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The South African PGA Championship, South Africa’s second oldest professional golf tournament, will begin a new chapter in its illustrious history as the 86^th edition will be played at St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape from 4-7 November 2021.

This will mark the first time St Francis Links hosts the flagship event of the PGA of South Africa.

“The association is proud to partner with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency to stage the event in the province where the PGA was founded in 1922,” said Ivano Ficalbi, Chief Executive of the PGA of South Africa.

“This partnership will add to the PGA’s transformational strategy and allow the PGA to achieve numerous objectives such as the growth and education of diverse candidates to membership of the PGA within the province as well as promote the fabulous Eastern Cape as a golf tourism destination.”

Vuyani Dayimani, Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), also expressed their delight at hosting one of South African golf’s premier tournaments.

“The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) mandate is to promote economic growth through tourism, and we look to utilise this golf tournament as such. Our partnership with the PGA is aimed at stimulating the Eastern Cape Province’s tourism sector and thus save and provide much-needed jobs as the tournament will support local businesses and attract local and international tourists.

“Golf has been one of the growing sports during COVID-19 and from a sport tourism point of view it aligns to outdoor offerings that comply with necessary health protocols. We couldn’t be more pleased to tap into its resources and audiences for tourism benefit as per ECPTA’s events strategy of seeking to use events that have a huge following and loyal fanbase to sell and showcase the Eastern Cape as a tourism destination of choice to wider audiences across the globe.”

Darren Fichardt won the 2020 championship to add his name to a list of champions including Gary Player, Ernie Els, Nick Price, Louis Oosthuizen and Dale Hayes.

“The South African PGA Championship has a proud history and occupies a premier place on our Sunshine Tour schedule. The work done by the PGA of South Africa is vital in terms of the general health of South African golf and growing the game around the country, and it’s a privilege for us to work with them and the ECPTA in showcasing this championship at a world-class venue such as St Francis Links,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

Jimmy Headbush, Promoter of the South African PGA Championship, said: “We have a world-class golf course, leading professional golfers, a top broadcast partner in SuperSport, and the beautiful Eastern Cape Province all combining for a recipe for a successful tournament. To stage an event of this magnitude, it is vital to seek partners that share in the ethos of the PGA Championship of being embedded in tradition and excellence. We are delighted to include Dirk Ellis Volkswagen, Allesverloren Wine Estate, Provantage and Cape St Francis Resort to be part of this championship. Most importantly, the tournament is embraced and supported by Provincial government, the Sarah Baartman Municipality, Kouga Local Municipality and South African Tourism.”

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Daniel Greene secured his first Sunshine Tour title in his 12^th season on tour at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series Humewood event on Saturday and it took all of his composure and skill to secure the playoff win over Tristen Strydom as it was blowing a gale on the links course.

Greene completed a solid par on the first playoff hole, on the par-four 18^th, while Strydom could only get a bogey after he hit his second shot well right of the green. It was a bitter blow for the 24-year-old who was also chasing his first victory on tour, Strydom missing a shortish putt for par on the last hole of regulation play.

Making the turn on two-under for his round, Greene then did exceptionally well to come home in level-par as the players faced the worst of the wind. The 36-year-old was helped by a crucial eagle on the par-five 11^th.

When Strydom bogeyed the 17^th it meant they were all-square going up the last and Strydom wasted a golden opportunity to win as he was lying just off the green and decided to chip his third instead of putting.

Steve Surry, Christiaan Basson and Malcolm Mitchell, who blazed through the last nine holes in four-under-par to finish with a level-par 72, all finished just one stroke off the lead on four-under-par, proving that the leaders cannot take anything for granted when conditions were as tough as they were at Humewood on Saturday.

But Greene, who has a strong record in Vodacom events on the coast, showed he could adapt and remain unflustered despite how testing the situation was.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Malcolm Mitchell dared to take Driver on a dozen holes on Friday in the second round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at Humewood Golf Club and quickly reaped the rewards as he raced up the leaderboard with a five-under-par 67 lifting him into a share of the lead heading into Saturday’s final round.

The wind was still up on Friday but Mitchell dropped just one stroke on his way to a total of four-under-par after the first two rounds, tied with 27-year-old Richard Joubert and veteran Hennie Otto.

Collecting six birdies, three on each loop, suggests an aggressive approach by the former Eisenhower Cup representative, but apart from backing himself with Driver, Mitchell felt his strategy was pretty risk-free.

“The two parts of my game that have been good for a while have been my driving and putting, which really helps on a links course. There were only two holes where I did not take Driver, but I’ve only missed four or five fairways on the first two days, so I’ve pretty much always been in a good position and my putting has been very good over the last while.

“In terms of being aggressive, in the moment there might be one shot that I might feel I can have a go at, but then there are others where I’ll aim 20 feet right or short. So I don’t go at it too much, I don’t change game-plans and I just try to stay in the moment and enjoy it,” Mitchell said after his round.

And being focused on the present and having fun is exactly what Mitchell will be doing in the final round, having learnt some lessons from his runners-up finish in August in the SunBet Challenge at Wingate Park Country Club in Pretoria. In that tournament he also went low in the second round, a 65 lifting him to second, but then he closed with a 72 to leave him three adrift of Estiaan Conradie.

“It’s funny how life teaches you different things. You work so hard to stay in the present but then sometimes you mess it up and get ahead of yourself or start thinking of the past. But winning three times in 2019 always sits there. Those memories are there to go back on, they can only help. It means I’ve been there, even though it was the Big Easy Tour, and knowing how to win definitely sticks in the back of your mind,” Mitchell said.

One man who is unlikely to have any trembling knees if he stays in contention on Saturday is Otto, because he has done it all before with 13 wins on the Sunshine Tour, the most recent being at the Sibaya Challenge in October 2019. The 45-year-old also finished in a tie for second in the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Sishen at the end of August.

Otto has had a run of four successive top-30 finishes on tour and the former SA Open champion was looking dangerous as he fired a four-under-par 68 on Friday.

Joubert was just one stroke off the lead after the first round and, starting on the 10^th, he soared into the lead with an eagle on the par-five 11^th and then holed out for an eagle-two at the par-four 16^th. Bogeys at 17 and 18 undid some of that amazing work though, and he dropped two more shots on the front nine, but finishing with three straight pars gave him a 71 and he is far from done-and-dusted in this race.

Overnight leader Tristen Strydom shot a 73 on Friday and is one stroke back on three-under for the tournament, alongside Michael Palmer (68) and Daniel Greene (69).

There are three golfers two shots back on two-under-par who will need to be watched carefully as well – Christiaan Basson (68), Jean Hugo, who fired a brilliant 66, and Jayden Schaper (69).

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Tristen Strydom, the 24-year-old from Pretoria Country Club, has been able to supplement his talent with confidence from a fine season and astute course-management, and the benefits showed as he claimed the lead after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series event at Humewood Golf Club on Thursday.

In incredibly tough conditions of strong wind and then rain, Strydom fired a superb four-under-par 68 to lead by one stroke from Richard Joubert.

The weather had already turned foul in Gqeberha on the eve of the tournament, so the golfers were expecting the worst when they teed it up at the famous old links course, that was especially wind-blown on Thursday.

Strydom and Joubert were together in the first group off and Strydom did not make a good start, missing a short putt for bogey on the first. But, remarkably, it was to be his only dropped shot on the day as he showed great composure to refuse to get flustered.

“We knew on Wednesday already that it was going to be pretty bad weather, so I was mentally prepared and just tried to enjoy it as much as possible, just do the best you can. Normally when you’re first out there is less wind, but today it was pumping from the early hours. It was a three or four club wind the whole day, I was hitting eight-irons 110 metres.

“I actually hit two great shots on the first, chipped but then two-putted because I missed a really short putt. But in conditions like this you can’t get upset by a bogey on the first hole otherwise you’re just going to make it a much longer day, which doesn’t help,” Strydom said.

The in-form Strydom, 10^th on the Order of Merit, turned in one-under with birdies on the par-four fourth and par-five seventh hole, before finding another gear on the back nine as he collected three birdies, which he says were products of his good course-management.

“Richard Joubert was playing really nicely as well so we pushed each other. It was a really solid round, a good day at the office. I didn’t really hit anything wayward, I made sure I was in good positions and missed on the right sides. All-in-all it was a well-managed round. And luckily I got out dry because it only started raining on my last hole!” Strydom said.

Joubert, coming off three successive missed cuts, was one over through nine holes, but finished in scintillating fashion with three birdies and an eagle, on the 17^th, in his last six holes.

Botswana’s Stuart Smith celebrated his country’s Independence Day by shooting a two-under 70 that gave him third place on his own, while James Kamte and Jake Redman were the only other golfers under-par after positing 71s.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland (30 September 2021) – In 2010, Sunshine Tour professional Toto Thimba Jnr. watched Louis Oosthuizen stride to victory in The Open on the Old Course. He watched him walk over the famous Swilcan Burn bridge on his way up 18. And he’ll never forget how Oosthuizen spoke of Nelson Mandela in his victory speech.

Those memories came flooding back to Thimba Jnr. as he walked the same Old Course on Wednesday and stood on that same famous little stone bridge in preparation for his debut in this week’s prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Thimba Jnr. secured his place in this illustrious field by virtue of his finish on the 2019-2020 Sunshine Tour Money List. And he admits it’s a dream come true to be playing in a European Tour event that has defined itself as the game’s ultimate celebration of links golf as it is played on the three iconic links courses of the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

“It reminds you that great things can happen in this game,” said Thimba Jnr.

“It’s my first time playing the Old Course. It’s such a privilege and an honour to be playing here. It’s an amazing feeling.”

And he’ll carry with him the inspiration of watching Oosthuizen here in 2010.

“Just watching Louis walk over that bridge with his caddie Zack, and then his winning speech about Nelson Mandela, was phenomenal. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”

True links golf is a totally new experience for Thimba Jnr. and one he says he’s going to relish this week.

“Links golf is certainly different, but I’ll just try and play my best golf this week. I’m trying not to put pressure on myself because just being here is a privilege. I’m playing with Daniel van Tonder for the first two rounds, which is good. It helps you relax when you’re playing with your homeboy. So I’m just looking forward to playing the best golf I can this week.”

Caption: Sunshine Tour professional Toto Thimba Jnr. (left) and his caddie, Colin, stop for the traditional photo on the famous Swilcan Burn bridge on the Old Course during his practice round before making his debut in this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews. Credit: Supplied.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – The wind that has gusted through Humewood Golf Cub this week was accompanied by soaking rain on Wednesday to make for tough conditions in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series Pro-Am, but at least one golfer – Jacquin Hess – was able to apply the old Monty Python maxim and always look on the bright side.

“The weather forecast is not looking good and everyone is complaining about it, but I’m actually smiling inside,” Hess said. “I prefer the conditions to be tough, it opens the field up, and most of my best finishes have been on the tough tracks. The more the wind blows, the better for me. Coming from Robertson, there’s always a three-club wind there, and I actually went home to practice a bit.

“This course is always good, I love the place and I was in the mix the last time I was here, so I have a good vibe. You have to play different shots here, keep it low and under the wind. But I’m in a good space mentally, it’s going to be difficult for everyone and sometimes you don’t realise that,” Hess said.

The 30-year-old has missed his last two cuts – at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Mount Edgecombe and the Sunshine Tour Invitational earlier in September – but he is optimistic about the next few weeks on tour because the events will be played on tough courses and he feels like he is hitting it straight and waiting to capitalise score-wise.

“My game is turning in the right direction and I’ve just got to give myself opportunities, take it one shot at a time. The next five weeks should suit my game because we have tournaments here at Humewood and places like the Wild Coast and Sun City, where I normally play well. You need to hit it straight and low at these places, which I’m doing, and I putted really well in the Pro-Am, even in the difficult wind.

“You need to have that sort of even temperament, like cricketers Jacques Kallis or Hashim Amla. You just need to go with the conditions. You need to be the calmest guy on the course,” Hess said.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Christiaan Basson has won before in the strong winds of the Eastern Cape in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series, claiming the St Francis Links title in 2015, and the 39-year-old is hoping this week’s event at Humewood Golf Club will be the one in which he “makes it count” and finally throws off the momentum-stopping effects of the Covid pandemic on his career.

Basson had enjoyed his best finish since 2011 on the Sunshine Tour order of merit, inside the top-20 in 2019/20 before Covid hit, and he hasn’t quite been able to recapture the same consistency in the last two seasons. He finished 38^th in 2020/21 and is currently 43^rd in the standings for this season.

The arrival of twins for Basson and his wife last year lessened the blow of his career being disrupted, but he is now itching to get back into contention and try and claim his fifth Sunshine Tour title.

“Yes, Covid definitely disrupted my golf, but it came at a good time for me to help my wife because we had twins just before the virus arrived. So they were in nappies through Covid and it was nice to have that family time together. But in terms of golf it put a bit of a stop on my progress and I haven’t really done well after Covid.

“I’m positive about my game, it’s trending in the right direction, but I’m also keen to make one or two tournaments really count now,” Basson said.

Born in Strand, raised in Cape Town and now living there as a member of Metropolitan Golf Club, Basson is obviously at home in the strong winds that are expected to buffet the Humewood seaside links with increasing ferocity when the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series tees off on Thursday.

“I’m happy with these conditions and I think it suits my game. It’s been a while since I’ve played in such a strong wind though. You know how to do things in conditions like this, but you still need to get sharp beforehand. You can’t really practise for wind when there is no wind.

“But I like the conditions and the challenge. You’ve just got to be solid around here and keep the big mistakes off your card. You have to accept that you’re going to make one or two bogeys, especially into the wind,” Basson said.

It is a problem that Basson is well-equipped to solve. He has the knowledge of winning at the St Francis Bay Links 100km west of Humewood and, now in his 15^thseason on the Sunshine Tour, he has plenty of experience of coastal conditions.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Gary Player always says there is no substitute for personal contact. It’s a formula that has also been the backbone of the highly successful Vodacom Origins of Golf Series for 17 years now, which has set a benchmark for sponsor interaction with the Sunshine Tour’s professionals.

And it’s a winning formula other Sunshine Tour sponsors are also buying into.

As the Vodacom Origins of Golf travels to the famous Humewood links this week for the fourth tournament on this year’s series, it does so with a new partner in Momentum Metropolitan. And Carel Bosman, the financial services company’s Head of Sponsorships and Events, has been delighted with how well their involvement is going.

“We only recently entered the Vodacom Origins of Golf fold and it really is the ideal sporting platform. We’re already starting to engage and build connectivity with so many people. The series is pretty unique in that you have amateurs playing with the professionals and it has been incredibly positive for us being involved from the start of the season.

“We’ve been sending different internal stakeholders from our various business units to play in the events, and it has been a very positive experience for us as a corporate. We will certainly be looking to do more as Vodacom and Sunshine Tour Commissioner Thomas Abt and the Sunshine Tour are putting together some stunning properties. The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series has been going for so long, since 2004, and we feel privileged to be involved.”

Momentum’s investment in cricket, especially the women’s game, has been one of the success stories of the South African sports industry space, and Bosman had nothing but praise for Vodacom’s tremendous achievements with the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series has been a success for so long that you simply have to acknowledge what Vodacom have done. It’s been wonderful to meet their team at a regional level and sport really needs sponsors to do these sorts of things. Vodacom have obviously seen value in their strategy to stay involved for so long. What they have done has been incredible and hats off to them, long may it continue,” Bosman said.

DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal – Louis Albertse handled the pressure of chasing down his first Sunshine Tour title like a real professional on Saturday as he won the third leg of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate.

The 25-year-old began the final round with a share of the lead, and produced an impressive four-under-par 66 to finish on nine-under-par for the tournament and clinch victory by one stroke over CJ du Plessis (65).

But, as well as Albertse played, a bogey on the par-four 16^th left him needing pars on the tricky last two holes of The Woods course. Albertse negotiated the elevation changes and water bordering the 18^th green with aplomb.

“There are so many emotions, but it feels really good to have my first Sunshine Tour title. It’s never easy to win and the last nine holes when you’re going for your first win is particularly tough, but I tried hard to stay in the moment. The bogey on 16 was a bit unsettling, but I knew I was still 100% in it. I had been playing nicely the whole day and all I could do was give it my best.

“I’ve been in Category 9 since I started on tour and I’ve worked really hard to get out of it, I always felt I was good enough to win. Now there are lots of things to look forward to, getting into big events now without any worries. I saw a couple of scoreboards on the way in and I knew CJ was playing well, which was a good thing in a sense because I knew I had to keep pushing and not play defensively,” Albertse said after his wire-to-wire win, having shared the lead with veteran Brazilian Adilson da Silva after the first two rounds.

Albertse, who hails from Dundee in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, went out in two-under-par 33 and then made an ideal start to the back nine with a lengthy birdie putt on the 339-yard par-four 10^th hole.

“I made a few good par-saves at the beginning but unfortunately took a six on the second par-five. But I’ve been putting really well and the birdie on 10 was a massive bonus, that just makes sure you get into the right gear going into the downwind holes. I also made a really good save on 13 and then birdies on 14 and 15 [another long putt] kept the momentum going,” Albertse said.

Du Plessis’ five-under-par 65 started inauspiciously with a bogey at the first hole, but thereafter he did not drop a shot, collecting five birdies including four in five holes from the sixth. It is the Irene Country Club golfer’s fourth runners-up finish and he is yet to win a professional tournament.

Adilson da Silva was one shot off the lead when he made the turn, but returned to the clubhouse in level-par to finish on six-under-par, two behind Du Plessis and in the tie for third with Riekus Nortje and Deon Germishuys.