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DURBAN – JC Ritchie locked himself away in that quiet place in his head, in the way he does so well but can’t describe how to even his caddie. And there in that place where he says he finds perfect peace, he once again found perfect golf.

For the second day in succession in the Jonsson Workwear Open, Ritchie was untouchable as he followed up his first round 61 with a second round of 63 at Durban Country Club on Friday.

And now the fear from the rest of the field is that he may just be unreachable as well as he takes a six-shot lead into the weekend of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour event, and chasing back-to-back victories after his triumph in last week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

“The golf is feeling amazing. My swing is in a really good place. My mental game is in a really nice place. I feel like everything is as close to perfect as it can be. There’s always room for improvement, but I think what I’ve got right now and where I am I’m really happy,” said Ritchie as he came through 36 holes at the top of the leaderboard on 18 under par.

“There’s been some really tough times over the last 20 or so years since I decided to play the game, so if this is form then I gladly welcome it.”

There’s no doubt Ritchie is in the form of his life at the moment, and even he is struggling to explain just how he’s able to get to that place mentally that yields such incredible golf.

“It’s a tricky one. I struggle to explain exactly how I get there and where I go to in my head. Even my caddie has asked me, and I told him I just don’t know how to explain it. It’s just a quiet place in my head that I manage to go to when I’m under pressure. It’s a place that’s calm and peaceful in my head, and where I feel like I can make the best possible decisions. I try and keep that space as clear as I can – no negative thoughts or bad memories.”

His nearest challenger is Jbe Kruger, who as his playing partner over the past two days has had a front-row seat to Ritchie’s process and his golf.

“It’s some of the best golf I’ve ever seen. He’s not making a single mistake and he’s putting well. I almost want to say that if you don’t shoot 64-64 on the weekend, you won’t beat him. JC is playing unbelievable golf,” said Kruger, who was in some great form himself with a 66 at Durban Country Club on Friday that puts him on 12 under headed into the weekend.

Kruger had a day of contrasting nines, starting on the back nine with a 29 that included seven birdies and two pars – matching the back nine of John Bland when he shot a course record 62 here in the first round of the 1993 SA Open. He then came home with a 37 featuring eight pars and a bogey.

“I did everything well on the first nine, and then it was completely different on the second nine. It’s been pretty much my form. If it comes together it comes together nicely, and if it doesn’t it doesn’t. So let’s hope it comes together on the weekend.”

Challenging for a title on the weekend at the historic Durban Country Club is exactly where these golfers want to be, and Ritchie is certainly keen to ensure he stays in front in this race.

“Durban Country Club has had some amazing tournaments and some pretty big golfers have won here, and to be able to put my name on that list would be pretty special,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better for JC Ritchie, it did.

Only four days after his last victory, Ritchie carded a nine-under-par 61 at the par-70 Woods course at Mount Edgecombe to lead the Jonsson Workwear Open on Thursday. He also had a hole-in-one. And his 61 was a course record. Oh hang on, it was also all on his birthday.

“Today was pretty strange. It was probably the best ball striking day I’ve had in my life. I don’t remember ever having that control on a golf course. That was really nice. And to have a hole-in-one on my birthday was pretty awesome. Today was just really special,” said Ritchie.

His hole-in-one came on the 213-yard par-three second hole with a golden five iron. It was one of two holes-in-one on the opening day. At Durban Country Club, David Ravetto aced the par-three 12^th hole to win himself a seven-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch.

Ritchie leads by two shots over Rupert Kaminski, whose 63 was also at the Woods course at Mount Edgecombe. The first two rounds are shared between the Durban Country Club course and Mount Edgecome Country Club’s The Woods course.

MJ Viljoen and Christopher Mivis led the scoring at Durban Country Club with their rounds of 66 to place them in a group on six under.

But on the east coast of Durban, the man clearly riding the wave of form at present is Ritchie.

Last Sunday, he holed a magnificent putt on the final green at Royal Cape to win the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, successfully defending this title. He arrived in Durban having sorted out what he said were a few niggling issues with his ball striking, and feeling as confident as ever.

“I didn’t hit the ball well at all last weekend. I think it might have been a combination of nerves and the wind in Cape Town. But I managed to do some work and straighten out everything,” he said.

“I didn’t look at the scoreboard before I teed off. We were all wondering what kind of score you’re looking at for this week, but I just closed my eyes and took what the golf course gave me. And today it was really generous. My aim was to just keep hitting the ball in good spots and give myself realistic chances.”

Ritchie heads to Durban Country Club on Friday and has a very clear strategy for this venerable golf course.

“Durban Country Club is sneaky, so I’ll respect her as much as I can. Hopefully the ball striking stays where it is and I can just stick to my gameplan.” – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN – The similarities between golf and rugby don’t seem obvious, but on the eve of this week’s Jonsson Workwear Open, professionals from both sports showed they do have something in common.

On Wednesday, Sunshine Tour professionals Callum Mowat and Martin Rohwer challenged Cell C Sharks flyhalf Jordan Chait to a golf versus rugby competition on the hallowed turf of the Kings Park Stadium.

From various positions on the field, the golfers had three opportunities to chip through the rugby poles and Chait had to match this with a placekick. Then the golfers had to chip one-handed while Chait had to drop-kick from the same position.

It was a challenge the golfers won, with Mowat scoring a flawless 6 out of 6, and Chait and Rohwer sharing second place with scores of 4 out of 6.

“It was an unbelievable experience. I love my golf and I follow most of these Sunshine Tour professionals. It’s unbelievable what these guys can do with a golf ball. You know, we’ve got to kick a ball around on a rugby field, but the mental side in professional golf is a whole other ball game. I’ve got a lot of respect for that,” said Chait.=

And in his opinion, the approach of both placekickers in rugby and professional golfers is very similar, especially when it comes to the different styles, techniques and mental strategies.

“In rugby, placekickers all have a different kicking style. I think it’s just about finding what is right for you, drilling that in and making it the best for you. Some kickers are very straight on, while others like a Dan Carter come around the corner and almost kick like a soccer kick. You see some very funny run-ups while others are very simple. At the end of the day it’s about what works for you and being very consistent with your technique. I think golf and place kicking are very similar in that it is very mental and you’ve got to believe that you can put the ball where you want it to be.”

However, it appears a lot easier to move from rugby to golf than the other way around. In a friendly competition after the main challenge, Chait outscored the golfers with his chips, and then was kind enough to give them a few pointers on placekicking and drop-kicking.

The $250 000 Jonsson Workwear Open is a Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament that will be played at both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club golf courses from Thursday to Sunday, with the final two rounds played solely at Durban Country Club. – Michael Vlismas 

It’s another week of significant opportunity for the rising stars of the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour as the inaugural Jonsson Workwear Open tees off at both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club golf courses on Thursday.

The $250 000 tournament is the third on the seven-tournament schedule of co-sanctioned events between the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour and features a strong international field headlined by the return of multiple DP World Tour champion Brandon Stone.

It was precisely this co-sanctioning strategy that enabled Stone to achieve a first in his career when he won last year’s Limpopo Championship to record his maiden victory on the Challenge Tour.

“I’ve won on the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour, and I always wanted to add a victory on the Challenge Tour as well, which I was able to do,” said Stone.

JC Ritchie also knows the value of this week’s event for the field, and he heads to Durban as the latest winner after defending his title in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open last week.

“It’s brilliant for us to have these events, especially for the South Africans. To get the season off to a good start early in the year and here at home could mean that the rest of the year is a bit more comfortable,” he said.

“We have a lot of brilliant players in South Africa who often don’t have the financial support to get onto the Challenge Tour or main DP World Tour, or even to the qualifying schools. So to have these events, and in general to have that collaboration between the Sunshine Tour, Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, is so special for us as players.”

Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin, who made a strong push for his maiden Challenge Tour victory in Cape Town last week, also represents that sense of this being a true breeding ground of future champions of the game. The 19-year-old plays out of the same Holywood Golf Club that produced Rory McIlroy, and is held in high esteem by McIlroy.

The first two rounds of the Jonsson Workwear Open will be shared by both the Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Country Club courses, with the final two rounds to be played solely on the historic Durban Country Club course.

All of which adds to the significance of just how special this week could be for a young professional to be able to win on a golf course as iconic as Durban Country Club, and which this year also celebrates its Centenary.

A daily maximum of 2 000 fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed to attend, and the final two rounds of the tournament will be shown live on SuperSport.

CAPE TOWN – JC Ritchie became the first player in the history of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open to successfully defend his title and also the first multiple winner of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour event at the Royal Cape Golf Club on Sunday.

Ritchie holed a magnificent 30-foot birdie putt on the 18^th to win by a stroke on 18 under par with a final round of 68.

Belgium’s Christopher Mivis took second place on 17 under with a closing 66, while South Africans Zander Lombard and Bryce Easton – both with rounds of 70 – as well as Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin (73) shared third on 15 under par.

On another perfect day in the Mother City, Ritchie birdied two of his final three holes to take the title.

But it was his putt on 18 that proved the most crucial, which Mivis watched from the clubhouse as he’d already set the target at 17 under for a possible playoff.

“I didn’t have the energy for a playoff. I haven’t made a long putt all week so I said to myself on the 18^th, ‘It’s time to make a long one now’. I’ve hit that same putt on 18 a couple of times in the past. When I walked onto the green I knew the line already and felt like I had a good chance of making it. Luckily it went in. It feels amazing. Words can’t describe what I’m feeling. It means everything to me,” said Ritchie.

This is Ritchie’s ninth Sunshine Tour victory in a career that is becoming an increasingly impressive one, and which also includes a Sunshine Tour Order of Merit title in the 2019-20 season. This is also the third time he’s defended a title.

“It’s special to have that under your belt – to say you’ve been able to defend titles. Especially multiple times. And to start the season off well like this could mean good things for the rest of the year.”

Ritchie will hope to continue with this form as he heads to Durban this week for the Jonsson Workwear Open at both Durban Country Club and Mount Edgecombe Golf Estate, and with his focus now firmly on working his way from here and onto the DP World Tour this year.

“I feel like my game is solid and that I’m scoring really well. The plan is to start playing on the DP World Tour. But I’m trying to keep all those milestones quiet in my head and not let them blow up what I’m currently working on. Right now it’s taking everything one shot at a time, and as long as I keep doing what I’m doing really well, all those milestones will happen as they need to.”

CAPE TOWN – Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin kept his young head during an extremely tricky day at the Royal Cape Golf Club and will take a two-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

With a different wind pulling at the swings and nerves of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour field, McKibbin signed for a two-under-par 70 to lead the field on 16 under overall.

“I’m delighted. Arriving this morning and seeing how windy it was, I would’ve definitely taken two under today. It was really tricky,” said the 19-year-old.

His nearest challengers are defending champion JC Ritchie of South Africa and Spain’s Ivan Cantero Gutierrez on 14 under following their respective rounds of 67 and 69. And then Neil Schietekat and Zander Lombard are in a group of players on 13 under par.

The change in wind direction definitely caught the attention of this field on Saturday and had the greatest impact on the front nine.

“The wind was swirling quite a bit and it was just hard out there. It was a tough start with the wind, and then it eased up on the back nine. You could hit a good shot and it could just go into the trees,” said McKibbin.

Ritchie also struggled to adjust early in his round, and relied heavily on his past memories of this golf course and his success here.

“It was a funny round of golf today. I didn’t hit the ball great but kept my head down and missed in the right places and plotted my way around. The wind threw me a little off course. It was a wind direction I haven’t played in about two years, so it felt very strange. Early on I was uncomfortable with it, and the putter definitely kept me alive today. And it also helped just knowing where to miss on this golf course when things aren’t going your way,” he said.

Schietekat found it just as difficult out there and paid tribute to his short game for the 67 that he eventually walked off with.

“The wind was quite brutal the first nine holes and then it died down on the back nine. I had a scrambling front nine and then found something on the back, and had great up-and-downs to keep it going. I don’t feel like I’m hitting it great, but sometimes you can get scores done with just some chipping and putting.”

But as the lead changed all around him, McKibbin did a superb job of keeping focused and giving himself a shot at this title on Sunday.

“I just tried to dig in and accept every shot, and it all seemed to go all right. Once we got past the ninth hole it seemed to calm down a bit.”

He’s certainly looking forward to what could be a big Sunday for him in a tournament he was granted an invitation to compete in.

“It’s very exciting for me. I’ll just commit to every shot on Sunday and see what happens. I feel good. I’ve been practising to get myself in these positions. I’ve played a lot of golf tournaments before so I’m sure I’ll be fine. A win will mean a lot to me.”

CAPE TOWN – The venerable Royal Cape Golf Club has seen a number of fine rounds of golf in its 137-year history, and Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin added his name to this list with a remarkable second round of 10-under-par 62 to take the lead going into the weekend of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.

The 19-year-old McKibbin, who shoulders the weight of being from the same Holywood Golf Club as Rory McIlroy, produced golf just as sublime as his more famous countryman when he equalled the course record at Royal Cape, but with placing in effect.

McKibbin’s 62 lifted him 14 under par for the tournament and three strokes clear of South Africa’s Zander Lombard, who signed for a second-round 65, and Spain’s Ivan Cantero Gutierrez, who posted a 68 – both of them at Rondebosch, which is the other golf course that hosted the first two rounds of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament.

Defending champion JC Ritchie is well placed at nine under par going into the weekend and alongside fellow South Africans Louis de Jager, Keenan Davidse and Pieter Moolman.

After his 68 at Rondebosch the day before, McKibbin arrived at Royal Cape on a windless Friday morning and birdied his first seven holes for a front nine of 29. He added three more birdies on the back nine, taking him to 14 birdies in his last two rounds and without a single bogey.

“It was really good. I was going out there just to try and shoot a good round and I started off with seven birdies in a row, which was very surprising. Especially around here with how tight this golf course is. It was a very special day,” he said.

The 14 birdies notwithstanding, McKibbin says he takes greater pride in not having made a bogey over the past two rounds.

“I think not dropping a shot in two rounds is pretty special for me because both courses are tight. There wasn’t as much wind today and I took advantage of those conditions. The practice rounds were real windy so I thought it was going to be pretty hard this week. But with that kind of start it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and stop that momentum with a bogey. I just took it one shot at a time and I think I handled it pretty well.”

Behind him, Ritchie is certainly relishing the chance to defend his title this weekend. “I’m very happy. I’m playing good golf and I’m pleased my game is on form again. I’m looking forward to the weekend because I like this golf course and it definitely helps that I’ve won here before.”

CAPE TOWN – The Europeans dominated the leaderboard after Thursday’s first round of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, but with the knowledge that the South Africans will definitely still be a factor over the next three rounds of this Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour event.

Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand and Spain’s Ivan Cantero Gutierrez led the field with their rounds of seven-under-par 65, scored at Rondebosch Golf Club and Royal Cape Golf Club respectively. The first two rounds of the tournament are shared by both courses, with the final two rounds to be played solely at Royal Cape Golf Club.

South Africa’s Louis de Jager finished the day one shot off the lead alongside Italy’s Matteo Manassero and Ireland’s Paul Dunne. And South Africans Zander Lombard, Neil Schietekat, Ulrich van den Berg, Keenan Davidse, Dylan Naidoo and Nikhil Rama are three shots off the pace, while defending champion JC Ritchie is four shots off the lead.

It was Dunne in particular, who has played in South Africa for many years, who brought attention to that fact that South African golfers are notoriously hard to beat on home fairways, and that he expects a strong challenge from them.

“I’ve noticed that more than any other country, the South Africans seems to play really well in South Africa. It’s a big advantage for the South Africans down here,” he said after his 66 at Royal Cape.

In the previous nine editions of the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open, European golfers have triumphed on only two occasions. And one South African who will certainly fancy his chances after his start this week is Lombard.

With a round of 68 at Royal Cape, Lombard is in a good position to go one better than his second-place finish here in 2019.

“I was really solid, barring the double bogey on 14 which broke my momentum a bit. But I’m really looking forward to what the rest of the week has in store for me. I love Royal Cape. I’ve always done well here,” he said.

Lombard will take on Rondebosch Golf Club on Friday, where he’ll look to keep positioning himself well for a return to Royal Cape on the weekend.

“My golf has been good for three months now, and this game is all about confidence. I’m riding the wave and seeing what I can do with it. I’ve been doing a lot of maintenance on all aspects of my game to keep everything sharp. It felt like my pre-season training was good. I did a lot of gym work and got the body in the right frame to be able to deliver the club in the position I want to. I’m just feeling really solid across the board and it’s showing in my consistent scores at the moment,” he said.

Davidse was also pleased with his start to this tournament and the 68 he posted at Rondebosch. “I’ve got a gameplan for this week and will stick to it. I’m not going to chase anything. My main strategy is just to enjoy my golf more. I’m feeling bit more relaxed out there, and that’s been important for me,” he said.

The DHL Stormers once again challenged the Sunshine Tour professionals in a three-hole match on the eve of this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club on Wednesday. And once again it was the rugby boys who emerged victorious.

Led by Steven Kitshoff, the team of Damian Willemse, Neethling Fouché and Ruhan Nel successfully defended the title they also won last year when they beat the professional team of Jaco Ahlers, Keenan Davidse, Benjamin Follett-Smith and Dylan Mostert.

The rugby players did have the benefit of playing a scramble format while the professionals had to each play their own ball. But they nevertheless delivered with some quality golf in very windy conditions that even impressed their professional opponents.

“After last year’s good win for the DHL Stormers we were very excited to take on the Sunshine Tour pros again. It gave us a lot of bragging rights during the year,” said Kitshoff.

Ahlers captained the Sunshine Tour team and said while a successive defeat was hard to swallow, it was another great contest. “It was great fun, especially taking them on on our turf. I think if we played rugby against them we’d definitely come second. But it’s great to have them out here and supporting the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open as well.”

The tournament will be played from Thursday to Sunday with the first two rounds on both the Royal Cape Golf Club and Rondebosch Golf Club courses, and the final two rounds played solely at Royal Cape.

Photo: Sunshine Tour professional Jaco Ahlers (left) led his team of professionals against Steven Kitshoff’s team of DHL Stormers rugby players in their second match ahead of this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at the Royal Cape Golf Club on Wednesday, and which the DHL Stormers won. Credit: Sunshine Tour

CAPE TOWN – Running ultra marathons and some of the longest races on the planet and a five-hour round of professional golf may not seem to have anything in common. But world-renowned trail runner Ryan Sandes believes both sports place an intense focus on correct mental preparation.

The professionals competing in this week’s Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour co-sanctioned Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open at both the Royal Cape Golf Club and Rondebosch Golf Club, which tees off on Thursday, are all seeking that mental edge in a sport that requires them to maintain focus and concentration for hours on end while competing at the highest level.

“The mental side of things is so important in sport, no matter what the sporting discipline. Just being able to have that sustained focus for a long time is key,” says Sandes, a legend of his sport and a proud Capetonian.

And in a similar fashion to a professional golfer mapping out his course strategy in his head, Sandes says he relies heavily on visualisation to prepare for the demands of the trail he’ll be running.

“Visualisation is important for me in ultra running. I run through in my mind how the day is going to go – good and bad,” he says.

Professional golfers often speak about leaving a bad shot or hole behind them as quickly as possible and not “taking it with” mentally onto the next tee box. Sandes believes in the same.

“The biggest thing is that when things aren’t going your way, that you’re still able to keep your focus and get through that and stay present. I break down a race into bite size chunks, and I would imagine in golf it would be a case of taking it one hole at a time and not drifting off and thinking everything is now going to fall apart.”

Gary Player has always declared that it’s not a lack of nerves that makes a champion, but rather an ability to correctly manage the inevitable nervous tension before a major tournament. According to Sandes, finding enjoyment in his sport enables him to correctly manage the pressure of performing at an elite level.

“It’s important to keep the enjoyment and take the pressure off a bit, and to use pressure in the right way. One of the top tri-athletes once said that pressure is a privilege, and you need to focus it in the right way. I think the day I stop feeling nervous before an event then it’s probably time to stop. Some nerves and anxiety is good. If I’m overly nervous before an event, I’ll do breathing drills or just go for a run to get in the right headspace to compete.” – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Sunshine Tour professional Keagan Thomas focusing his mind during a practice round ahead of this week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. Credit: Sunshine Tour.