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HARARE – Martin Vorster was on a rock-solid two-under-par for his round after his first seven holes on Friday, but a raucous run around the turn in which he picked up four birdies and then an eagle helped catapult him to the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the FBC Zim Open at Royal Harare Golf Club.

The Mossel Bay representative began his round on the 10^th hole and made another eagle on the par-five sixth hole before parring his way in for a phenomenal 62, his best ever round in his 52^ndSunshine Tour event. That lifted Vorster to 12-under-par at the halfway mark of the R2.5 million event, one stroke ahead of Darren Fichardt (66) and Michael Hollick (67).

Vorster responded in style to a grungy first round that included four bogeys to offset six birdies. On Friday he made birdies at the 10^th, 12^th and 14^th holes, before his only dropped shot, a four at the par-three 15^th. But the 22-year-old then made sweet music with four straight birdies at 17, 18, one and two, before his eagle at the 475m par-three third.

Veteran Fichardt sounded a warning in the morning about his challenge, firing a six-under 66 that included eight birdies, being joined on 11-under-par by Hollick, who posted a 67 that included a good little run of his own when he birdied four successive holes from the fifth to the eighth.

Anthony Michael also shot a 67 to lie fourth on 10-under-par, while first-round leader Jaco Ahlers slipped back a bit with a 71 that left him on eight-under.

Kieran Vincent was the leading Zimbabwean as his 67 lifted him to six-under-par, alongside South Africans JC Ritchie (69) and Combrinck Smit (70) in the tie for sixth.

HARARE – Jaco Ahlers has admitted to some frustration over how his 2024 has gone so far, but the 41-year-old put all that aside on Thursday as he roared around the Royal Harare Golf Club in seven-under-par to seize the lead after the first round of the FBC Zim Open.

Ahlers began the year with three missed cuts in his first four events spread between the Sunshine and Asian tours, but a runners-up finish in March in the Stella Artois Championship, finishing just a stroke behind winner Heinrich Bruiners at Dainfern, marked a change in fortunes. Since then he finished tied-10^th at the Saudi Open and was tied-13^th in the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq last weekend at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington’s East Course.

On Thursday, Ahlers was in sublime form as he started his 2024/25 Sunshine Tour campaign in rampant fashion on the 10^th hole and reeled off three straight birdies to get his brilliant round of 65 going. He picked up another shot on the par-four 17^th and then eagled the par-five third hole. Although the world number 354 then bogeyed the fourth, he sealed a one-stroke lead with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes.

“It’s always nice to start that way, especially on the back nine here at Royal Harare, which is tougher, especially the greens, which are all raised,” Ahlers said.

“It’s difficult playing in this mid-year period because I play on the Asian Tour as well and that runs from January to December. This year has not been as good as I would have liked, but you just need to go on from there and today was a step in the right direction.

“Royal Harare suits me, it’s an old style course with big trees and dog-legs. The only way to play it is to be patient and not too aggressive,” Ahlers, who was tied-second in last year’s FBC Zim Open and fourth in 2022, said.

The highlight of Ahlers’ round was when he capitalised on a good drive on the 475m third hole and sent a searing six-iron to within six feet of the hole and sank the putt for eagle.

Michael Hollick is alone in second place on six-under-par after a 66 on Thursday. The Mount Edgecombe golfer reached the turn in one-under, but scorched through the back nine in just 31 strokes, with three successive birdies from the 11^th hole, and further gains on the 16^th and 18^th holes.

There is a strong chasing pack of five golfers on five-under-par, comprising seasoned winners Jacques Blaauw and Darren Fichardt, Zimbabwe’s own Scott Vincent, the experienced Anthony Michael and former University of North Texas college golfer Jason Roets.

JOHANNESBURG – Louis Albertse cruised to a seven-stroke victory in the inaugural Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq, and with it claimed the R1 million cheque for first place at Royal Johannesburg on Sunday.

Albertse played incredibly composed golf over the weekend, culminating in his final round of 64 to win on 23 under par 265.

“It’s been an unbelievable week. Golf is hard and it’s nice when you put in the work to get the result,” said Albertse.

Sunshine Ladies Tour professional Casandra Alexander and Welsh professional Rhys Enoch shared second place on 16 under par with respective final rounds of 68.

GolfRSA star and reigning Africa Amateur champion Altin van der Merwe finished as the leading amateur on eight under par.

This tournament was a celebration of the champions on the Sunshine Tour, Sunshine Ladies Tour and within South African amateur golf, and Albertse emerged as the champion of champions with a performance that picks up where he ended last season, finishing third on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy with a win and nine top-10s.

“This game is so tough so the weeks that do go well you need to cherish and enjoy it. I’m extremely grateful. The performance has been great. The players in this tournament are all great and I knew what I needed to do. I didn’t put myself under too much pressure and I gave my putter a chance today. The R1 million is also welcome because golf is expensive.”

Alexander certainly impressed in her representation of South African women’s professional golf. Her 61 in the second round earned her the tournament lead going into the weekend and she did her best to push Albertse on the final day.

And as part of the showcase of the strength and depth throughout the South African golf fraternity, David Watts and Daniel Slabbert shared first place in the separate competition held for the South African Disabled Golf Association (SADGA).

Watts and Slabbert both finished on four over par. Watts signed for successive rounds of 74, while Slabbert posted rounds of 70 and 78.

“We are so excited at the outcome of this tournament. The fans and the players really supported the tournament. Our goal for this tournament was to create heroes for the next generation, and the support of Waterfall City and Attacq has been instrumental in this,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour. – Michael Vlismas.

JOHANNESBURG – Louis Albertse kept his composure on a day when he admitted he wasn’t at his best and still managed to claim a three-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq.

Albertse signed for a 68 on the composite nine-hole layout at Royal Johannesburg’s East Course to lead the field on 15 under par, and also lead the chase for the R1 million in prize money for first place this weekend.

His nearest challengers are Welshman Rhys Enoch and Sunshine Ladies Tour campaigner Casandra Alexander on 12 under par following their respective rounds of 66 and 73.

Alexander started the round with a two-stroke lead following her impressive 61 on Friday. But she couldn’t find that same momentum on Saturday, which opened the door for Albertse.

Yet he also struggled early on with two bogeys in his opening four holes. It was a key stretch of three birdies in five holes thereafter that gave him the lead. There was another bogey and two birdies on the back nine, but it was the eagle on the par-five 18^th that finally gave him some breathing room at the top of the leaderboard.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better score to be honest. I didn’t play my best. I wasn’t in the right positions and just had to fight, but I’m really pleased to get away with a score like this,” said Albertse.

With a past Sunshine Tour season that saw him finish as one of the most consistent professionals on the Tour with a victory and nine top-10s, Albertse clearly had the experience to still carve out a lead despite not having his best game with him.

“It’s very tough and I feel like that’s a big part of this game, just like chipping and putting and anything else. It’s really about trying to stay in the moment. I was two over par at one stage and if you start thinking too far ahead it can get even worse, so I just tried to focus on the next shot.”

GolfRSA’s Ivan Verster is the leading amateur going into the final round on nine under par. – Michael Vlismas.

JOHANNESBURG – Casandra Alexander produced a magnificent bogey-free round of 61 to lead the Sunshine Tour’s Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq by two strokes at Royal Johannesburg’s East Course on Friday.

Competing as one of the champions on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this past season, Alexander surged to the top of the leaderboard on 13 under par, with Sunshine Tour professional Louis Albertse her nearest challenger on 11 under par following his second round of 68.

Sunshine Tour professionals Rupert Kaminski and Gerhard Pepler are currently tied third headed into the weekend on seven under par. Ivan Verster is the leading amateur on six under par.

The elite 34-player field brings together champions from the Sunshine Tour, Sunshine Ladies Tour and the amateur ranks of GolfRSA in what has been designed to showcase the strength of South African golf throughout its structures.

And there was no greater evidence of this than Alexander’s performance.

With the Sunshine Ladies Tour having just completed another successful season featuring eight tournaments – two of which we co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour – Alexander’s performance is another powerful statement of the strides made to advance women’s professional golf in South Africa.

The Sunshine Tour has helped to advance this through offering spots for leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals into its Vodacom Origins of Golf series of tournaments last season, where they competed for the same prize money as the Sunshine Tour professionals.

Alexander recently claimed her fifth title on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in the ABSA Ladies Invitational, and this 61 was a clear indication of a professional with big ambitions for this season.

“I’ve worked really hard on my consistency in all areas of my game, inside and outside the ropes,” said Alexander, who had to work through ankle surgery in December and a change in coach before the season started.

“My biggest goal this season is to finish in the top 10 on the Ladies European Tour so that I can get through to the Final Stage of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School at the end of the year.” – Michael Vlismas.

JOHANNESBURG – Louis Albertse rose to the fore in a field of champions as he opened with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to lead the Sunshine Tour’s new Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq by two strokes at Royal Johannesburg’s East Course on Thursday.

As one of the select professionals in a 34-player field that has brought together champions from the Sunshine Tour, Sunshine Ladies Tour and the elite amateur ranks of GolfRSA, Albertse got off to the perfect start in the chase to the R1-million first-place cheque come Sunday.

The winner of last season’s KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am opened with a birdie on the first and added a further four birdies and an eagle to carry him to the top of the leaderboard.

With this also being the first tournament of the Sunshine Tour’s new 2024-25 season, Albertse has clearly picked up from where he left off.

He finished last season with four top-10s on his way to his best-ever finish of third on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, which has also secured him a DP World Tour card for this season.

His nearest challengers are Zimbabwe’s Robson Chinhoi, Gerhard Pepler, amateur Ivan Verster and Scottish women’s professional Kylie Henry all on five under par.

Ryan van Velzen, the winner of last season’s Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, came through the opening round five shots off the lead.

Top GolfRSA amateur Altin van der Merwe, the winner of the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek in February and who recently also won the Sunshine Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage, opened with a round of level par 72.

And Robin Williams, the Sunshine Tour’s Fortress Rookie of the Year for last season, started his week with a round of one-over-par 73. – Michael Vlismas.

The Sunshine Tour tees off its new 2024/25 season this week with a new tournament in the Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq, which features a unique format aimed at showcasing a gathering of champions throughout South African golf all chasing a first prize of R1 million.

The 34-player field for this week’s tournament, which will be played at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club’s East Championship Course from 2-5 May with live coverage on SuperSport, has brought together the winners from all corners of South African golf competing over a nine-hole format that they will play twice each day for four days.

Golf fans will be treated to a stadium-like atmosphere around what will serve as both the ninth and 18^th greens, giving unrivalled viewing access to a selection of the finest golf talent in the men’s, women’s and amateur game in South Africa. There will also be a separate competition for the leading golfers from the South African Disabled Golf Association (SADGA).

Champions from various sectors of South African golf have qualified to compete in a tournament offering R2.5 million in total prize money, but with a lucrative R1 million up for grabs to the professional winner.

The Sunshine Tour will be represented by all of its available champions from last season and led by Ryan van Velzen, the winner of last season’s Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

Robin Williams, the winner of the Sunshine Tour’s Fortress Rookie of the Year last season, will also tee it up.

The Sunshine Ladies Tour will be represented by a selection of this season’s winners including South Africa’s Cara Gorlei, Casandra Alexander and Gabrielle Venter, as well as India’s Tvesa Malik and Scotland’s Kylie Henry.

The Altron Big Easy Tour, the main feeder tour for the Sunshine Tour, will feature Order of Merit winner Leon Vorster.

And elite South African amateur golf will be represented by Altin van der Merwe, winner of the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek in February and who also recently won the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, as well as top GolfRSA women’s amateur Kesha Louw.

KEMPTON PARK, Ekurhuleni – Jonathan Broomhead claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates on Sunday and which also wrapped up another thrilling Sunshine Tour season that has opened doors for a new generation of South African stars.

In the final tournament of the 2023-24 season, Broomhead closed with a 69 to win by two strokes on 16 under par over Louis Albertse and Rupert Kaminski.

The tournament also finalised the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

Ryan van Velzen finished first here in a breakthrough season where he won twice. His triumph saw him secure a DP World Tour card, a place in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and Major exemptions into The Open and the US PGA Championship.

“I just played so consistently and had some good finishes in big events. I’m really excited for my DP World Tour season to start later this year and to play in my first Major. I’m also very excited about playing in the Nedbank Golf Challenge which I’ve been watching since I was a kid and now I can compete alongside the players I watched on TV,” said Van Velzen, who also earned a R500 000 bonus for his first-place finish on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

“We’re delighted to see how the season turned out and we’ll continue to support in the next season as well. We’re very pleased with the incentives we could make for the golfers, both financially and career-wise for them,” said Craig Pitchers, Chief Executive Officer of The Courier Guy.

Robin Williams finished second on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and also earned himself a DP World Tour card as well as a R200 000 bonus. Williams was also crowned the Fortress Rookie of the Year, earning a R200 000 bonus.

“It’s amazing. It was one of my goals at the start of the year. It opens a lot of doors for me and I’m looking forward to that,” said Williams.

“We’re thrilled to be a small part of Robin’s remarkable story and we look forward to his continued success on and off the course in the future. He won the Fortress Invitational this season and it’s exciting to follow him and the other up-and-coming stars on the Sunshine Tour,” said Ryan Eichstadt, Fortress Head of Investor Relations.

Louis Albertse finished the season in third place on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy thereby claiming the last DP World Tour card on offer and a R100 000 bonus.

It was certainly a Sunday of incredible rewards for the Sunshine Tour professionals, with Broomhead leading the celebrations.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and there were going to be so many players around me giving it ago. I knew I just had to stick to my game, and my caddie and I worked really hard on not getting ahead of ourselves and staying in the moment. I was on edge coming down the last few holes but it all worked out,” said a delighted Broomhead.

Earlier in the round, Stefan Wears-Taylor decided to put the fact that he was drawn alone as the last player in the field to good use.

Wears-Taylor raced around the Serengeti layout in one hour and 27 minutes, breaking the PGA Tour record for 18 completed holes in a professional tournament set by Wesley Bryan in 2017 of one hour and 29 minutes.

Wears-Taylor shot a 79 in the process.

“When I saw I was playing alone the thought came to mind to play some speed golf. I sent my caddie a message to unload the bag with all the heavy stuff and come to the golf course with his running shoes on. It worked out well. I’m not sure if it’s an official world record, but we just pipped Wesley Bryan’s record. Perhaps the biggest challenge was putting with the faster greens and Sunday flags,” said Wears-Taylor. – Michael Vlismas.

KEMPTON PARK, Ekurhuleni – Sunshine Tour rookie Jonno Broomhead will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates as he chases a maiden win in the season-ending tournament.

Broomhead signed for a third round of 67 to lead this exclusive field drawn from the top 50 on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy on 13 under par, with Kyle Barker his nearest challenger on 12 under par following a 69.

It’s another realistic shot at a maiden Sunshine Tour victory for KwaZulu-Natal professional Broomhead, who came close when he was in the running for the Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge last year before finishing 12^th there. This season he’s also had top finishes of sixth in the Blue Label Challenge and tied eighth in the SunBet Challenge Sun Sibaya tournament.

“It was good today,” said Broomhead of a third round that started with three birdies and an eagle in his first five holes. “I made a couple of drops on the way but generally kept it very steady and played where I needed to and finished quite nicely.”

It’s been a solid rookie season thus far for Broomhead and one which he now hopes will culminate in a title on Sunday.

“It’s been great. I think the switch from amateur golf to professional golf was a lot bigger than I thought. But I’ve had a fairly decent season and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Just one shot behind him, Barker is equally looking forward to signing off a season in which he claimed his second Sunshine Tour title and played in his first Major in The Open on a high at Serengeti on Sunday.

But he was also full of praise for Broomhead’s performance.

“Well done to Jonno. He’s played great the last three days. To get to 13 under on this golf course in three days is pretty tough so that’s great golf.

“As for my own game, I’m driving the ball well and committing nicely to the shots. I’m feeling really good. I’ll just keep it the same in the final round. I’ll keep hitting drivers and hope to make the putts. I like the challenge of looking at the leaderboard during a final round, so it will be great fun.”

The third round also featured the culmination of the Bain’s Whisky Par-3 Shootout.

The Shootout saw all the professionals who have made holes-in-one on the Sunshine Tour this season coming together on the par-three ninth hole at Serengeti to challenge for the title of overall champion.

Jacques Blaauw claimed the overall title as the player nearest to the pin, winning himself R70 000 as well as a bottle of 21-year-old Bain’s Whisky.

“The Shootout was a lot of fun. There were definitely a lot more players who made holes-in-one on the Sunshine Tour this season than last season, which is great,” he said. – Michael Vlismas.

KEMPTON PARK, Ekurhuleni – It’s already been a watershed season for Kyle Barker, and it’s one he’s hoping to end on a high as he takes a one-stroke lead into the weekend of the season-ending Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates.

Barker produced the joint low round of the day in this exclusive 43-man field on Friday – a seven-under-par 65 – to lead the field on nine under par overall. Only Stefan Wears-Taylor matched his 65 on Friday, but he heads into the weekend on one over par.

After breaking through with his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Stella Artois Players Championship early in 2023, Barker went into the new season full of confidence and claimed his second title in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Western Cape.

He came into this week at Serengeti ranked 15^th on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, the highest ranking of his career.

It’s been a confident season for Barker including four top-10s and one where he played in his first Major championship in last year Open at Hoylake.

Just one shot behind him, it’s been an equally memorable season for Broomhead.

The KwaZulu-Natal professional is challenging for a maiden title in his rookie season on the Sunshine Tour and started the season with an eight-place finish in the FBC Zimbabwe Open. He’s had a further five top-10s and came close to victory when he led the Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge before finishing 12^th there.

Broomhead is currently third on the Fortress Rookie of the Season standings, with Robin Williams heading the way there.

In joint third place on six under is the experienced group of Darren Fichardt, who is looking to become the first double winner of the Tour Championship following his victory in 2018, Rupert Kaminski, Neil Schietekat and Wilco Nienaber.

Casey Jarvis, who finished second last year, could also still have a say on the weekend at just four shots off the lead. – Michael Vlismas.