Category: Homepage New

Vodacom has once again thrown its full support behind South African professional golf with the announcement of a significant donation to permanent Sunshine Tour caddies to help alleviate the economic pressures they have suffered during the coronavirus pandemic and specifically the hard lockdown of professional golf in 2020.

During the first Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at De Zalze Golf Estate this August, Vodacom announced a R409 500.00 donation to the Sunshine Tour and specifically for the South African Caddie Association (SACA), which will be used to help support all professional caddies approved by the Tour.

The donation comes after Vodacom confirmed the return of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series to the Sunshine Tour’s schedule in 2021 and 2022 after it had to be postponed last year due to the Lockdown Level 5 restrictions.

The five-tournament series teed off in August, with the final tournament set to be played in 2022 and with a total of R5 million in prize money on offer throughout the series.

“As a result of the coronavirus pandemic we were unable to host the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series in 2020. We realise that this impacted heavily on the Sunshine Tour caddies across the country who rely on these tournaments to earn a living,” said William Mzimba, Vodacom Business Chief Officer.

“Since its inception in 2004, the Vodacom Origins of Golf series has been strongly aligned to the communities where the tournaments are played and supporting charities as well as golf development initiatives. It is for this reason that, in partnership with the Sunshine Tour and events rights holders FLOOID, we have made this donation to a sector of the golf industry that is critical to all of our enjoyment of this game.”

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “The Sunshine Tour is blessed to have sponsors and partners of the calibre of Vodacom, a company that has always supported the Tour and the greater golf family in South Africa. This is an incredible contribution to our efforts to assist our caddies financially.”

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour

Erik van Rooyen claimed his first PGA Tour title when he won the Barracuda Championship in California on Sunday, and said he’d celebrate in typical South African fashion with “a Brandy and Coke”.

The South African finished with 50 points in the modified stableford scoring system used for this tournament to achieve what he said was the next step for him in his career.

“Obviously this was, in my mind, kind of the next step for what I wanted to achieve. I’ve got big dreams and aspirations, and winning on the PGA Tour was certainly part of that. I’m really, really happy.”

Van Rooyen is the third Sunshine Tour player to win on the PGA Tour this season. He is also the sixth consecutive first-time winner of the Barracuda Championship and set a record for the best winning score since the tournament changed to a modified stableford scoring system in 2012. He is also the first player since Major champion Collin Morikawa to win the tournament on his debut.

“It’s massive. It’s massive. It’s been a difficult sort of 18 months for me golf-wise. I haven’t been playing well. There’s been glimpses of it the last six months. But I haven’t been able to put four good rounds together. To win here under the conditions, you know, the pressure that I was under, I’m going to take so much confidence from this. I think it reiterates that patience is key. I was forcing things there for a long time. And ironically, with this game, when you do that, it kind of tends to go the other way. You have to let things happen and let things come to you.”

Van Rooyen joins Garrick Higgo and Branden Grace as winners on the PGA Tour this season. The last time three South Africans won in the same season on the PGA Tour was in 2010 with Tim Clark, Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen.

“Garrick has got such a bright future ahead of him. He’s played exceptional golf the last two years. And Louis obviously is someone I’ve always looked up to. And I played a lot of golf with him the last year or so. Ever since my wife and I moved back to the US we live nearby each other. Louis is so good on the golf course. And the way he handles himself, his calm demeanour, his patience, it’s really something I took away from him. We all know he’s a fantastic ball striker, but the way he handles himself, that’s something I wanted to copy. And it’s something I look up to.

“And I think as a whole we are quite motivated in general. Ernie, for me at least, was really the one that set the tone from a South African perspective. Obviously Gary Player and guys before him. But Ernie and Retief were really the eras that I look up to. And they set the tone for us and there’s so many great players coming through at the moment because of that.”

Van Rooyen also paid tribute to his wife Rose and daughter Valerie.

“My wife’s been my rock. She’s been absolutely amazing. And she’s been pretty much a single parent for three of the last four weeks, ever since we had Valerie. Her parents were with her when I was playing the British Open, but I’ve been gone three out of the four weeks. So, as I mentioned earlier, this goes out to my wife, Rose, and little Valerie.” – PGA Tour/Sunshine Tour.

Photo: Getty Images.

George Coetzee claimed a three-stroke victory in the opening tournament of the 2021 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at De Zalze Golf Estate on Friday.

Coetzee closed with a 69 to win on 18 under par, with Jaco Ahlers and Tristen Strydom sharing second place on 15 under after their respective final rounds of 66 and 67.

The win is Coetzee’s fourth on the series since it teed off in 2004. He also becomes the first golfer in the history of the series to have won the Final of the previous season’s series, and then the very first tournament of the new season’s series. Coetzee won the 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, and the series was cancelled in 2020 before making its return to the Sunshine Tour this year.

With his four Vodacom Origins of Golf Series victories, Coetzee is now tied with Darren Fichardt in second place for the most number of wins on the series. Jean Hugo is first with his 11 titles on the series.

“I’m very happy. Vodacom has basically been a partner on the Sunshine Tour since I came on Tour. So they’ve been very supportive of my whole career in that sense. It’s always been a special relationship, and it’s nice to be able to win another title on the series,” said Coetzee.

Coetzee took a three-stroke lead into the final round and says he did his best just to focus on his own game and let the rest of the field try and catch him.

“I did my best to keep it simple and stay focused on my task at hand. It looks a lot easier than it is. But I felt comfortable this whole week and I think I managed it well.”

The win was also a timely one for Coetzee.

“I’m heading over to the European Tour for about a 10-week trip. It’s always nice to get a win on home soil before leaving.” – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour

George Coetzee is on track to claim his fourth Vodacom Origins of Golf title as he heads into Friday’s final round with a three-stroke lead at De Zalze Golf Estate.

Coetzee signed for a 66 in Thursday’s second round to maintain his place at the top of the leaderboard on 15 under par.

There was another early bogey in his round, but which he followed with the same run of birdies as he did during his opening 63.

After teeing off the 10^th, Coetzee bogeyed the short 12^th hole. But he responded with a birdie on the 13^th, added another birdie on the 18^th, and then came home with a strong second nine of 31. He’s certainly not been short of birdies, making 17 of them over 36 holes.

“It’s weird. Some days you struggle to make any birdies, and then some days they just show up on your doorstep,” he said.

Coetzee is looking to add to his three titles on the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series in 2007, 2008 and 2019.

“It’s obviously nice to come back and play this Vodacom Origins of Golf series, and to play well is always a bonus.”

Benoni’s Pieter Moolman is his nearest challenger on 12 under par following his round of 65, while Tristen Strydom, Desne van den Bergh and Alex Haindl are well placed on 10 under par.

Oliver Bekker finished the round at nine under par for the tournament but had to withdraw following a positive Covid-19 test. – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour

George Coetzee picked up exactly where he left off when the Vodacom Origins of Golf series was last played on the Sunshine Tour, and that’s with his name at the top of the leaderboard.

Coetzee won the 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, the last time the series was played. It had to be cancelled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But when it made its return to the schedule this week, Coetzee looked right at home on a series where he won his first professional title, and where he has three wins in total.

He opened with a nine-under-par 63 at De Zalze Golf Estate on Wednesday to lead by one over a quality leaderboard.

“I came into this week well rested and in a good space mentally. My focus at the moment is to give myself a good chance every time I tee it up,” said Coetzee.

Jaco Ahlers is Coetzee’s nearest challenger after his bogey-free 64. Jean-Paul Strydom started his tournament in third place with a 65. Dylan Naidoo and Paul Boshoff joined the in-form Jaco Prinsloo, already a two-time winner this year, and Oliver Bekker, fresh from the Challenge Tour where he’s currently ranked sixth in the chase to earn a European Tour card, on six under. And both Toto Thimba Jnr. and Keenan Davidse showed a welcome return to form with their rounds of three-under-par 69.

But all will be chasing Coetzee who, after an early bogey on the second hole, looked in total control of his game from there on. He birdied four in five holes over the turn, and then closed with four birdies in his final five holes.

“At the start of the round I didn’t feel like I was playing well. But I just stayed patient and kept my thoughts positive.”

Coetzee was also full of praise for a De Zalze course he hasn’t played since his amateur days. “I remember playing an SA Amateur here. I don’t think I’ve played the course since, maybe once in a social round. I can’t remember. But it’s definitely a world-class course.”

And he’s given himself an equally world-class start on a Vodacom Origins of Golf Series he has fond memories of.

“I remember very well that first professional victory in 2007 on this series. Vodacom has done so much for golf in South Africa, and we’re fortunate to have them on the Sunshine Tour and to be playing these tournaments.” – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour

George Coetzee has a new focus for his career, and it’s one he will continue testing when he tees it up in this week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Series on the Sunshine Tour, which starts at De Zalze Golf Estate on Wednesday.

It’s entirely apt that Coetzee, the winner of the last Vodacom Origins of Golf Final in 2019, is in the field for this first tournament since the series returned to the Sunshine Tour schedule.

The 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series was the last before the global coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 series as the Sunshine Tour joined the worldwide tours in suspending its activities.

Coetzee won that event for his third victory on a series that gave him his first professional breakthrough when he won on it in 2007.

He joins a strong field of past winners on South African professional golf’s longest running series of tournaments.

This week’s field includes Jean Hugo, the most successful golfer in the 16-year history of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series with 11 titles. Former Vodacom Origins of Golf series champions Thriston Lawrence, Neil Schietekat, Keith Horne, Chris Swanepoel, Jaco Ahlers, Andrew Curlewis and Hennie Otto are also in the field.

But multiple Sunshine Tour and European Tour champion Coetzee is only focused on his own journey this week, which includes his new approach to his career.

“In a way, it’s been a blessing for me not to be able to travel to certain countries because of the pandemic. Sometimes the golf becomes just a travel process. I’ve looked at it carefully and the theory seems to be that as a professional golfer you shouldn’t be playing 30 events a year. It means you’re not really prepping properly for each event. You’re just letting each event prep you for the next event, which I feel is not really what I want to do for the rest of my career.

“There’s no benefit for me in that. You think there’s a benefit because you keep making cheques each week. But it quickly becomes more a grind and a journeyman’s approach to your career. You want to perform at your best every week, and if you don’t plan it and prepare properly, it’s probably not going to happen. So, I just want to work a little smarter with my career.

“I don’t do too many long trips away. I’ve restructured my focus like that, and now I’m in a good space and am excited to play golf.” – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Thinus Maritz/Sunshine Tour

Team South Africa’s Olympic Golf challenge ended with Christiaan Bezuidenhout finishing tied 16^th and Garrick Higgo tied 53^rd at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo on Sunday.

Bezuidenhout closed with a 67 for a 72-hole total of 11-under-par 273, finishing seven strokes off the winning total of 18 under par by American Xander Schauffele.

Higgo signed off his Olympic journey with a final round of 72 for a level-par 284 finish.

It was an incredible final round, including a pressure-filled battle for the gold medal and then a seven-man playoff for bronze.

Former South African and now Slovakian Rory Sabbatini produced an Olympic record of 61 on the final day to take the clubhouse lead on 17 under par. Schauffele was one shot clear on 18 under playing the 18^th. His drive went far right and he had to chip out short of the green. But his third was perfect as it finished less than a metre from the hole. He made that putt for par to secure the gold medal, and Sabbatini took the silver.

Photo: Team South Africa. Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR/IGF.

As Christiaan Bezuidenhout heads into the final round of the Olympic Golf competition leading Team South Africa’s challenge, the Sunshine Tour star has said he cannot speak more highly of his Olympic experience, the Japanese hospitality, and the privilege it’s been to represent his country on the greatest sporting stage of all.

“It’s been great,” Bezuidenhout said after his third round of 68 that places him tied 17^th on seven under par and seven shots off the lead of American Xander Schauffele on 14 under par.

“Living in the (Olympic) village has been great. It’s a cool experience to be part of the whole setup there and everyone involved there, all the athletes from different countries. All in all my experience has been great so far and it’s been a privilege to be part of Team South Africa as well. The Japanese people are amazing. They’re doing a great job hosting this in this difficult time as well. Everything has just been great.”

Bezuidenhout has made steady progress in each round, but hasn’t been able to find his best form on the greens at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo.

“I haven’t read them well this week. They’re so perfect, so it’s difficult to read them. I just didn’t see the breaks. I mean, I’ve been hitting the ball well, so I’m just going to keep on doing that and give myself chances and hopefully the putter will warm-up.”

Garrick Higgo broke par for the first time this week with his third round of 70, placing him tied 46^th on one under going into Sunday’s final round.

Photo: Christiaan Bezuidenhout of Team South Africa. Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR/IGF.

South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout had moved into a share of 15^th place in the Olympic Golf competition when Friday’s second round was suspended because of thunderstorms at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo.

Bezuidenhout was on five under for the tournament and two under for his round and playing the 18^th hole when the siren sounded. The second round will resume on Saturday morning.

Bezuidenhout’s fellow South African Garrick Higgo managed to complete his second round before the siren and posted another 71 to put him in the clubhouse on level par for the tournament and in a share of 47^th place.

America’s Xander Schauffele holds the clubhouse lead on 11 under par following a sublime 63 on Friday. He is one stroke clear of Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz. Overnight leader Sepp Straka remains in contention on eight under par following a 71 on Friday.

Masters champion and home favourite Hideki Matsuyama moved into the top three and was eight under for the tournament with two holes still to play.

And Major champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry both climbed to seven under with respective second rounds of 66 and 65.

Photo: Garrick Higgo managed to complete his second round 71 before the suspension of play. Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR/IGF.

Sunshine Tour star Christiaan Bezuidenhout opened with a bogey-free round of three-under-par 68 to place him five strokes off the lead after the first round of the Olympic Golf competition at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan on Thursday.

Austria’s Sepp Straka, ranked 161^st on the Official World Golf Ranking, led the field with a bogey-free eight-under-par 63 – equalling the Olympic golf record for lowest round – to earn himself a one-stroke lead over the field. It was a moment made even more sweet by the fact that his twin brother Sam caddied for him.

Bezuidenhout’s fellow South African, Garrick Higgo, began his Olympic journey with a level-par 71.

It was a low-scoring start to the competition as 47 golfers in the 60-man field shot par or better, and despite an over two-hour delay because of inclement weather.

“If you just put it in the fairway on this course you can really take advantage and I got hot with my irons, especially my short irons and wedges. I was really knocking down the flagstick and really tried to stay aggressive with those,” said Straka.