 70 in the second round. Yurav Premlall joined Blaauw on 12-under-par with a brilliant 66.

“In the afternoon the course firms up a bit and putting gets difficult, I didn’t make as many putts today,” Lawrence said. “But my front nine was not as good today to be honest; yesterday I was four-under through four holes, today I was level.

“So that slowed things down, but I stayed in it and was patient. I knew there were three par-fives to come on the back nine [he birdied them all], and I was very happy with five-under today. It was always going to be tough to follow a 10-under round and there were some testing flags out there, if you missed on the wrong side you were a bit screwed,” Lawrence said.

While Blaauw, co-leader after the first day, had a banal round in which his putter just could not gather him much momentum, collecting just four birdies, there were noteworthy performances from those lower down the leaderboard.

The 21-year-old Premlall went bogey-free on Thursday to give himself another chance at his maiden Sunshine Tour title after his runner-up finish earlier this month in the FNB Eswatini Challenge.

Neil Schietekat also did not drop a shot in his superb eight-under 64, lifting him into fourth place on 11-under-par, while Dylan Naidoo matched that faultless performance to move to 10-under.

Michael Hollick also had a fine day, his 66 propelling him to nine-under-par, alongside George Coetzee (71) and Werner Deyzel (68).

But Lawrence has won eight times in his professional career and he is not looking to do anything unusual to finish the job in the final round and claim a title in his first tournament since injuring his back while finishing fourth in the Open Championship last month.

“Sometimes it’s better to have less expectation, but I’m still here to try and win this tournament. Hopefully the wind doesn’t come up, but when the course is firm like this then I can be aggressive off the tee because I hit my driver pretty straight.

“Knowing you can win does help, but it’s a new round and everyone within say eight shots is still in it, someone could shoot 59. I’m just going to go out and try and enjoy it, stick to my game-plan,” Lawrence said.

PRETORIA – Thriston Lawrence and Jacques Blaauw both fired outstanding 10-under-par 62s to share the lead in a meeting of two of South African golf’s most in-form stars in the first round of the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino at Wingate Park Country Club on Wednesday.

Lawrence, who is currently sixth on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, is back in South Africa to complete his rehabilitation from a back injury he suffered after the Open Championship a month ago. His first competitive round since then could barely have gone better as he plundered eight birdies and an eagle on the 6740m course in south-eastern Pretoria.

The winner of eight professional events, including four on the DP World Tour, was part of the morning field, while Blaauw, who is leading the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and is eager to return full-time to the European tour, was off at 11.50am.

The 38-year-old Blaauw made a blazing start to his round as he set out to catch Lawrence, reaching the turn in six-under-par, which included an eagle on the 381m par-four sixth hole. Although he bogeyed the par-four 11^th, Blaauw finished strong with five birdies in the last seven holes.

“I’ve had four weeks off since hurting my back a bit at the Open and I’m not a big fan of hitting lots of balls on the range, so I felt playing this tournament would help my rehab more. And I love to compete,” Lawrence said.

“But I was still quite surprised how well it went because I’ve only played two practice rounds in the last few weeks, I didn’t expect 10-under. But the back is good and game is solid.

“I started on 10 and the eagle came on 18 after I hit a nice drive and had a good number for a nine-iron in; I hit it to three feet for a simple eagle. That got my momentum going, I had four birdies in a row to start the front nine, I was on fire,” Lawrence said.

Blaauw, who is enjoying his best season in nearly a decade with five successive top-10 finishes on the Sunshine Tour, including victory in the SunBet Challenge Sun City event, admitted the presence of Lawrence, and the fact he had shot 62, motivated him.

“What Thriston shot told me there was obviously a low score out there. I started quickly so I knew something was up. I’ve been playing good golf of late and it all came together today,” Blaauw said.

“When our DP World Tour stars play here you always want to beat them and Thriston has been playing some unbelievable golf lately. But I’ve showed I can play great golf at home, hopefully I can do the same elsewhere. Getting full status in Europe has been my plan from January and now it’s just about keeping things going.

“It’s about sticking to the processes, just letting it happen and not trying to force things. Just keep giving myself opportunities because the putter is working,” Blaauw said.

The six-time Sunshine Tour winner’s eagle came when he followed a 300m drive on the sixth with a 90m lob-wedge into the hole.

Another multiple winner on the DP World Tour, George Coetzee, is also making his way back from long-term injury, and he will certainly have a say in where the title goes this week as he shot an eight-under-par 64 on Wednesday.

Young Yurav Premlall also made his presence known with a 66, a score matched by Quintin Wilsnach.

Ryan van Velzen will make his debut in the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City from December 5-8, 2024, as the face of a new generation of young South African professionals seeking to make their mark in ‘Africa’s Major’, with tickets and an exciting new luxury public hospitality option available to buy here…

Van Velzen secured his place in a stellar international field for this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, in honour of Gary Player, thanks to a groundbreaking performance on the Sunshine Tour last season which saw him crowned the winner of the overall Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

The 22-year-old will join compatriots Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen as well as defending champion Max Homa from America amongst the early stars announced for this year’s tournament, in partnership with Nedbank and Sun International. The US$6million tournament is part of the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing, which will be the first of five Global Swings on the 2025 Race to Dubai.

“It’s a privilege to have qualified to play in the Nedbank Golf Challenge and to be there with the best players in the world. I’ve been to the Nedbank Golf Challenge a few times with my dad and friends and I watched Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood win it,” said Van Velzen.

The rising star of South African golf is already a three-time winner on the Sunshine Tour and has earned himself a DP World Tour card for the 2025 season. This year he also made his Major debut in The PGA Championship and The Open.

“Winning the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy last season was amazing. I mean, to win against some of the top players in the country and to perform at that level for such a long season is a great achievement. It just gave me a sense of belonging and confidence,” said Van Velzen.

Over the years the Nedbank Golf Challenge has rewarded several of South Africa’s promising professionals with a place in the field thanks to their finishes of first on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, including Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Zander Lombard, Thriston Lawrence, George Coetzee and Ockie Strydom.

In addition to a strong field, fans will be further rewarded this year with a new luxury public Hospitali-TEE Lounge option which promises to take the normal day visitor experience to a new level with a brand new hospitality lounge located close to the Public Village and offering an air-conditioned facility with indoor and outdoor seating, a live feed of the golf, and catering throughout the day.

The package fee will include an official entrance ticket to the Nedbank Golf Challenge, accreditation for exclusive access to the Hospitali-TEE Lounge, a premium buffet including breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks, a fully stocked open bar, an all-day coffee station, a live television feed of the golf, daily live entertainment, a daily player autograph opportunity, a sunscreen station, daily prizes and competitions, and official Nedbank Golf Challenge merchandise. To book click here…

DULLSTROOM (Mpumalanga) – Aspiring young golfers from the Pilgrim’s Rest region were given a unique opportunity to experience a professional tournament and receive coaching from Sunshine Tour professionals at the recent Vodacom Origins of Golf event held at the Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate in August.
 
The Vodacom’s Origins of Golf series is the longest running pro-am series on the Sunshine Tour. Wherever it is played in the country, Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour invite young golfers from the nearest South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) chapter to a golf clinic.
 
Twenty-two youngsters between the ages of eight and 17 – many of them from Pilgrim’s Rest Primary School – took to the driving range at Highland Gate on Thursday 15 August to receive coaching from the Sunshine Tour professionals. And it was an experience they’ll never forget.
 
“I love sport, having played netball, volleyball and soccer, and I love seeing these children do it as well. To take them out of their location and allow them to see nature as beautiful as this – for some of them it is the first time – is wonderful. This is like a dream come true for them, because they have never been to a place like this before, they mostly don’t see things like this,” said Joyce Mabuye, a teacher at the Pilgrim’s Rest Primary School.
 
“This motivates them to do something good. I am constantly fighting for children to do something in sports because it keeps them away from the streets. So their parents are very supportive of them playing golf.”
 
The children were also fortunate to have two professionals from their hometown coaching them.
 
The Mashego brothers, Jastice and Austin, are both busy trying to further their own professional golf careers on the Sunshine Tour but were more than happy to give back to youngsters growing up where they did.
 
“Our father, Obed, was a keen golfer and a member at Pilgrim’s Rest Golf Club, so we took up the game. I was caddying for Jastice in the Vodacom Origins of Golf this week,” said Austin.
 
“I love assisting Jastice with the coaching. Being out here hitting balls helps to clear the minds of these youngsters.”
 
For Jastice, it is about providing an opportunity to dream. “Coming from a small town like Pilgrim’s Rest, there is not much opportunity for these kids and they don’t have role models. So now we can let them see what golf is all about. I hope to inspire them, to give them hope. Just travelling here will open their minds a bit.”
 
Monde Ngcukana, the Managing Executive for Vodacom Mpumalanga Region, was an appreciative onlooker at the coaching clinic, before enthusiastically hitting a few balls himself.
 
“It’s very important that these children are stimulated and given the chance to be active. This exclusive venue gives them something to aspire to, but making golf instruction more accessible for them is also a big plus. Vodacom wants to support the youth however we can, with a focus on education, which is why our data is zero-rated for those in Grade R to Grade 12.
 
“These clinics are part of an holistic approach to the growth of children in South Africa. With our Mum-and-Baby programme, we really do support children from the cradle. And it’s good to see them here.”

Jean Hugo added to his already illustrious history in the Vodacom Origins of Golf when he claimed a record 12^th victory on the series after beating Jonathan Broomhead by one stroke at the Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate on Sunday.

The 48-year-old Hugo birdied the par-five 18^th hole, thanks to a brilliant chip-shot, for a two-under-par 70 that left him on 13-under-par for the tournament. Broomhead’s fantastic final round of 65, which included nine birdies but a costly double-bogey on the par-four sixth hole, had lifted him to 12-under-par.

Overnight leader Louis de Jager was also on 12-under as he teed off with Hugo on the final hole, but he ended up making double bogey on 16 and then bogey on 18 to finish in a tie for third on 11-under.

Hugo clinched an astonishing 12^th victory on the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series, and his 20^th Sunshine Tour title overall. And he did so with a third shot on 18 that was a superb chip to a foot from the hole from the right of the green.

“Fortunately I hit a good drive and I was in two minds whether to lay up or go for the green with 216 metres to the flag. I took a chance and went over the water, hitting it on the other side of the sluit down the right with a gripped-down four-iron. I then hit a brilliant chip,” Hugo said.

“My best putt of the day was on 16 though, where we all struggled. Louis lost his ball and I had to hack out of the rough a couple of times, we were on the clock as well, and I sank a putt for bogey from more than 15 feet. And on 17 I made another clutch putt for par.

“We made it tough for ourselves with those stumbles and there was a bit of pressure. But I’ve been playing well lately, if I could just putt well then my scores would be even better. I used to be the best putter on tour, but now anything under 30 putts for a round is good. I was bogey-free the first two rounds and my first bogey today was on the ninth, so I was hitting the ball very well,” Hugo, who only had 27 putts on Sunday, said.

De Jager was in hot form on the front nine, going out in three-under, but he bogeyed the par-five 11^th and dropped two shots on the 16^th, before closing with another bogey, having hit his drive into the left rough.
Between 2006 and 2015, Hugo was probably the hottest golfer on the Sunshine Tour with 16 victories. But Sunday’s triumph was his first since 2019.

“To have 12 Vodacom Origins of Golf titles and 20 overall on the Sunshine Tour is what I’m most proud of. I got to 17 quite quickly, but then only won again in 2019 and then there was Covid and in 2020 I had a massive ankle operation.

“But I’ve been working hard and it’s nice to see the results. I can now aim to hit a certain shot and pull it off, it’s about technique and trust way more than just relying on talent. I’ve come close to winning these last few years, but I’m just delighted that I didn’t give it away today. As long as you fight out there, you can be happy,” Hugo said.

Luke Brown (70) and Kyle de Beer (71) shared third place with De Jager, while 20-year-old Gabrielle Venter shot an outstanding five-under-par 67 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 16^th on six-under-par, leading the way for the Sunshine Ladies Tour players.

Danielle du Toit (70) finished tied-29^th and Lora Assad (71) was in a share of 44^thplace.

DULLSTROOM (Mpumalanga) – The experienced Louis de Jager has fired rounds of 65 and 67 for 12-under-par in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Highland Gate Mpumalanga event, but he has no more than a one-shot lead after the second round on Saturday.

That’s because fellow veteran Jean Hugo, who has played in more than 450 Sunshine Tour events, has gone 66-67 for a score of 11-under-par heading into the final round.

Kyle de Beer, the leading rookie on tour this season, is one stroke further back on 10-under after shooting a 70 on Saturday, contending strongly in just his 25^thSunshine Tour event.

De Jager started his round on the 10^th and took a while to really find his range, but birdies on the par-four 16^th and par-five 18^th gave him a boost. His front nine was even better, even though he bogeyed the par-four first hole.

The 37-year-old birdied the par-three third hole and also picked up birdie threes on the sixth and ninth holes, but perhaps his best hole was the par-five fifth, which is more than 600 yards long and plays into the wind, but De Jager eagled it on Saturday.

It will not be an easy night’s sleep though for De Jager going into the final round of the R2 million event because there is a surfeit of quality within four shots of the lead.

Apart from Hugo and De Beer, Luke Brown is enjoying a very solid tournament and is on nine-under-par after rounds of 67 and 68. Jacques Blaauw is enjoying a top-class season, leading the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, and is tied for fifth on eight-under after notching a two-under-par 70 on Saturday.

Martin Rohwer, a three-time winner on the Sunshine Tour, and Nikhil Rama, a GolfRSA product who is a rising star in the senior ranks, are also on eight-under.

A trio of Sunshine Ladies Tour golfers made the cut, with Danielle du Toit (69) and Gabrielle Venter (72) tied for 35^th on one-under-par, and Lora Assad tied for 47^thon level-par.