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Richard Wainwright, the Chief Executive Officer of Investec, hit the ceremonial drive to mark the official start of the 2023 Investec South African Open at the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate on Thursday.

“We’re very excited for this year’s championship. This event aligns perfectly with our global brand, particularly across the United Kingdom, Europe and South Africa,” said Wainwright.

“This is an iconic event for South Africa. We’re also very excited to be back at the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate. It’s an unbelievable venue. This is one of the longest golf courses in the world and the team here are incredibly professional.”

It was a proud moment as the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Kabelo Gwamanda, hit the ceremonial tee shot for the 2023 Joburg Open, and which also marked the start of the new season on the DP World Tour at Houghton Golf Club on Thursday.

“It was an exciting moment for me to be so closely associated with a sport that is a major tourist attraction for us,” said the Executive Mayor.

“We’ve been looking forward to this moment for months now and I’m very proud. The City of Johannesburg has a rich history and heritage. We have world-class facilities here and are delighted to welcome professionals from around the world to our city.

“I wish the professionals well and encourage our residents to come and join us for what is going to be a wonderful event.” A total of 155 professional golfers from around the world will be competing at Houghton Golf Club this week for a share of the R20.5 million in prize money.

The hug was deep and meaningful. Erik van Rooyen was silent as his lengthy eagle putt dropped and he pumped one fist while his caddie Alex Gaugert put both his arms in the air. A silent stare followed between player and caddie. These long-time friends didn’t need to say anything. How could they? Why would they? They already knew.

This one was for Jon.

Jon Trasamar played collegiate golf alongside van Rooyen and Gaugert at the University of Minnesota. They won the 2014 Big Ten Championship as a team, and Trasamar finished tied for third as an individual. He kept clawing away at the grind that is professional golf. Mini-tours, mostly. A caddie gig to help pay the bills. A wife, Allie – they met in 2016 and were married in 2022.

And then melanoma. Cancer. He was in remission, and then, via text on Tuesday, van Rooyen and Gaugert learned the cancer had returned and spread throughout his body. Van Rooyen, after winning his second PGA TOUR title on Sunday at the World Wide Technology Championship, admitted the terrible truth. His friend was not going to make it. He and Gaugert would fly to Minnesota on Monday to see him for, likely, one of the last times. Van Rooyen said his friend has six to 10 weeks left – maybe less.

And that’s life. Real life. He knows the best man at his wedding won’t be around much longer.

“Every shot out there today was for him,” van Rooyen said, minutes after his victory at El Cardonal at Diamante was confirmed.

Van Rooyen admitted Friday after his round he got back to his hotel room and broke down in tears. He said Saturday night a win would “mean everything” because it would secure his job for 2024 – he entered the week at No. 125 on the FedExCup Fall standings, squarely on the bubble to retain TOUR exempt status – and he could go home to see his friend.

As a 19-year-old, van Rooyen left South Africa to attend the University of Minnesota. Trasamar and his family met him at the airport – they lived about two hours away from Minneapolis – and they were college roommates for three years.

“He was like a brother to me,” van Rooyen said.

Van Rooyen gets plenty with this victory – job security and opportunities for big events and nearly $1.5 million – but winning wasn’t the emphasis, he said. He might not have cared whether he won or lost Sunday, but van Rooyen did win. In style, too.

Sunday brought high drama throughout, with four players separated by just a shot into the 72nd hole. But van Rooyen wasn’t playing for himself. He didn’t care about the birdies because he wasn’t thinking about the birdies. His friend, who he loves, was going through something that van Rooyen couldn’t believe.

Before he knew it, van Rooyen had an eagle attempt to win the whole thing. He had made six birdies already in eight holes, including mid-range efforts on Nos. 16 and 17. There was no way he was missing that eagle putt.

An incredible 8-under 28 on the back nine and a 9-under 63 Sunday in Mexico meant a two-shot victory over Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas. It was van Rooyen’s second TOUR title, his first coming at the 2021 Barracuda Championship.

It was a trying year, van Rooyen said. Coming into the week, he missed more cuts than he made and was 151st on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Total. He started working with instructor Sean Foley at the U.S. Open and has seen gradual improvement. The results have followed, slowly but surely; he finished tied for sixth at the Barracuda Championship in August, and he arrived in Mexico on the strength of five straight top-25s between the TOUR and DP World Tour.

Things coalesced on Sunday, with fervor.

“Listen,” Kuchar said, “the birdie-birdie-eagle finish is impressive. What was that?. … 8-under par on the final nine holes is quite an awesome finale. Hard to keep up with.

“At the end of the day you tip your hat and say that’s some awesome playing.”

It was indeed.

It was a dedicated triumph. Surround yourself, as the saying goes, only with people who are going to lift you higher.

Erik van Rooyen knew that about Jon Trasamar. No words were needed after that hug with Gaugert. They knew. It was a win for a friend.

“When I kick the bucket one day, whenever that might be, this is not what I’m going to be thinking about,” van Rooyen said. “I’m going to be thinking about the people that I love the most, and Jon Trasamar is one of those people.” – PGA Tour

KNYSNA, Western Cape – After a challenging few weeks in which he battled with an injury, Neil Schietekat was rewarded with a two-stroke victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at the Pezula Championship Course on Sunday.

Schietekat showed every bit of his experience as he closed with a 67 to win on 15 under par overall, with Jacques P de Villiers finishing second on 13 under following a final round of 70. Hennie O’Kennedy took third place on 10 under par after signing for a 69.

Tara Griebenow finished as the leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professional in the field on five over par with a final round of 75.

It’s been a tough period for Schietekat as he had to carry an injury while still playing in Asia at a critical part in the season. But it culminated in his second victory this season after winning the FBC Zimbabwe Open in May.

“It was a good week and I really want to thank my caddie for sticking with me through this injury and when the golf has struggled. But this brings us both a smile,” said Schietekat, who also won the magnificent prize of a six night Christmas cruise courtesy of MSC Cruises South Africa.

It’s also his second victory on a Vodacom Origins of Golf series that he’s been playing on since he arrived on the Sunshine Tour in 2007. Schietekat came close to adding his name to the illustrious winners on this series when he finished second in 2008 and he had another runner-up finish in 2013. Then in 2018 he won the Western Cape leg of the series.

“This one is definitely a sweet win for me. Vodacom has been part of the Sunshine Tour ever since I started out in 2007. They’ve been a great supporter of the Tour. Without them we wouldn’t have had the playing opportunities we do in the winter. Pezula was also just amazing this week.” – Michael Vlismas

The Sunshine Tour and Bain’s Whisky have teamed up to toast the hot shots and real aces in professional golf with the new Bain’s Whisky Hole-In-One Shootout that will reward those who pull off the shot of a lifetime this season.

The odds of a tour professional making a hole-in-one during a tournament are calculated to be as high as 3 000 to 1. It’s a rare shot of greatness in the game, and Bain’s Whisky has decided it’s worth celebrating with an equally rare prize.

Every professional who makes a hole-in-one during a Sunshine Tour event – including the co-sanctioned tournaments with the European Challenge Tour and DP World Tour – in this 2023/24 season will be rewarded with a rare bottle of Bain’s Whisky 18-year-old Founder’s Collection whisky. Bain’s is the world’s most awarded single grain whisky.

These professionals will then also qualify to compete in the Bain’s Whisky Hole-in-One Shootout to be held during the Tour Championship at the end of the season in April 2024 for the ultimate prize – the chance to win R50 000 as well as a Bain’s Distillery premium experience valued at R30 000.

The Bain’s Whisky Hole-in-One Shootout will be broadcast live on SuperSport, and fans will also be able to track the progress throughout the season with a leaderboard at every tournament indicating the professionals who have already made holes-in-one and qualified for the shootout.

It’s the ultimate reward for the ultimate shot in golf.

The Sunshine Tour is deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Michael Bonallack, a man who lived his life with a passion and reverence for the great game of golf.

Sir Michael left an indelible footprint on not only the game he so dearly loved and played at such a high level, but more importantly on its people whose lives he touched through a life steeped in golf.

He served the game with a passion to see it grow and thrive around the world, and with a calmness in leadership that also made him one of the finest and most trusted administrators in the history of our game.

Sir Michael was a beloved member of the wider Sunshine Tour family.

He was a wonderful player, an excellent administrator and most importantly a true friend of golf.

A giant of our game has left us.

Jacques Kruyswijk birdied his final two holes to claim a maiden European Challenge Tour title at the Dormy Open.

Round four in Sweden was cancelled due to the weather conditions, meaning the tournament would be decided after 54 holes.

The South African was one of a number of competitors who returned to Askersunds Golfklubb on Sunday to complete their third rounds after play was suspended due to heavy rain on Saturday.

With just three holes left to complete, the 30-year-old was two strokes behind overnight leader Aron Zemmer. But after the Italian dropped two strokes, Kruyswijk finished par-birdie-birdie to claim the title by two shots as he signed for a four under par 63 and a nine under total.

“Ecstatic. That’s the only word I can think of,” said Kruyswijk. “It’s been a long week for all of the players. We’ve had so much rain, the course was flooded and last night I knew I had some work to do, I was prepared to play 20 holes. I was thinking to just get into the clubhouse with a score but I played 17 fantastically and played 18 unbelievably. I’m very happy with my finish.”

“The 18th was solid, 4-iron down the middle of the fairway. I had 182 (yards) to the flag and my caddie said let’s just hit a full shot into the flag. So, I hit a 7-iron which finished around a metre from the hole. I was a little nervous around that last one, it’s not a gimme but managed to go in the middle of the cup so I’m very happy.”

A three-time winner on the Sunshine Tour, with his last victory coming just a fortnight ago at the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Zebula, Kruyswijk has now set his sights on a return to the DP World Tour at the end of the season.

“Any win is always big but for me to get over the line in Europe has always been a big thing for me,” he added. “I’ve had a few wins in South Africa and haven’t been able to get over the line in Europe. This means a lot; I’ve had double knee surgery last year which has put me back. Obviously, my confidence was at an all-time low the last couple of months and to be able to see the hard work of my team payoff is unbelievable.”

“I always go on my knees and thank my lord and saviour for everything he is doing for me, without him, nothing is possible. It means the world, to win in Europe and on the Challenge Tour means I can take it to the next step and win on the DP World Tour, I’ve been playing there the last six years and haven’t been able to get the win so hopefully this is some added confidence going forward.”

With his victory, Kruyswijk climbed 256 places on the Road to Mallorca Rankings up to 47th. Frenchman Ugo Coussaud moved up to second on the season-long standings after his runner-up finish.