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13th February 2025

Blaauw holds clubhouse lead as weather challenges NTT DATA Pro-Am field

GEORGE, Western Cape – Jacques Blaauw beat the weather and the fading light to post an impressive nine-under-par 63 for the clubhouse lead on a difficult opening day of the NTT DATA Pro-Am at Fancourt on Thursday.

Heavy rain forced a lengthy suspension of the first round of this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament and resulted in two restarts as the three golf courses of The Links, Montagu and Outeniqua recovered from the downpour.

When an overcast first day drew to a close, Blaauw had just made it into the clubhouse with his bogey-free round on the Outeniqua. He leads by two shots over Denmark’s Christoffer Bring, who signed for a 65. England’s Eddie Pepperell and South Africa’s JC Ritchie are also on seven under but still busy with their first rounds.

The first round will have to be completed on Friday morning, with the second round tee times adjusted accordingly.

Blaauw was delighted with his performance in the testing conditions.

“It was a tough morning with the weather, and frustrating. But I’m happy that we could eventually get out there and I was able to make a good score,” said the South African, who added that he had to reset mentally for the challenge ahead.

“It’s difficult because you’re hungry but don’t want to eat because your prep is normally different. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, but in the end it worked out. I could take advantage of the soft greens and make a few birdies. I was pretty good overall through my game.”

As his nearest challenger, Bring was also all smiles on a grey day.

“I had to warm up three times but it was a great day for me. We had to come in after a couple of holes, but when we went back out there wasn’t much wind and the greens were soft which meant I could make lot of birdies. I just tried to stick to my routine and reset mentally. I hit lots of greens and felt in control of my game,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

About NTT DATA

 NTT DATA is a $30+ billion trusted global innovator of business and technology services. We serve 75% of the Fortune Global 100 and are committed to helping clients innovate, optimize and transform for long-term success. As a Global Top Employer, we have diverse experts in more than 50 countries and a robust partner ecosystem of established and start-up companies. Our services include business and technology consulting, data and artificial intelligence, industry solutions, as well as the development, implementation and management of applications, infrastructure and connectivity. We are also one of the leading providers of digital and AI infrastructure in the world. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3.6 billion each year in R&D to help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. Visit us at nttdata.com

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8th February 2025

Easton leads South African challenge in Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor

CAPE TOWN, Western Cape – Bryce Easton heads into Sunday’s final round of the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor in a five-way tie for the lead and determined to use the opportunity to start playing his way back onto the DP World Tour.

On a tricky day at the Royal Cape Golf Club where a swirling wind certainly caught the attention of the leading campaigners, Easton produced a composed 67 to share the lead on 11 under par.

Italy’s Filippo Celli, who has led from the first round, joined him with a level-par 72. And American Matt Oshrine (66), England’s Jamie Rutherford (67) and Spain’s Borja Virto (71) all took their place on 11 under par as well.

They are two strokes clear of England’s George Bloor, South Africa’s Justin Walters and Lyle Rowe, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith and Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli.

Daniel van Tonder’s dreams of a hat-trick of victories on this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour stretch are also still a likelihood as he starts the final round three shots off the lead.

There is plenty at stake for so many of the leaders, and none more so than Easton who is hunting his first victory on the Sunshine Tour since 2018.

“I’m looking to get back into the winner’s circle, for sure, and to get my card back on the DP World Tour again. I’ve had a couple of quiet years with a baby boy being born, but I feel like a lot of that has settled down now and I’m able to shift back into golf mode fulltime and chase trying to get back to where I was a couple of years ago,” he said.

His love of this golf course show through in 2022 when he finished third in this tournament, and Easton believes his understanding of this venerable layout was key to him working his way into contention.

“As we got out there in the third round, and the wind was swirling a bit all over the place, I knew it was going to be tricky. I said to my caddie that if we’re finding it tough to get this wind right then everybody else will be doing the same. It’s just a matter of hanging in there, hitting it in the right places and trying not to give shots away.

“But this golf course rewards good shots, especially if the wind is blowing. That suits me. I’m also quite good at reading these greens. For some reason here I seem to pick a couple of the subtle breaks. I seem to be very comfortable with my reads here. So we’ll see what direction the wind blows on the final day. But that’s what’s great about this golf course – it changes every day with the wind.” – Michael Vlismas

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7th February 2025

Celli leads as Royal Cape course record is broken in Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor

CAPE TOWN, Western Cape – Italy’s Filippo Celli will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend of the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor, but it was Frenchman Sebastien Gros who grabbed the spotlight in Friday’s second round with his remarkable course record 60 at Royal Cape.

Celli maintained his hold on this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament with a round of 67 to lead on 11 under par.

His nearest challenger is Spain’s Borja Virto on 10 under par following a 67 of his own. Daniel van Tonder and Malcolm Mitchell are the leading South Africans on eight under par following respective rounds of 67 and 69.

Van Tonder has won the last two tournaments on the Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour and should he achieve a hat-trick of wins this weekend he will automatically earn a DP World Tour card for next season.

But Celli said he is determined not to focus on anything but his own game this weekend.

“I’m very happy. It was another solid round. Hopefully I can keep the same mindset and patience over the weekend. I’m just staying focused on my own game. I like this golf course, but it is tricky. You have to be careful off the tee here. That’s the secret,” said Celli.

If anybody unlocked the secret of this venerable golf course then it was Gros. After three course record 62s – all of them occurring in this tournament over the years – Gros took full advantage of an early morning start in perfect conditions and wrote his name into the history of South Africa’s oldest golf club.

His 60 was made even more remarkable considering it came on the back of an 80 on day one.

“The first round was a nightmare and today was amazing. We never know what can happen in this game,” he said.

Teeing off on the 10th, he went out in 32 and then came home in 28 with not a single bogey on his card.

“When I made the putt on the last, even if it wasn’t for 59, I honestly felt like I’d won the tournament. It was the same kind of emotion,” he said.

“The evening before I just thought something like this was possible. You never know with this game, but I just had a feeling. As soon as you start believing, sometimes good things can happen. To get a course record is always a good sign. But especially here where you’ve got 140 years of history in a wonderful golfing country. To get the lowest round on this golf course is one of the biggest milestones I’ve ever achieved in my life. I’m very proud and humble.” – Michael Vlismas

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6th February 2025

Celli takes early lead in Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor

CAPE TOWN, Western Cape – Italian Filippo Celli produced a highly composed six-under-par 66 in gusting conditions at Royal Cape Golf Club on Thursday to lead the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor by a single stroke.

Celli, one of Italy’s top amateurs who also won the silver medal for the low amateur at the 2022 Open Championship, started his round superbly and was three under par through his first three holes on his way to claiming the early lead in this Sunshine Tour and HolidayPlanner Tour event.

His nearest challengers are South Africa’s Malcolm Mitchell and Spain’s Borja Virto, while Daniel van Tonder – the winner of the last two Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournaments and looking for a hat-trick this week – came through day one just three shots off the lead.

But Celli was delighted with his start to this event.

“I played really solid golf so I’m very happy. It was a tough afternoon. The gusts were so strong and I handled it well. I just took it shot by shot. We know in this game you need to be patient, and that was very important today. If you made a bogey you had to just be positive in these tough conditions,” he said.

Behind him, South Africa’s Mitchell revelled in the windy conditions, having grown up in Durban.

“I love playing in the wind. To have no bogeys and give birdies on a day like today, I’ll definitely take that. But when it comes to the wind, that really takes me to my happy place,” he said.

Mitchell was particularly pleased to have finished higher up the leaderboard than Van Tonder on day one, considering the two are brothers-in-law and are fiercely competitive on the golf course.

“There’s always that bit of competition. We often play social rounds together and it’s always brutal competition between the two of us. Daniel hates to lose,” he said.

It’s a competition Van Tonder has been winning of late with his incredible form, and clearly something Mitchell aspires to as well.

“His form has been great to see. I’ve been working on a couple of things, one of which is being a lot more positive and seeing what I’m capable of.” – Michael Vlismas

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In-form Norris determined to claim Investec South African Open glory

Shaun Norris is determined to add his name to the illustrious list of Investec South African Open champions as he joins a field that already includes defending champion Dean Burmester at Durban Country Club from 27 February to 2 March 2025.

Tickets are available to buy at https://sunshinetour.com/ticket-open?id=224S&code=SAOP

The 42-year-old is playing some of the best golf of his career at present.

After winning his second DP World Tour title in December’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, Norris started 2025 with back-to-back finishes of sixth and 16th in the United Arab Emirates and is currently the highest ranked South African in fourth place on the Race to Dubai.

Norris is now determined to capitalise on his form and give himself the best possible shot at a maiden Investec South African Open crown.

“I’ve been swinging the club very well for a while now and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. This is the tournament that any South African golfer wants to win. It’s our national Open. My two DP World Tour wins are proof to me that my golf is good enough to compete with all the players on the DP World Tour.

So with my game feeling as good as it is at the moment, I’m definitely going to go for a win in Durban,” he said.

Norris already has a victory in the Japan Open to his name in 2021, and said he’d loving nothing more than to add the Investec South African Open to this list.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, to win any national Open is massive. The next step for me is definitely to be able to win the Investec South African Open.”

The fact that this year’s $1.5-million tournament – co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour – will be played at the revamped Durban Country Club also excites Norris.

“I love Durban Country Club, and it will be an interesting and different challenge now that they’ve made some changes,” said Norris, who has top Investec South African Open finishes of tied 11th in 2012 and tied 20th in 2018.

The Investec South African Open will also play a key role in Norris’ quest to reclaim his top spot on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy. After holding that number one position at the start of the year, Norris was unseated by Daniel van Tonder and is now second on the rankings.

As the headline sponsor of the Investec SA Open, Investec is dedicated to elevating local talent and showcasing South African golf talent on the international stage.

Jonsson Workwear is the official workwear partner of the Investec South African Open and the Sunshine Tour, joining other partners such as Hyundai, The Courier Guy, CIRCA, Airlink and Provantage as major brands supporting the national Open.

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1st February 2025

Van Tonder keeps living his best MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood

HARTBEESPOORT, North West – Daniel van Tonder is chasing his second victory in as many weeks on the Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour as he takes a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood.

Van Tonder produced a composed 66 at Pecanwood on Saturday to climb to 22 under par, with Australia’s Danny List his nearest challenger on 19 under par following an impressive 62.

Van Tonder has been in rampant form over the last two weeks.

He won the SDC Open at Zebula last week and in the process reclaimed his number one position on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy while also taking the number one spot on the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca standings. A win on Sunday would be his fourth victory on the Sunshine Tour this season.

“It would be amazing to win again on Sunday. It would help a lot towards my goal of winning the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, and then I’m also chasing three wins on the HotelPlanner Tour which secures me a DP World Tour card,” he said.

But it did take him some time to get going on Saturday. He turned in level par after a frustrating front nine, and then played the back nine superbly as he came home in 30.

“I had a good finish on the back nine. It took a while for me to get going on the front. I had a bit of bad luck on the front nine with a couple of holes, and made that bogey on the par-five fifth. That was frustrating. But I just kept telling myself it will come sooner or later. I kept giving myself chances and then I used them on the back nine,” he said.

Australia’s List was one of those applying the pressure as Van Tonder worked through his frustrations on the front nine, and surged through the field with his 62. List was born in Ghana and still feels a strong kinship with that country, which he hopes to also represent on Sunday.

“I definitely have some pretty big ambitions for Ghana golf and I’m trying to represent them as best I can out here. The Sunshine Tour is a brilliant Tour and the quality out here is so impressive. I didn’t know that Africa had this much depth in golf talent, and it’s great to see Africa thriving in golf,” he said.

And Van Tonder clearly has goals of his own for Sunday. In his own inimitable way, he explained his focus.

“I’ve become a father for the first time, and that means I now have two women in the house and that’s expensive. So I have no option but to win.” – Michael Vlismas

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25th January 2025

Van Der Merwe chasing a dream win in SDC Open

BELA-BELA, Limpopo – Altin van der Merwe will take a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the SDC Open at the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa, and is chasing a dream that a few years ago he thought he might have to give up on.

Having led from day one of this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament, and admitting that he was nervous heading into Saturday’s third round, Van Der Merwe instead looked in complete control of every part of his game as he posted a 65 to lead on 18 under par.

His nearest challenger is Sebastien Gros on 14 under par after the Frenchman birdied the last two holes for a 68. American Nick Carlson is currently third on 13 under par following a 67.

The work Van Der Merwe has done over the festive season to keep himself sharp is clearly paying off. But in the bigger picture, the work he’s done mentally since almost giving up on his dream a few years ago has been just as impressive.

Van Der Merwe was 19 years old when he made his first attempt at the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and missed out by a single stroke.

He admitted that, “I was pretty broken after Q School. We had a 10-hour drive the next day back to George and I decided we were going to drive through the night because I wasn’t going to stay there any longer. I didn’t say one word to my caddie or best friend at the time for 10 hours. The golf wasn’t the same for about two years after that. You get so emotional with this game.”

But he began a transformation of his game and became one of GolfRSA’s top amateurs. Last year he won the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and he hasn’t looked back.

There’s no doubt that Sunday will represent a major opportunity for both Van Der Merwe and his wife and caddie, Minette, to finally realise their shared dream.

“It will mean everything. I don’t even know how to explain it. We’ve been chasing this for a long time. Not just a win, but professional golf as a whole. I was close to giving up on the dream because it didn’t look like it would come. But my last two years as an amateur really helped, and I’m trying to carry that feeling through in my professional career. Let’s see if that works on Sunday,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

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18th January 2025

Austrian Steinlechner chasing maiden Sunshine Tour title

SASOLBURG, Free State (18 January 2025) – Austria’s Max Steinlechner will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Sunshine Tour’s Mediclinic Invitational at the Heron Banks Golf and River Resort.

The former top-ranked Austrian amateur and North Carolina State University golfer signed for a third round of 65 to top the field on 19 under par, and including a strong run of five birdies in six holes over the turn.

He is one stroke clear of Daniel van Tonder, who posted a 65 of his own including two eagles in three holes on the back nine as he chases a first victory in 2025.

Jacques Blaauw heads into Sunday’s final round in third place on 16 under par following a 64, while Nikhil Rama produced the low round of the day with a 63 that lifted him to 11 under par overall.

Steinlechner has taken full advantage of being granted an invitation this week and is now one round away from a maiden victory on the Sunshine Tour.

“I am playing this week on an invite as preparation for the upcoming co-sanctioned HotelPlanner Tour (formerly European Challenge Tour) events on the Sunshine Tour,” he told the Sunshine Tour.

After graduating from college in 2023, Steinlechner teed off his professional career with a few tournament invitations on the HotelPlanner Tour. “I started playing well in the second half of the season and finished 61st on the rankings, which gives me a full category on the Tour this year,” he said.

It’s a positive start for the Austrian in South Africa and definitely the preparation he’s looking for ahead of the four co-sanctioned tournaments between the Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour in January and February, and starting with next week’s SDC Open.

“It’s my first tournament of the year so I’m happy with the way I’ve started. I really like being here. The people are nice, the food is very good. It’s also nice for me to be able to play golf now because it’s winter in the northern hemisphere. I really enjoy being here and having the opportunity to play,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

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16th January 2025

Broomhead opens with 63 to lead Mediclinic Invitational

SASOLBURG, Free State (16 January 2025) – It was the perfect start to the new year for Jonathan Broomhead as he opened with an eight-under-par 63 to lead the first round of the Sunshine Tour’s Mediclinic Invitational at the Heron Banks Golf and River Resort on Thursday.

Broomhead, a two-time winner on the Sunshine Tour already this season and well placed in fifth position on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, is one shot ahead of Austria’s Maximilian Steinlechner, and with South Africa’s Simon du Plooy next best on six under par.

Jean Hugo, Jacques Blaauw and Jaco van Zyl also make up a strong trio of experience just three shots off the lead.

This was exactly the start Broomhead was hoping for after he decided to take a good break over the festive season.

“The break was good. I wasn’t in the best mindset at the end of last year because I think it was just a long year with a lot of travel, and after my final tournament at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, I was a bit over golf and needed a break. So I put the clubs away. I moved home the day before Christmas as well. Then when I started practising again I was keen and ready for it,” he said.

“When you start the year again there are always some nerves. It’s just that feeling of wondering if I’m ready or not, and maybe a little bit of doubt. But as the round went on it was all good.”

His start from the 10th tee certainly confirmed that he was more than ready for the challenge as Broomhead opened with five birdies in his first six holes.

“It was quite cold when we teed off. The wind was up quite a bit as well. But I putted really well. My coach pointed out something in my putting and that’s worked. It’s a tricky golf course because you have to be smart in the way you play it. There are certain holes where you can get into trouble, but there is also a bit of risk and reward in this golf course.”

As he looks to build on this start over the next three days, Broomhead also has an eye on the next few weeks and the great opportunities with the European Challenge Tour and DP World Tour events still to come this season.

“The opportunities we have coming up mean you can have a really good finish to the season. I’ve got a few goals in mind of what I’d like to achieve, and this 63 to start is definitely moving in the right direction. My golf is in a nice place. The positive thoughts are all there.” – Michael Vlismas

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16th June 2024

Viljoen bags third Sunshine Tour title at Mopani Zambia Open

KITWE (Zambia) – Overnight leader MJ Viljoen went out in three-under 33 but would follow that with an even better four-under-par 32 coming in, to cruise to a six-stroke victory in the Mopani Zambia Open at Nkana Golf Club on Sunday.

Viljoen’s brilliant final-round 65 lifted him to 16-under-par for the R2.5 million event, well clear of local favourite Dayne Moore, who shot 70 on Sunday to finish on 10-under-par.

The Serengeti Estates golfer has not won since September 2022 and his emotional triumph on Sunday follows a tough time in which he finished 64th in last season’s Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, the first time he had finished outside the top-30 since 2018/19.

“I needed this win big time and I am very proud of myself for pulling it through. I’ve worked hard for the last few months and it feels really good to get this result. I lost a lot of playing rights last season, so it’s really good to be back in the winner’s circle,” Viljoen said.

The 29-year-old had started the final round with a one-stroke lead over Jacques P. de Villiers and Moore, with the next closest contenders being five strokes back in Heinrich Bruiners, Fredrik From and Kyle Barker.

But neither De Villiers nor Moore were able to keep up with Viljoen as he birdied the fourth, sixth and seventh holes. Viljoen’s only bogey on Sunday came on the par-four 10th hole, cutting his lead to two strokes, but he rebounded superbly with three successive birdies. The coup de grace was an eagle on the 527m par-five 17th.

Having secured an albatross on the fourth on the first day, he birdied the 484m par-five in the last two rounds, and he said his shots on that hole will be one of his favourite memories when he thinks back on his third Sunshine Tour title.

“My shots on four, I almost had a hole-in-one today on the seventh, and the eagle on 17 nearly went in for another albatross, those will be my favourite memories. And also the fans. I played with Dayne Moore on Saturday and so many youngsters were following us around, there was just noise all the time and it was awesome,” Viljoen said.

Zambia’s Moore birdied the first hole to draw level with Viljoen on nine-under, but was four behind by the turn, having dropped a shot on the par-four eighth. A birdie on the 10th saw a two-shot swing and he matched Viljoen with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, but bogeys on 13 and 16 were his undoing.

Despite an eagle on the par-five 12th, De Villiers battled to build momentum as he mixed two bogeys and a double on the last with three birdies, posting a 71 that left him in third place on nine-under-par.

South Africans Daniel van Tonder (-6) and Barker (-5) rounded out the top five.