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SUN CITY, North West – Dylan Mostert and Martin Rohwer shared the lead after the first round of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at the Gary Player Country Club on Friday.

Their rounds of six-under-par 66 earned them a one-stroke lead over Alex Haindl. The quartet of Jason Roets, Pieter Moolman, Luca Filippi and Hennie du Plessis all currently share fourth place on four under par, while Hennie Otto is well placed just three shots off the lead.

Mostert certainly has an appetite for the Gary Player Country Club having finished second in the Blue Label Challenge played here in October last year, which is his best finish to date on the Sunshine Tour.

His confidence around this golf course showed as he hit driver on most of the holes on Friday.

“My driver was very good today. I kept it in play quite a bit. I hit driver on most of the holes. It’s nice to hit driver around here because you leave yourself far easier shots into these greens.

But I also hit a few good iron shots, and my putting was also very good,” he said.

Behind the leading pair, Haindl is a very real threat over the weekend.

His 67 on Friday was bogey-free and showed his own composure on this golf course where he won the SunBet Challenge in 2021. Haindl is also hunting his second Vodacom Origins of Golf title following his victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf in Sishen in 2021.

Of some of the young stars in the field, both Jovan Rebula and Wilco Nienaber opened with rounds of one-over-par 73, while Jayden Schaper signed for a two-over-par 74.

SUN CITY, North West – The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series has launched the careers of some of South African golf’s brightest young talents since it first teed off in 2004, and several of the current generation of stars will be hoping for the same in this week’s historic 100^th tournament on this longstanding Sunshine Tour series.

It’s entirely apt that the Sunshine Tour should tee off with its first event of 2022 as the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, and played at the equally iconic Gary Player Country Club at Sun City.

The sheer longevity of this incredible series – featuring six tournaments a year with a prestigious pro-am that has become one of the most sought-after invitations in South African golf – is staggering when you consider that Major champion and current world number 12 Louis Oosthuizen won his first Sunshine Tour title on this series in its inaugural year in 2004.

Thomas Aiken, George Coetzee and Justin Harding are just some of the international campaigners who broke through with their maiden professional titles on this series. And as recently as 2019, Thriston Lawrence won his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Vodacom Origins of Golf in Stellenbosch. Then, two years later, he was a DP World Tour champion with his Joburg Open victory.

It’s this kind of career progression that the likes of Jovan Rebula, Jayden Schaper, Dylan Naidoo, Wilco Nienaber and Tristen Strydom will be hoping for at Sun City this week.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is always such a cool series to take part in, especially with the pro-am. The golf courses we play are always the best in the country, and for us youngsters this is the opportunity to move to the next level,” says Strydom.

Rebula in particular is looking for a solid start to his year and equally to his professional career on the Sunshine Tour.

“The Sunshine Tour is very competitive and it’s such a great place to start your professional career. There’s no doubt that the guys can play here, and they’re all extremely competitive. So many of the game’s greatest stars came through the Sunshine Tour. So this is my main focus for now, and I’m excited about what lies ahead,” he said.

It’s certainly set up well for him this week. He finished tied 10^th in the last tournament played here, the South African Open in December. And with the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series’ penchant for living up to the sponsor’s corporate slogan of “Further Together”, Rebula and his fellow young stars will certainly be hoping this week does indeed spark and long and fruitful journey on the professional fairways.

Bloemfontein will take its place on the international golf schedule with the new $250 000 Mangaung Open to be played in the city in March.

The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour and will feature a selection of South African and international professionals competing at both the Schoeman Park Golf Club and Bloemfontein Golf Club from 3-6 March.

The Mangaung Open forms a key part of a record six South African tournaments that will feature on the Challenge Tour schedule between February and March this year, and which will put the focus of an international audience on the city of Bloemfontein and the greater Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.

“We are extremely excited to bring an event of international magnitude to Bloemfontein, which will provide not only much-needed economic stimulus to our local economy, but also international exposure in terms of what our city and this magnificent region of South Africa has to offer tourists,” Cllr. Mxolisi Siyonzana, the Executive Mayor of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, said at the official launch of the Mangaung Open at Bloemfontein Golf Club on Tuesday.

“The slogan of the Mangaung Metro is ‘At the Heart of it All’. In this instance, we are very proud to take our place at the heart of a strong schedule of international golf tournaments being played in South Africa over this period.”

Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour, said: “The Sunshine Tour has a long and proud history of working with our major cities and municipalities and using an international golf tournament to help them achieve their economic and tourism objectives. We’re delighted to now be able to add the Mangaung Metro to our schedule through the Mangaung Open.”

“Bloemfontein is no stranger to world-class golf and it was indeed here where Major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Retief Goosen won one of his first tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. As a Tour committed to our philosophy that ‘GreatnessBeginsHere’, and in partnership with the Challenge Tour and the international opportunities it offers, we’re sure South Africa’s next generation of stars will use this tournament as the launch for their own careers.”

Jamie Hodges, Head of the Challenge Tour, said: “The new Mangaung Open occupies an important position in not only our South African schedule of tournaments, but also in helping us to provide a truly global schedule for our members. We are excited to work with the Sunshine Tour and the Mangaung Metro in helping to promote this unique part of South Africa to our global audience.”

Photo: Bloemfontein and Sunshine Tour professional Wilco Nienaber at the launch of the new Mangaung Open at Bloemfontein Golf Club on Tuesday. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

The iconic Vodacom Origins of Golf series on the Sunshine Tour will celebrate its 100^th tournament at the Gary Player Country Club this week, which marks a major milestone for a series that has featured prominently in the careers of some of South Africa’s leading professionals.

Since it first teed off in 2004, the six-tournament Vodacom Origins of Golf series redefined the traditional pro-am as it became one of the most sought-after invitations in South African golf, while at the same time serving as the backbone of the Sunshine Tour’s schedule.

This week’s R1-million Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, which will be played at the Gary Player Country Club from Friday to Sunday and will include a two-day pro-am starting on Wednesday, will be a true celebration of one of the longest running series of tournaments in the history of South African professional golf.

It is on this series where Major champion Louis Oosthuizen won his first Sunshine Tour title in 2004. Thomas Aiken also made his professional breakthrough on the series, as did George Coetzee and Justin Harding. And Branden Grace, Daniel van Tonder, Dean Burmester and reigning Joburg Open champion Thriston Lawrence have all won on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf has been one of the most influential series of tournaments in the history of our Tour,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“When it teed off in 2004, the vision was for it to offer an unrivaled pro-am experience and for the Sunshine Tour to serve as a partner with Vodacom in achieving its business objectives through golf. This series has achieved this and so much more. It has launched the careers of many of South Africa’s brightest young professionals. It has travelled to all of South Africa’s most iconic golf courses. And it has done an incredible amount of good work for charity. We’re extremely proud of our partnership with Vodacom and we applaud them for this incredible milestone on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.”

In its early years, the Vodacom Origins of Golf series paid homage to the greats of golf through a theme for each year’s series.

In 2005, the series celebrated the career of one of the legends of the game – Ben Hogan. The amateurs walked the fairways dressed in the cardigans and Andy caps Hogan used to wear. In 2006, Gary Player’s contribution to golf was celebrated, while Ernie Els and Retief Goosen have both had their careers celebrated through the series.

“It’s an incredible honour for me that my achievements in the game have been recognised on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series. I’ve spent most of my life flying the South African flag on fairways around the world, and I’ve always competed to the best of my ability as a proud South African sportsman. It’s very satisfying to know that this is recognised on a series such as the Vodacom Origins of Golf,” Els said.

Goosen echoed this. “Vodacom has played such a key role in supporting golf over the years, and so many of our young stars have been winners on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of our young champions coming through the ranks.”

A selection of the biggest stars in South African sport have also teed it up in the pro-ams over the years, including Abe de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Francois Pienaar, Kevin Curren, Morné du Plessis, Rudolph Straueli, Nic Mallet, Pat Symcox, André Joubert, Allan Donald, Breyton Paulse and Wayne Fyvie.

PHOTO: Jean Hugo has won the most Vodacom Origins of Golf titles in the history of this series since it teed off in 2004 with his 11 victories. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

Albatrosses. Eagles. Birdies. Sunshine Tour professionals clearly love their “feathered friends” that go well on a scorecard inside the ropes. But outside the ropes, their hearts lie with all animals – including their four-legged friends – as the Tour’s Players’ Committee showed with a surprise donation of R10 000 to the Glen Graze Rescue and Rehabilitation Sanctuary in Somerset West, and which was matched by another R10 000 from professional Justin Harding.

Sunshine Tour professionals Harding and JJ Senekal were on hand on Thursday to deliver the cheque to Glen Graze founder and owner Suzanne Mostert and her partner Pierre Steyl. The Players’ Committee donated R10 000, while Harding generously decided to match this amount for a total of R20 000 donated to the sanctuary.

“We heard of the need of this animal sanctuary through our Membership Manager Joanne Newell. The sanctuary has a nursery school on their property which helps fund their work with the abandoned or abused animals they rescue. But because of COVID-19, the nursery school’s numbers have declined severely and this has placed even greater financial pressure on the sanctuary. So as players we decided to try and help,” said Oliver Bekker, Chairman of the Sunshine Tour Players’ Committee.

Harding was particularly touched by the cause, which is why he decided to match the Tour’s donation with his own donation.

“It was a good day. This is such a beautiful facility and Suzanne and her team are doing such important work in the community for rescue animals. I’d really like to urge any other golfers or fans to please consider giving what they can to help them out,” he said.

Glen Graze’s Mostert was overwhelmed by the surprise donation.

“I cannot say thank you enough. This is the first time in our history at Glen Graze that something like this has happened to us. I really hope the Sunshine Tour professionals will become a part of our family, because it’s people like them that really carry us forward. I’m just so overwhelmed,” she said.

Glen Graze currently supports 19 rescue horses, 14 cats (all spayed), 12 dogs (excluding the 8 puppies), 4 donkeys, 2 cows, 2 sheep, 2 goats and 8 pigs, all of which are rescue animals.

Photo: (From Left to Right) Sunshine Tour professional Justin Harding, Pierre Steyl of Glen Graze, Caleb, Suzanne Mostert of Glen Graze and Sunshine Tour professional JJ Senekal at the handing over of a cheque for R10 000 from the Sunshine Tour’s Players’ Committee in support of the work done at the animal rescue shelter. Harding generously matched this amount with his own donation for a total of R20 000 that was donated to the sanctuary. Credit: Sunshine Tour.

The 2022 Limpopo Championship will play a major role in a new expanded seven-tournament stretch of international Challenge Tour events being played in South Africa that will showcase the province of Limpopo to an even greater international audience.

The fourth edition of this tournament, presented by the Limpopo Tourism Agency and co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour, will be played at both the Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate and Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate from 31 March to 3 April for a total purse of $250 000.

More significantly, it will be the penultimate tournament in a record stretch of seven Challenge Tour events being played on the Sunshine Tour in 2022, and which will bring the brightest young stars from both the Sunshine Tour and Europe to Limpopo fairways.

“Our province is a prime tourist destination and we have earmarked golf as one of the key tools to market what we can offer,” said Moses Ngubeni, acting CEO, Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA).

“When the professional golfers and golf fans arrive here from all corners of the world, they will be presented with a holistic offering of wildlife, scenery, cultural attire and traditional cuisines. For the LTA, this tournament also plays a significant role in promoting local businesses, especially small and medium enterprises.”

The week’s activities will begin with the official qualifying round on Monday 28 March, and which is followed by the tournament pro-am on Tuesday 29 March. On Wednesday 30 March, the next generation of Limpopo golf stars will be hosted at a golf clinic that will give them exclusive coaching from some of the leading professionals in the field. The 72-hole tournament then tees off from Thursday to Sunday, and with a host of entertainment and hospitality activities planned to also showcase the best of Limpopo.

Multiple Sunshine Tour champion Brandon Stone is expected to defend his title in a field that should also include two-time Limpopo Championship winner JC Ritchie and other stars and Sunshine Tour champions such as James Kamte, Toto Thimba Jnr., Jbe Kruger and Hennie Otto.

“South Africa is blessed with an abundance of great golf courses, good weather and spectacular wildlife and scenery. Limpopo has all of this in one province. The Limpopo Championship is a fantastic advert for the wonders of South Africa. This is a tournament that since its inception in 2019 has played a key role in the Sunshine Tour’s growth of our international footprint on the Challenge Tour. We are delighted that it will play such a major part in an expanded Challenge Tour schedule on the Sunshine Tour this year,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.