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CAPE ST FRANCIS, Eastern Cape – As Dylan Naidoo chases a place on the DP World Tour through its Qualifying School at the end of this year, the overcast, drizzly and blustery conditions at St Francis Links for this week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf could serve as the perfect preparation for his big dreams.

The 24-year-old Naidoo was beaming after his day out in the strong winds and cold at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am and is delighted to be back at one of his favourite courses.

“The last time I played here I was just 17 years old and it is such a phenomenal course. It tests every aspect of your game and I feel like I’m a very different player to when I was last here,” Naidoo said.

As one of the flagship players in the Sunshine Tour’s Papwa Sewgolum Class for development players, Naidoo’s game has indeed moved to a different level over the past few years. He secured playing privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States and is now chasing a place on the DP World Tour next season, having made it through to the Second Stage of the tour’s Qualifying School in November.

“I’ve been a transformation golfer for the last three years and, since the Papwa Sewgolum Class came into being in June, I have seen really nice growth in our group of golfers. It helps the guys realise that they are very good players, they deserve to be here, and it’s about giving them every opportunity to be successful.

“Starting out on tour can be financially very difficult, especially if you come from a disadvantaged background. Now there’s a system in place, with each of the golfers getting a bit of a stipend every month that will really help.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf series is also a great part of this process. The series teaches you how to be a professional and it allows you to network with the amateurs. It basically teaches you how to go about your business on tour. It was a big help when I started out as a pro and it’s a big help still now.”

The Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is the longest running pro-am series on the local tour. It is now in its 18^th season and has this year already travelled to De Zalze in the Western Cape, Highland Gate in Mpumalanga and San Lameer in KwaZulu-Natal. The Final of the five-tournament series will be played at Pinnacle Point at the end of October.

CAPE ST FRANCIS, Eastern Cape – The Eastern Cape – South Africa’s second-largest province – has numerous world-class golf courses and a great passion for the game. But there are many people who love the game and could contribute greatly to the entire golfing ecosystem, but who need greater support and access to the sport.

The South African Golf Development Board facilitates practice and playing opportunities for learners and talented players from underprivileged communities. The Vodacom Origins of Golf series plays an important role in the work of the SAGDB by setting up clinics with the professionals playing in their events. Tuesday saw 18 children from the Humansdorp, Arcadia, Asbekkies and Sea Vista areas being exposed to golf coaching at the St Francis Links, where the latest Pro-Am in the series is being played.

Frans de Kock is the regional manager of the SAGDB for the Eastern Province and has been involved in golf development since 2007. He coached his own son, Allister de Kock, to Sunshine Tour professional level, and now he is ploughing that knowledge and passion back into the community.

“I’ve always loved golf since I grew up near the Wedgewood Golf Course in PE, I used to caddy and fell in love with the game from Day One,” De Kock senior says.

“After getting my son Allister to the level he’s at, I know what’s needed for youngsters to succeed and those methods will also work with these kids.

“I go to townships schools and we’re mostly introducing golf to these children. The challenges are that some think it’s an easy game and then drop off when they discover it’s not, but mostly we have social issues to contend with. I always say the kids are here to learn to play golf, but they must first learn all their schoolwork. They need to learn to be self-supporting.

“We have 146 youngsters in all in our programme and it’s always a challenge getting them on to golf courses. But Vodacom always provides us with good opportunities and I’m sure something good will come out of today’s clinic as well,” De Kock says.

Some of the local talent that might have been missed but has been nurtured by the SAGDB includes Johndre Ludick, who has just represented GolfRSA in the Italian U16 Championship and Devon Valentine, a member of the SAGDB national squad.

But the importance golf plays in shaping the careers of people off the course as well should not be overlooked.

St Francis Links PGA pros Christo Kugel and Norman Riley speak fondly of how their regular community development work is an avenue to enrich lives and not just produce golfers. The proof of that is the youngster who was introduced to golf and ended up becoming a firefighter, or even Clyde Loggenberg, the club barman.

He was employed as a ball-spotter in the PGA Championship last year at St Francis Links, fell in love with the game and impressed everyone at the club so much that he is now working there full-time.

“I never looked at golf before that, I was more a rugby and soccer guy, but my love for golf has just grown. I meet so many golfers and learn from them, and now and then I can borrow clubs and actually get out and play.

“I used to work on the cruise ships in Europe, but this opportunity is one of the best things to ever happen to me, at one of the best golf clubs in the country,” the father of two from Humansdorp says.

PORT EDWARD, KwaZulu-Natal – MJ Viljoen has been through the terrible tantalisation of not winning for five years on the Sunshine Tour but feeling very close to it, so when he finally returned to the winner’s podium at the SunBet Challenge hosted by the Wild Coast Sun on Friday, he was a little lost for words.

Viljoen, who led by one stroke going into the final round at the Wild Coast Country Club, played the steadiest of golf to seal the deal on Friday, shooting a two-under-par 68 to win by three strokes, even with a bogey at the last.

His last victory came at the Sun Fish River Challenge on September 6, 2017, but he has certainly had some near misses since then, with six top-five finishes, including being runner-up twice. Last week he began working with a new coach in Dougie Wood.

“It’s been a long time and I’ve just been so focused on winning again that I now don’t really know what it means,” Viljoen said after his triumph. “But I’m going to enjoy it and embrace it and take the weekend to think about it.

“I’ve been struggling for a long time, but I kept feeling that I was so close. I made some changes in the last week and they just sparked the feeling on the course that I have been looking for for so long.

“It sounds almost magical and I think it is quite magical. It feels like the start of a new chapter,” Viljoen said.

The 27-year-old had his game-plan in place from the start of the round, wanting to start well and not have to push too hard on a challenging course. Birdies on the second and third holes were like popping to the shops down the road and getting all the groceries you need.

“When I saw what the wind direction was going to be today, I thought two and three would be ideal birdie opportunities. I managed to get those birdies and then I was able to play par golf all day after that.

“It just set me up perfectly for my game-plan. I was never in trouble, I didn’t really hit a bad shot. I kept it simple and kept my targets big.

“Even though it was tough on the back nine, it came easy for me and I was able to par seven of the holes and birdie the par-five 16^th. On the 18^thI was happy to do nothing fancy, take bogey and get out of there,” Viljoen said.

Portugal’s Stephen Ferreira tried valiantly to grab the win as he fired a 64 that saw him finish tied second on 10-under-par, three behind Viljoen, alongside Pieter Moolman (67).

The Joburg Open will celebrate its 15^th anniversary with a new host course in Houghton Golf Club when it is played here from November 24-27, 2022, as the City continues to use this major sports event to showcase its diversity to a worldwide audience.

“When we launched the Joburg Open it was with the specific intent that this must be a tournament that provides a sense of inclusivity for all of the City’s residents, while at the same time showing all elements of our world-class African City to an international audience,” said Executive Mayor, Mpho Phalatse.

“The aspirational effect of the Joburg Open is incredibly important to us and therefore we take very seriously its ability to travel to the leading golf courses in Johannesburg and expose all of our residents to the wonders of this international event.”

Houghton Golf Club’s hosting of the Joburg Open adds to this golf course’s proud history as a home to major DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour events.

Houghton Golf Club has hosted the prestigious South African Open eight times as well as a multiple of other professional tournaments.

“We are delighted to welcome the Joburg Open as well as the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour to our historic club. Houghton is a proud member of the Johannesburg golf community and we are honoured to reflect this by hosting one of the City’s premier sports events and a major international golf tournament,” said Rodney Rottanburg, President of Houghton Golf Club.

The Joburg Open has played a key role in the development of many of South Africa’s leading professionals.

Thriston Lawrence claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory in the 2021 Joburg Open, which was also the first tournament of the new DP World Tour era and which had the eyes of world golf on South Africa for this historic moment. Lawrence took the confidence from this victory and won his second DP World Tour title in the Omega European Masters this year while also playing in his first Major in The Open Championship in St Andrews.

“We are extremely proud of the Joburg Open’s status as a tournament of opportunity. Whether it was Thriston Lawrence with his latest achievement, the many development golfers who’ve received invitations to play in our field and be exposed to competitive golf at the highest level, the golf clinics we host at every tournament for aspiring young golfers, or the fact that in 2021 we also launched the Joburg Ladies Open as a co-sanctioned tournament between the Sunshine Ladies Tour and Ladies European Tour – all of this represents the opportunities this tournament provides,” said Bongi Mokaba, Director of Events: City of Joburg.

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine tour, said: “The City of Johannesburg has been a proud and loyal partner of the Sunshine Tour, and the Joburg Open has provided our members with incredible opportunities. We’ve had seven different South African winners of the past 15 Joburg Opens which in itself bears testament to our Sunshine Tour slogan that ‘Greatness Begins Here’ and the Joburg Open’s role in supporting this.”

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said: “The City of Johannesburg remains an important destination on our International Schedule, and the Joburg Open has always been a key event in our longstanding relationship with the Sunshine Tour. We look forward to a new era of this partnership at Houghton Golf Club.”

PORT EDWARD, KwaZulu-Natal – A change of coach for MJ Viljoen obviously brought dividends on Thursday as the 27-year-old surged to the top of the leaderboard in the SunBet Challenge hosted by Wild Coast Sun, shooting a six-under-par 64 to go into the final round with a one-stroke lead at the Wild Coast Country Club.

Viljoen started his second round on the 10^th hole and blazed his way to the turn in just 29 strokes, collecting six birdies, including three in a row from the 16^th. Although the strengthening of the wind meant his score of six-under stayed where it was on his inward nine due to one bogey, on the par-three sixth, being cancelled out by a birdie on the par-five seventh, the Serengeti Golf Estate representative had still done enough to hold off the challenge of Keenan Davidse.

Viljoen is on 11-under-par for the tournament, while Davidse had a more up-and-down day, with five birdies, three bogies and an eagle on the par-five 16^th, leaving with him an excellent 66 that lifted him to 10-under overall.

“I was solid all day and I didn’t make mistakes. But I enjoyed my front nine a lot today, I was just hitting the ball so nicely and I felt in such control of things,” Viljoen said.

“And then I got a bit excited and the wind got up on my back nine and put me on the back foot a bit.

“But I’ve been struggling for a couple of years now and I just had to make a change last week because I was putting myself under so much pressure. So I worked with a different coach in Dougie Wood, just for a different perspective.

“The change obviously paid off today so I will stick with it. How I felt on the golf course was more favourable,” Viljoen said.

Viljoen, who won his only Sunshine Tour title at the Sun Fish River Challenge in 2017, said his approach in Friday’s final round will be to try and replicate his outstanding form on holes 10 to 18 on Thursday.

“I was just focused on not making any mistakes, I hit the ball good and my putting and chipping were good too. So I will go out in the final round and try do what I did on the first two days.

“The big thing is I’m not worried about the outcome because I know I’ve improved, I’ve got something out of the last couple of weeks, and that’s more than enough for me. That gives me a head start, I reckon,” Viljoen said.

Apart from Davidse, Martin Vorster and Jaco Ahlers are also chasing hard on nine-under-par after they both shot 65s on Thursday, and Madalitso Muthiya (68), Heinrich Bruiners (67), Casey Jarvis (66) and Christiaan Burke (65) are just three strokes back on eight-under.

Overnight leader Jacques Blaauw had a tough time on Thursday and just could not get going, 16 pars and two bogies leaving him with a 72 that saw him slip down to six-under-par and a tie for 13^th.

The €1.5 million Alfred Dunhill Championship returns to the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour schedule this year when it will be played at the magnificent Leopard Creek Country Club from December 8-11.

The last Alfred Dunhill Championship was played in 2020 when South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout won by four strokes. Last year’s tournament had to be cancelled following South Africa’s placement on the travel red list of several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are delighted to be able to announce that the Alfred Dunhill Championship is back. This is one of our flagship tournaments as it represents everything of the uniqueness of playing golf in Africa on a world-renowned golf course. We’re extremely pleased that once again the world’s professionals will be able to experience the magic of the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Leopard Creek, and golf fans around the world will be able to marvel at the amazing wildlife and beauty of South Africa through the international broadcast,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

The incredible setting of the Leopard Creek golf course on the banks of the Crocodile River and overlooking the Kruger National Park, one of the world’s most iconic game reserves, makes the Alfred Dunhill Championship one of the flagship events on both Tours.

It remains a favourite of the world’s leading professionals and over the years former world number ones, Major winners, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup stars have competed at Leopard Creek.

PORT EDWARD, KwaZulu-Natal – Jacques Blaauw was in inspired form on the opening day of the SunBet Challenge hosted by the Wild Coast Sun at the Wild Coast Country Club on Wednesday, his eight-under-par 62 putting him in a two-stroke lead.

Two eagles and eight birdies, meaning successive bogeys on the ninth and 10^th holes barely mattered, saw Blaauw go to the 18^th tee with the legendary 59 in his sights. But after a good drive, he misjudged the wind and his second shot was on-target but way short.

So Blaauw ended with a double-bogey six, but he was still two ahead of four golfers who shot excellent 64s – Jordan Duminy, Neil Schietekat, Keenan Davidse and Madalitso Muthiya.

“On the last hole, I knew walking up the fairway that a birdie would give me a 59. But I didn’t feel under any pressure and I hit a good second shot  but it was just way short,” Blaauw said.

“I played for nine metres past the hole but I was about 20 yards short, so we must have misjudged the wind. But it was good fun and I obviously played some unbelievable golf.

“It all started with me holing out for eagle on the second hole from 46 yards, and then a nice birdie at three meant I went on a roll, I just didn’t miss a shot.

“I played some unbelievable irons into the greens, birdieing three of the par-threes, and my tee-shot on the eighth was my shot of the day – the flag was on the left by the water and I hit an eight-iron 174 yards to three feet,” Blaauw said.

The 36-year-old, who has won four times on the Sunshine Tour, missed his last two cuts, so Wednesday’s phenomenal round marked a spectacular return to form.

“It’s very weird, I actually felt before my round that my luck was going to turn. I feel I’ve been playing good golf, but I just couldn’t get it all together in a round,” Blaauw said.

“With my coach Eugene Schwartz, we’ve been working on getting my body moving better. It’s also about getting sharp around the greens, you need those up-and-downs and I did not miss many today.”

Schietekat was in the same three-ball as Blaauw and was also on fire on Wednesday and was seven-under through 15 holes, but then he double-bogeyed the par-five 16^th. He did well to bounce back from that shock, his first dropped shots of the day, and birdied the par-three 17^th to ensure he joined the four-way tie for second.

And there are another nine golfers tied for sixth after shooting five-under-par 65s, including veteran Jaco van Zyl, who won two weeks ago up the coast at Selborne.

The Sunshine Tour has added to its already robust schedule for 2022 with a new tournament, the R1.5 million Fortress Invitational, to be played at the Ebotse Links from 7-9 October.

Fortress Real Estate are specialists in the logistics and retail property sectors with an established in-house development track record. Fortress focuses on developing and letting premium-grade logistics real estate in South Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, and also has a convenience and commuter-oriented retail portfolio which currently comprises 52 shopping centres.

The 54-hole televised tournament is expected to draw a quality field of youth and experience including Albert Venter, the current Luno Order of Merit leader and two-time winner this season already, first-time winners Herman Loubser, Dylan Mostert and Anthony Michael, and rising star Jayden Schaper who will be playing his home course.

They will join established Sunshine Tour stars such as Jaco van Zyl, Neil Schietekat, Jean Hugo, Jaco Ahlers and Hennie Otto, while Jbé Kruger – a Sunshine Tour winner at Ebotse last season – is also expected to return for this event.

Steven Brown, CEO of Fortress Real Estate, said: “As South Africa’s leading logistics developer we pride ourselves on partnering with clients to power their growth through providing innovative real estate solutions. Now we get to power growth in South African golf. Our belief is that The Fortress Invitational offers local players the opportunity to grow and succeed in their careers, with the possibility of representing South Africa internationally through the addition of this tournament to their schedule. As a brand, we look forward to hosting our clients and tenants, celebrating a truly superb and challenging course.”

“Ebotse is situated close to our biggest logistics development to date: our flagship premium-grade Eastport Logistics Park. Once complete, the co-investment with Pick ‘n Pay will produce one of the largest distribution centres in Africa.”

The addition of The Fortress Invitational adds to the quality of high-level brands associated with the Sunshine Tour and Southern African professional golf.

“We’re very excited to announce the new Fortress Invitational as we keep growing our schedule and providing quality playing opportunities for our member professionals,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“With the addition of the Fortress Invitational we have now built up a very strong schedule that allows Sunshine Tour professionals to remain competitive throughout the year as they prepare for our co-sanctioned tournaments with the DP World Tour, and which in turn gives them that opportunity to take their careers to the next level.”

Photo (From Left to Right): Sunshine Tour professionals Rupert Kaminski, Rhys Enoch and Michael Palmer at the launch of the Sunshine Tour’s new Fortress Invitational. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

Europcar South Africa has brought even greater drive to the Sunshine Tour as the exclusive car rental provider and an official partner of the Tour.

Europcar South Africa brings its fleet of over 20 000 vehicles across 100 locations throughout the country to the Sunshine Tour, offering the professional golfers and staff a world-class car hire solution at a reduced rate from a company that has consistently been voted “Africa’s Leading Car Hire Company” at the World Travel Awards.

“We are delighted to partner with the Sunshine Tour and bring our global expertise and experience in the rental market to the sports industry, and specifically South African professional golf,” said Martin Lydall, Chief Executive Officer.

“Europcar is a company that strives for the highest level of professionalism in every area of our business. This is  shared by the Sunshine Tour and showcased in the elite performances of its member professionals. It’s a privilege for us to support this and play our part in ensuring that the Sunshine Tour moves around Southern Africa with ease and efficiency.”

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “Europcar is one of the most recognisable brands in the global car rental industry and a valuable partner for us. We’re deeply grateful that they have joined the Sunshine Tour family of top brands.”

“Travel is an inherent part of our business and ease of travel is also vital for the performance of our member professionals as well as our staff and their staging requirements. The ability of the Tour to move around South Africa hassle-free is key to our ongoing success and for our member professionals to be able to perform at the highest level.”