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JOHANNESBURG (Gauteng) – The evolution of Brandon Stone’s professional career continues in this week’s Jonsson Workwear Open at The Club at Steyn City as he goes in search of a fourth DP World Tour title while feeling more confident than ever in a lifestyle decision he made two years ago.

The 29-year-old South African is one of the most social professionals in world golf, but two years ago he did something radical for his generation and went off social media entirely.

“It’s been gone for two years, and I can feel that sense of relief,” said Stone, who has been on a search to get back to the basics of his craft and regain the form that saw him win three DP World Tour titles in three years and then a European Challenge Tour title in 2021.

Stone was only in his 27^th start on the DP World Tour when he broke through and won his national Open in 2016. A year later he claimed the third largest margin of victory in the history of the Alfred Dunhill Championship with his six-stroke win at Leopard Creek, and then in 2018 he closed with a stunning 60 to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.

He’s since been working hard to get back into the winner’s circle, and two top-10s in his last five tournaments have been an encouraging sign.

“I feel like I’m playing well. The European Challenge Tour events we had recently in South Africa were fantastic for me from a momentum point of view. The game feels good.”

In explaining his decision to shift his focus off social media to more personal interaction with people, Stone said, “I’ve always enjoyed face-to-face interaction with people. I enjoy actually speaking to my family and friends. I’ve always felt like I’m part of an older generation just stuck in a younger frame. I was that 10-15-year-old kid in the clubhouse playing golf with the 40-year-olds. I’ve loved every second of it and haven’t missed it at all. Now I either text or phone my friends as opposed to presuming that I know what they’re doing in their lives. That’s a human interaction that I felt was lacking for a long time, and which I’ve now got back in my arsenal again.”

Stone lines up in a strong Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned field for this week’s Jonsson Workwear Open.

The field includes every single one of the top 10 on the Sunshine Tour’s Luno Order of Merit, and three of the top seven players on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai Rankings.

Shaun Norris is back at the golf course where he won his first DP World Tour event in The Steyn City Championship last year, while JC Ritchie returns to an event he won in 2022 when it was still a European Challenge Tour tournament before being upgraded to the DP World Tour this year. – Michael Vlismas

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – England’s Matthew Baldwin claimed his first victory in his 200^th start on the DP World Tour when he won the SDC Championship, which is co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, by seven strokes at St Francis Links on Sunday.

Baldwin closed with a 68 to win on 18 under par and dedicated his victory to his late stepfather. “It’s been a tough 12 months. My stepdad died last May, and this is for him,” he said.

Spain’s Adri Arnaus took second place on 11 under par with a final round of 67, while Jaco Ahlers finished as the leading South African in tied third place on 10 under par with a final-round 68.

“It’s unbelievable,” a relieved Baldwin said of his win. “It’s my 200^th start so I’ve had plenty of opportunities. It’s just an unbelievable feeling right now.”

It was a long weekend of golf for the field, and which Baldwin managed superbly. The wind that forced the suspension of the earlier rounds meant the third round had to be carried over into Sunday morning, with Baldwin finishing this with a solid 65 which lifted him to 14 under par overall. The Englishman had a four-stroke lead over Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen going into the final round and was never challenged.

“I played well all week. I was so steady out there and I think that maybe put the pressure on those around me to try and play more attacking golf, and I was fortunate to come out on the right side of it.”

It also comes at a good time for him both professionally and personally.

“It certainly makes the rest of the year more relaxing. I can plan a schedule. I’m also due to get married this year or the next, so I’ll be able to have a couple of weeks off to help plan that which is exciting.”

But the ultimate reward is the confidence this win has brought him.

“It proves a lot to me. It proves that I’m good enough to be out here. I’ve had plenty of doubt and this proves everything to me.” – Michael Vlismas

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – Decades ago, a highly successful entrepreneur presented the legendary conservationist Dr Ian Player with a question that kept him up all night. When he came down for breakfast, Dr Player had the answer. This weekend, during the SDC Championship at St Francis Links, that entrepreneur – Adrian Gardiner – is still living out his vision from that discussion.

“My life in conservation and game farms has been built around what Ian said to me. He drilled the importance of community into me, and involving the community in my projects,” says Gardiner, a close friend of golf through his relationship with Ian Player and his legendary brother Gary Player, as well as his friendship with Ernie Els. But it’s as the founder of the Mantis Collection of international privately-owned five-star boutique hotels and eco escapes, starting with the famous Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape in the early Nineties, that Gardiner has been able to live out his real passion of using eco-tourism to uplift local communities.

Even his support of the SDC Championship is based around the local community. The R500 000 prize he is offering for the first hole-in-one on the 14^th hole on Sunday includes R250 000 going to the player and the other half being donated to the Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA) which he founded in partnership with the Accor group in 2018. This same CCFA, in partnership with St Francis Links, has brought 50 youth from the local Sea Vista township to work at the tournament as course marshals and ball spotters.

Such is Gardiner’s passion for community that the name of his business, given to him at that breakfast by Dr Player, reflects this.

“When Ian stayed with me I asked him for a collective name for all of our properties. He came down the next morning and said I’d kept him awake all night as he thought about it. And he came up with Mantis, referencing the praying mantis and the role it plays for the bushmen as it watches over them whenever they travel. We broke this down further as an acronym – Man and Nature Together is Sustainable.”

What started with involving the local community in his first Shamwari project with about 15 employees eventually grew to 80 properties around the world. And community is at the heart of it all through the CCFA, which describes its operations as “working at the intersection between conservation, ecotourism and community”.

“Africa and wildlife has always been in my DNA,” says Gardiner. “I grew up in Zimbabwe and starting Shamwari was really about going back to my roots in the sense of creating that wild space that I grew up in. I mean, what is Africa without its wildlife?”

A major international golf tournament coming to the Eastern Cape certainly ties into his vision for the province. Gardiner is now working on his next project – the Nyosi Wildlife Reserve, a 2 500-hectare private nature and wildlife reserve that will be the first of its kind between the cities of Gqeberha and Kariega, and with benefits for the informal settlements on its borders. “It cannot work if we don’t empower the local communities. I feel so strongly that if we can show that impact, the Eastern Cape can become a model province for how South African can function better.”

And nothing Gardiner does is in isolation from this objective. The youth who are working at this weekend’s SDC Championship will be hosted for an educational day at the Nyosi Wildlife Reserve.

“I believe strongly that if you can change the lives of 50 kids, that’s another 50 changed South Africans.”

This weekend, professional golf is helping in that process as well. – Michael Vlismas

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – Joost Luiten and Daniel Brown both made it into the clubhouse shortly before dark at the end of a long day in the SDC Championship and secured themselves a share of the clubhouse lead at St Francis Links.

The suspended second round was completed on Saturday morning, with Norway’s Kristian Johannessen finishing as the leader on 11 under par. The field then went straight into the third round, which was unable to be completed because of fading light.

But Luiten and Brown both managed to finish their rounds with respective 67s for the clubhouse lead on nine under par, while Johannessen and Matthew Baldwin share the on-course lead on 11 under par.

Johannessen is level par for his round through 13 holes, and Baldwin is four under for his round through 13 holes.

Luiten felt he could’ve done better than his 67 on a day when his putter held him back.

“It was a good 11 holes and then the putter just went cold on the last seven holes. I gave myself a lot of chances and nothing went in so I’m a bit annoyed with that. I hit the ball lovely but it’s hard to hole putts on these greens. You’ve got to stay patient.”

But a bogey-free round helped to soothe some of those frustrations.

“No bogeys on the scorecard is good. It was a good day overall. You know, five under on the Saturday is always a good score. But I think it could’ve been a couple better. I just need to see if I can drop some putts in the final round and put some pressure on the leaders.”

Brown was very pleased with his 67.

“It was really solid. I didn’t do a lot wrong and it was just really steady. I still had 11 holes to go this morning and then I just kept feeling confident. It’s been pretty tough this week with the stop-start rounds. But it’s going to be nice to have the buzz of having a chance in the final round.” – Michael Vlismas

Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen returned on Saturday morning and birdied four of the last five holes of the weather-interrupted second round to take the lead on 11 under par in the SDC Championship at St Francis Links.

The second round was suspended on Friday as a result of the gusting wind. The golfers returned early on a far calmer Saturday morning and Johannessen took advantage with his round of 66.

It has earned him a three-stroke lead over Frenchman Julien Brun as they now head straight into the third round.

“I think it was a fair call to stop play yesterday. Today we had nice weather and it was time to go low,” said Johannessen.

“I’m very pleased with my finish today. I holed a couple of nice putts. But the big thing on this golf course is to keep it in play off the tees here.”

Johannessen has prepared himself for a long day on Saturday as the field completed the second round and then headed straight into the third round.

“I haven’t played close to 36 holes on one day since I was an amateur. Hopefully I’ll get a rest and then be ready. It’s going to be a long day. But I think the weather should stay the same and then the golf course is nice and playable.”

The conditions were certainly more favourable and the field responded with two holes-in-one on Saturday morning.

England’s Dan Bradbury was the first to hole out with a nine iron on the par-three 17th hole, and he was followed by South Africa’s Wynand Dingle, also with a nine iron on the same hole.

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – Julien Brun took the window of opportunity he was given and claimed the clubhouse lead in Friday’s second round of the SDC Championship before the wind suddenly turned and play was suspended at St Francis Links.

The wind of Thursday forced the first round to be completed on Friday morning and with no change to the shared lead held by David Ravetto and Kristian Krogh Johannessen.

On a beautiful Friday morning with only a slight breeze, Brun then went out and put together a solid 67 for the lead on eight under par. One shot behind him, the trio of England’s Matthew Baldwin (67), South Africa’s Albert Venter (67) and Swede Jens Dantorp also took their morning chance and climbed to seven under overall. Dantorp did so with an impressive 63 that by Friday afternoon made it seem like he was playing another tournament.

And as the flags suddenly changed direction, so did the afternoon’s play.

According to DP World Tour Senior Referee Kevin Feeney, the severe wind gusts forced the suspension of play at just before 14:00. It was later decided at 16:15 to call off play altogether and resume at 7am on Saturday.

“We had gusts of up to 65 kilometres per hour on the back nine and up to 70 kilometres per hour on the front nine. We’ve just been very unlucky in what is a fabulous spot. We’ll restart on Saturday morning, in position, at 7am.”

The sudden change in conditions has made for interesting adjustments by the professionals, with even Brun admitting he found it difficult.

“This morning was the first time I’ve played this course without wind this week. It was definitely a lot more receptive so you could make more birdies and have more fun out there. But it’s extremely tricky. First off, you have to recover and get the energy back from a very long and tiring first round in that wind. Then your swing is also messed up because you have to go back to playing normal shots without the wind. I struggled with that adjustment to my game. It’s a big mental test.”

Behind him, Venter had a day where he followed up a double-bogey six on the 11^th hole with five birdies in six holes as he took advantage of the easier morning conditions.

“I played well and fought back quite hard. My caddie and I have worked out the golf course and how we want to play it. There are scoring opportunities out there but you have to start by keeping the ball in play here. It’s still anyone’s game out there and I’m looking forward to the weekend and the challenge that lies ahead.” – Michael Vlismas

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – The local SPAR in this seaside village has been almost as busy as the fairways at St Francis Links this week, where the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned SDC Championship is being played.

With 156 professional golfers in town, and a number of them South African professionals who love a braai at the end of their day, the grocery aisles have been a hive of activity as they’ve stocked up for the week.

And for many of the South African pros in particular, it’s felt a bit like a home away from home.

“We have a SPAR just across the road from where we live in Centurion and we’ve always loved shopping there,” said Brandon Stone.

“When we arrived in St Francis Bay we tested out the local SPAR’s lamb chops and they were fantastic. They also had some Flippen Lekka spice as well.”

Young star Casey Jarvis went straight for the one item he can’t do without any time he steps into a SPAR.

“I shop at SPAR a lot and I love their fruit. It’s always very good, especially the mangoes.”

And Shaun Norris was also in there to stock up on his favourite Spar items.

“I actually shop at Spar quite a bit. I’m always in there, especially for the biltong and dry wors.”

Even Finnish professional Sami Välimäki was delighted to see the Spar. “We used to have one in Finland where I live, but not anymore. They always had great meat,” he said.

ST FRANCIS BAY (Eastern Cape) – It wasn’t the gale-force wind that was predicted, but it was windy enough that both Frenchman David Ravetto and Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen were extremely pleased with their opening 67s for a share the first round clubhouse lead in the SDC Championship at St Francis Links on Thursday.

Their rounds of five under par earned them a one-stroke lead over Scotland’s Connor Syme in this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament. The round was suspended at 18:35 due to fading light and will resume on Friday morning before the start of the second round.

The field had been waiting for this wind since Tuesday. While St Francis Links locals would’ve called it a standard wind for their golf course, it certainly caught the attention of the professionals on day one. Only 30 players in the field of 156 managed to shoot below par on Thursday.

Ravetto, though, called it “fun”. “This is a really nice golf course and it needs the wind to play to its potential. It’s fun to play it in the wind with a couple of nice tee shots and second shots,” he said of a day where his biggest challenge was the wake-up call for a 6:30am tee time.

“The wake-up call was pretty hard, but I played really solid golf in the windy conditions. My putting was really solid compared to the past few weeks.”

Johannessen was equally pleased with his bogey-free round. “I’m very happy. I started on the 10^th and that nine suits my eye a bit more. The front nine can be tough. But overall I managed to score well. You have to be patient here when it blows. It all comes down to the weather and you need to just keep your ball in play.”

Behind them, Scotland’s Syme felt somewhat at home this far south in Africa. “The wind switched 180 degrees and it was like playing a different course today compared to what we had in the practice rounds. But I used my experience from Scotland hitting low drives and punch shots into the wind. Overall I made a few mistakes but I also made a lot of good birdies out there. I was in a lot of good positions off the tee. So much so that my bogeys felt quite sloppy, even though you’re going to make mistakes out there. I drove it well and that’s the main challenge of this golf course.”

Sean Cronje is the leading South African following his opening round of three under par 69. – Michael Vlismas

JOHANNESBURG (Gauteng) – The Jonsson Workwear Open at The Club at Steyn City next week will be the final opportunity this summer for a group of young South African professionals to test themselves against a world-class field on home fairways, and the trio of Jayden Schaper, Casey Jarvis and Martin Vorster in particular cannot wait.

The $1.5-million tournament, which tees off at The Club at Steyn City next Thursday, is the last in the current run of Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournaments played here until they return again later in the year.

With strong performances by the likes of Schaper, Jarvis and Vorster over the past few weeks, they all know the kind of opportunity the Jonsson Workwear Open represents for their careers.

“Each week out here can change your life,” said Schaper. “Since I turned professional in 2020 I’ve been fortunate to play in a few DP World Tour events, and in the co-sanctioned tournaments through the Sunshine Tour you get some really good opportunities at home. They’re big events and you’ve just got to take your opportunities when they come.”

The young star has had four top-10s in Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournaments in his career, and says he’s adopted a new focus as he continues to push for a win.

“I’ve learned to become more patient. When I first came on tour in 2020 I was putting too much pressure on myself. I’ve learned to just trust myself and stick to my process. You’re always going to have ups and downs out here, but you’ve got to keep driving yourself and pushing yourself forward. You’ve always got a chance out here, and the next week could be the best week of your life.”

Both Jarvis and Vorster are still in their rookie seasons. To date, Jarvis’s best finish in a Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament is tied ninth in last November’s Joburg Open and he says a growing consistency in his game has given him confidence in the bigger events.

“I’ve learned to manage my game pretty well, and that consistency is key when you just turn professional. I think I’ve found a bit more of that, which is really what I’m looking for,” he said.

Vorster has shown his potential with top-10s in two European Challenge Tour events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour recently, and the Jonsson Workwear Open would be a great test of his confidence at higher level of the game.

“When I turned pro, I knew I was good enough, but it was almost as if you don’t really believe it until you test yourself out here. Now I just want to climb the steps, stay in my process and patiently work my way up. I want to get to the DP World Tour as soon as I can, but I’ve given myself three years for that goal.”

Vorster has the perfect example of that patience in one of the DP World Tour’s star performers this season – fellow South African Ockie Strydom.

“I’ve been fortunate to play a few rounds with Ockie, and then to see him go and win two DP World Tour events so quickly this season is amazing. That just shows you. If you can win here in one of these, you can win anywhere in the world.”