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ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – Samuel Simpson retained his lead in the Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship at St Francis Links, but with lightning having forced a suspension of Friday’s second round.

Simpson climbed to 10 under par overall through 12 holes of his second round when play was suspended shortly after 15:00 because of lightning. The round will resume at 07:00 on Saturday.

He is currently one stroke clear of Deon Germishuys, who had also completed 12 holes when play was suspended.

Joe Long made it into the clubhouse on eight under par with a second round of 69.

Simpson’s gameplan for the day was to keep the ball in play and focus on making pars. He started his second round exactly in that way, with seven consecutive pars. He had a bogey on the eighth hole, but then birdied three of his next four holes.

“Fairways and greens are the top priority around here. It takes a lot of the stress away, so my gameplan is to just make pars. I’m trying to put the ball in the best places possible and manage my misses as best I can. If I can keep hitting the greens in regulation, hopefully I will be OK,” he said.

Germishuys is challenging once again on the Sunshine Tour. He’s finished in the top-10 in his last three tournaments. His second round started with five birdies in his opening seven holes to give him another shot at a victory.

Luke Jerling has just made three straight birdies to climb to eight under par when play was suspended.

Jacques Blaauw is in the clubhouse on seven under following a solid 65, while Zander Lombard’s comeback continues to gain momentum as he sits on seven under through nine holes.

The Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship is proudly supported by Stinger GC, Momentum, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cape St Francis, Telkom and the PGA of South Africa. – Michael Vlismas Media

• La Réserve Golf Links and Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness Resort gain more global accolades

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

After making history with a win in his own national Open, South Africa’s Dylan Naidoo is hoping to end a breakthrough year with a victory in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at La Réserve Golf Links this December.

Naidoo has confirmed his place in this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour event from 18-21 December, which played a key role in him securing a DP World Tour card this past season.

The South African finished tied second in last year’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, and less than three months later he took the confidence from that performance and claimed his maiden DP World Tour title in his national Open.

He finished last season ranked 56^th on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings to entrench his status on the Tour.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at La Réserve Golf Links. Last year I came second in this tournament and I’d really love to go one better. I love coming to Mauritius. It’s one of my favourite places – the beaches, the culture, the food. It’s such a great way to end off the year. I’m really looking forward to it,” said Naidoo.

As much as Naidoo is making inroads on the DP World Tour, La Réserve Golf Links is doing the same on the global scene as one of the most exciting new courses in the game.

La Réserve Golf Links was voted the Indian Ocean’s Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards in November, while Heritage Le Telfair Golf and Wellness Resort won World’s Best Golf Hotel at the same awards.

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, Miko Coffee, MobiMEA and Mastercard. – Michael Vlismas Media

ST FRANCIS BAY, Eastern Cape – Samuel Simpson took an early tee-off time and used it to his advantage as he signed for an eight-under-par 64 to lead the Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship at St Francis Links on Thursday.

“I’m really happy with today’s round. I think any time you step on St Francis Links, no matter what the weather is, you’ll take that score. Teeing off early this morning was a big advantage, and according to early weather forecasts it was definitely a benefit,” he said after a round of seven birdies and an eagle, with just a solitary bogey.

He is two strokes clear of the resurgent Hennie du Plessis following his 66.

“My gameplan and main priority around this course was to make my pars, and hit the fairways and greens. I’ve had to reign myself back and learn how to do that. It’s funny how I can sometimes gather momentum from that and make one or two putts, like today. The bogey on the par-three seventh hole was a bit frustrating though, as I’ve hit a good shot straight through the wind. That is however part of playing at the coast and in these types of conditions,” Simpson said.

Looking ahead to the rest of this tournament, Simpson spoke passionately about wanting to focus on being more realistic on the ups-and-downs of golf.

“I think going into the next three days, the gameplan is to have the acceptance that bad stuff can happen, even after executing a shot well. According to the weather report the next three days will be very hard, so I need to just keep hitting the fairways and greens in regulation and have a good attitude about good and bad golf shots. I’ve been working hard this year to give myself a bit of grace,” Simpson added.

This kind of start on the back of his maiden Sunshine Tour win at the Mopani Zambia Open in June has Simpson excited about the future.

“Having the win earlier this year has been a real blessing to qualify for the next couple of events. Playing off that momentum, knowing that I am capable of doing it out here, is a big boost and I really want to do that again. Whether that is this week or a few years down the line, I am pushing for that,” he said.

The Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship is proudly supported by Stinger GC, Momentum, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cape St Francis, Telkom and the PGA of South Africa. – Michael Vlismas Media

• Lamprecht set to make debut in “Africa’s Major”

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

• Tickets and hospitality now on sale HERE.

Rising South African star Christo Lamprecht has received a personal invitation from Gary Player to compete in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City from 4-7 December.

In his invitation to Lamprecht, Player wrote, “It gives me so much pleasure to personally invite you to participate in this year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge. It’s been an absolute delight to watch your progress this year and how hard you’ve worked to earn a place on the PGA TOUR. I have tremendous respect for that kind of dedication to your goal and the perseverance to achieve it. I look forward to seeing you at Sun City as you make your debut in ‘Africa’s Major’ in front of your home fans”.

Lamprecht was delighted to receive the invitation from South Africa’s Grand Slam icon.

“Playing in ‘Africa’s Major’ is truly a dream realised for me, especially after years of watching the tournament as a child and hoping to compete in this renowned event one day. Being personally invited by Mr Player—someone I admire greatly and who has been instrumental in my life and South African golf—makes this experience even more meaningful. I’m excited to challenge myself against some of the best players in the world at Sun City this December.”

The invitation caps what has been a highly successful year for the 24-year-old Lamprecht.

The former winner of The Amateur Championship and world number one-ranked amateur made his professional breakthrough this August when he won on the Korn Ferry Tour.

He went on to finish ninth on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List to earn his PGA TOUR card for next season.

This year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player will also feature an enhanced hospitality offering.

The Hospitali-TEE Lounge – a 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 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. – Michael Vlismas

KNYSNA, Western Cape – Christiaan Burke fought against a difficult front nine and gusting winds to retain his place at the top of the leaderboard in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at the Pezula Golf Estate on Saturday, but with Albert Venter joining him.

Burke held the sole lead going into the third round, but was two over par on the front nine. Then he rediscovered the form that has seen him lead since day one and played the back nine in five under for a 69.

It was an impressive comeback that took him into the clubhouse on 18 under par. And that’s where Venter joined him following his sublime 64 in which he didn’t drop a single shot.

“It was really tough out there. I expected wind but not this much. I struggled a bit with my ball striking on the front nine, especially into the wind. Then on the back nine I just told myself I can do it and I need to just keep going. I’m really happy for how I fought back and am excited for the final round,” said Burke.

They are both one stroke clear of Casey Jarvis, who signed for a 69 and is chasing his second victory in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour.

Venter is hunting his third victory on the Sunshine Tour, while Burke is still chasing his maiden title on the Tour.

“It was quite a windy day so I was expecting tough conditions, but I managed it well. I started off with a chip-in for birdie on the first hole which helps quite a bit. It’s a difficult hole and you can’t really go for the green with the wind into the hole. Then I just stuck to the process and was hitting good shots. I had birdies on the fourth and fifth holes which I felt like jumpstarted the round,” said Venter.

“On 13 I hit a decent drive and took on a big shot with a two iron into the wind, and made birdie which got the back nine going. I went for the green on the drivable 14^th and finished short left in the bunker, and played an exceptional bunker shot for birdie there. Then over the last few holes I just tried to keep it in play and give myself an opportunity, and I managed to birdie 17 and 18 for a spot in the final group.

“I managed myself very well around the course and hit it into the right spots, and where I didn’t I managed to make up-and-downs to keep it going. I’m very pleased and looking forward to the challenge.”

Christiaan Basson scored a hole-in-one on the par-three fifth hole, earning himself 50 000 Skybucks courtesy of Airlink. He is the seventh player this season to score a hole-in-one. – Michael Vlismas

KNYSNA, Western Cape – There is probably no better example of the confidence with which Christiaan Burke is currently playing than the eagle he made at the last to retain his place at the top of the leaderboard in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pezula Golf Estate on Friday.

Burke’s second round of 66 on Friday lifted him to 15 under par and still well on track towards claiming a maiden Sunshine Tour title.

He is one stroke clear of Tyran Snyders, who signed for a 65, and the in-form Casey Jarvis, who carded a brilliant 62 including an outward nine of 29 where he started with five consecutive birdies and then added an eagle. Jarvis recently won The Hyundai Open on the Sunshine Tour.

But Burke has looked impressive this week as he opened with a 63 to lead the first round, and then put together a second round of five birdies and a bogey that had him one shot behind Snyders and Jarvis with three to play. An eagle on the par-five ninth then took him to the top of the leaderboard again.

“I played well the whole day and to finish off with an eagle makes it that much better. I didn’t have a particular strategy coming into this week – I just wanted to play and hit fairways and greens like I try and do every week. But the putter is starting to get really hot now so that’s a good thing. I can’t wait to just enjoy the weekend and try and play my best golf again,” said Burke.

Burke’s form has been building to this and he finished runner-up in last week’s Stella Artois Players Championship in a second half of his season where he’s been in contention a few times.

It’s the kind of form that’s carried him into 13^th place on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit, and comes at a timely part of the season with the big summer tournaments to come.

Jean Hugo heads into the weekend just two shots off the lead and looking for a record 13^th victory on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

Jarvis’ 62 was one of two such superb rounds on Friday. Bryce Easton also added a round of 62 that lifted him into a share of seventh place on 12 under par.

Kayle Wykes claimed a hole-in-one on the par-three fifth hole on his way to a 68. He wasn’t able to make the halfway cut, but it did earn him 50 000 Skybucks courtesy of Airlink. He is the sixth player to score an ace this season. – Michael Vlismas

• Sunshine Tour star Yurav Premlall to make debut in ‘Africa’s Major’
• World-class field matched by elevated hospitality experience for fans.
• Tickets and hospitality now on sale HERE.

Gary Player has extended a personal invitation to Sunshine Tour professional Yurav Premlall to make his dream debut in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City from 4-7 December.

In writing to the 22-year-old professional, Player said, “I am delighted to personally invite you to participate in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City this year. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch the development of your career as you’ve gone from being one of GolfRSA’s top amateurs and the winner of the 2021 Nedbank Junior Challenge, to a champion on the Sunshine Tour. I look forward to seeing you on the first tee at the Gary Player Country Club as you make your debut in ‘Africa’s Major’.”

Premlall was delighted to receive the invitation from Player.

“It’s such an honour to receive this invitation from Gary Player. He is a golfer who means so much to all of us as South African professionals. I cannot wait to make my debut in a tournament that I also grew up watching and wanting to compete in one day,” he said.

Premlall will feel quite at home at the Gary Player Country Club, having enjoyed previous success here.

In 2021 he lifted the Freddie Tait Cup as the leading amateur in his national Open when it was played at Sun City.

That same year he won the Nedbank Junior Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.

He now returns to Sun City as a rising professional who claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour victory in 2024.

This year’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player will also feature an enhanced hospitality offering.

The Hospitali-TEE Lounge – a 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 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. – Michael Vlismas

KNYSNA, Western Cape – Christiaan Burke took the confidence of several weeks of good golf and turned it into the first-round lead in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pezula Golf Estate on Thursday.

On a Pezula course that is in immaculate condition, Burke signed for a nine-under-par 63 to lead by one over Keenan Davidse, CJ du Plessis and Alexander Knappe.

Teeing off the first, Burke turned in four under before his first and only bogey of the day on the 10^th. But he responded with a strong back nine of six birdies in his next eight holes.

“The course is in great condition. The greens are really good. I hit fairways and greens today, but my putting in particular has been really good the last few weeks. So I know if I can give myself chances I can make putts,” said Burke.

Burke has been on a solid run of form on the Sunshine Tour.

In his last five tournament he’s finished no worse than 18^th, and he had a runner-up finish in last week’s Stella Artois Players Championship.

“I’ve been playing well the last few weeks. My coach and I have been working hard on my swing and it’s paying off now. It’s just about confidence at the moment. I’m playing off a lot of confidence and the game is feeling good. I can’t wait for the rest of the week,” he said.

Jean Hugo is well placed just three shots off the lead, and as the undisputed master of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series.

Hugo is a 12-time winner on a series that since its inception in 2004 has defined the careers of many Sunshine Tour professionals.

And as much as it’s been a critical element in South African professional golf, the pro-am element of the series has been equally important as decades of amateurs have been able to enjoy an inside-the-ropes look into the Sunshine Tour.

This year’s series again featured a strong amateur competition, and KwaZulu-Natal businessman Neelesh Sitlu triumphed in the final and was crowned the overall 2025 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series champion.

“I’m still in shock. It’s an amazing series. The networking is great and the people are wonderful. As amateurs it really gives us a look into what the professionals go through. It as close as we can ever come to experiencing that, and this is one of the premier events in the country that allows us to feel this,” said the Mount Edgecombe resident. – Michael Vlismas

KNYSNA, Western Cape – It’s rare that two brothers find themselves as winners on the Sunshine Tour in the same season. But that was the case this year for the Loubser brothers – albeit in different areas of the game.

In August, Herman Loubser won the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Parys Golf & Country Estate. Then in November, younger brother Conrad Loubser caddied for Casey Jarvis when he won The Hyundai Open at the Ebotse Links.

And both brothers are in action again this week in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Pezula Golf Estate.

“Conrad was a very good junior golfer and won a few tournaments. Then he caddied for me for a while on the Sunshine Tour and on the HotelPlanner Tour,” the 26-year-old Herman Loubser said of his 20-year-old brother.

“It was the beginning of his caddie career, and I was quite hard on him. After all, he’s my younger brother. Then he also caddied for Kyle Barker and Jason Roets, and he learnt a lot there. He’s now a very good caddie.”

It was then that Casey Jarvis came knocking.

“Casey and I are good friends, and when Casey split with his old caddie he asked me about having Conrad caddie for him, and I said he wouldn’t go wrong. It seems to be working well for them with Casey’s recent win.”

Is there a chance the two brothers could join forces on the fairways again?

“He’s made this his career. If I’m in a position where I’m doing well in the future, maybe he’ll caddie for me. But then again, he might be overseas caddying in Majors. I can’t imagine he’d want to give that up to caddie for his older brother again.” – Michael Vlismas

KNYSNA, Western Cape – As the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf series prepares for its season final at the Pezula Golf Estate this week, there may well be a sense in Karabo Mokoena’s mind that he’s only now getting started with his season.

The final of this celebrated series will be played from Thursday to Sunday this week on the same golf course where it first teed off in 2004.

It’s a series that has opened doors for some of the biggest names on the Sunshine Tour, who’ve used their victories here to, in some cases, go on and win DP World Tour title and even a Major.

This week, Mokoena is quietly optimistic that it may be equally positive in his own career, which this year has shown encouraging signs.

“Just having the opportunity to play here and prove it again is a privilege. I’m just focused on earning the opportunity to be here, and nothing more,” he said on Tuesday.

It’s been a solid last few weeks for Mokoena including finishes of tied 18^th in the Limpopo Championship and tied 15^th in the recent Stella Artois Players Championship where he led the first round with a sublime 62.

He’s currently ranked 92^nd on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit as he looks to retain his playing privileges for next season, and he has a goal of a place inside the top 70 by the end of the season.

“I’m just marking down my goals. I’ve been on Tour for four years now and confidence can be detrimental. One week you have a top five and the next week you don’t know where your swing is. So I just want to put in place the things I still want to achieve and keep my focus on that, not the feeling of confidence,” he said.

Even his own assessment of what has changed in his game this year elicits an answer that shows how much Mokoena doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself based on his recent results.

“I don’t feel like anything has changed. I’ve been playing the same but I wasn’t getting the results until now. I have become stronger and am hitting the ball further. But I just think it’s a bit of luck going my way. I still feel like that if this version of me played against myself three years ago, that guy from three years ago would win if he could putt better. I even feel like I was fitter back then. But when the putts go in it makes a difference. That’s the case now. I also feel like I have a more relaxed mindset now.” – Michael Vlismas