SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Play-off success earns van Tonder maiden win in Kenya

27th March 2021

Play-off success earns van Tonder maiden win in Kenya

Daniel van Tonder secured his first European Tour title at the Kenya Savannah Classic supported by Absa after defeating Jazz Janewattananond with a birdie on the third play-off hole at Karen Country Club.

The 30-year-old South African posted a closing seven under par round of 64 to join Thailand’s Janewattananond on 21 under par and after both players parred the first two trips back down the 18th hole, it was third time lucky for van Tonder as he converted his short birdie putt following a sublime approach.

He was eight under par after 13 holes following five gains in a row from the ninth hole, but back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th handed the advantage to Janewattananond. He needed to find something special and he holed a lengthy birdie putt on the final hole to force extra holes.

“I was struggling last week, but this week I found everything and was very happy,” van Tonder said. “I knew if I gave myself some putting chances, I’d make one sooner or later.

“I’ve been working hard. Last year I had four wins on the Sunshine Tour, my stroke average was quite low – then Covid happened and it made everything a bit hard travel-wise and getting in to tournaments. It wasn’t easy. I had to work hard and keep myself motivated. It paid off, so I’m very happy.

“I’m a bit different. I love pressure, if there’s pressure I get more in the zone. For me, I tried to keep it as easy as possible – hit the fairway first, then the second, put the other player under pressure and see what happens from there. I took it shot-by-shot and it worked.”

Van Tonder also was quick to credit his wife and caddie, Abigail, for her part in helping him stay calm when he began to make mistakes.

“I tried to keep it easy. It’s 18 holes, I needed to 18 tee shots and 18 second shots and try to make it as easy as possible. That was in my mind, just to hit fairways first then hit the second on the green and try and make the putt. The first nine went well and I started the second nine also very well. But I had the two bogeys in a row, two big fliers – I don’t know how – but luckily my wife is on the bag and she kept me calm and reminded me of a few things, and it worked.

“It was very special. She’s been on the bag for seven years. She’s been with me through thick and thin. It was very special to see the highs coming together and sharing them.

“It’s very exciting. We’ve been working hard. It took a while, but it came and I’m very happy – my wife is over the moon. I’m very happy and grateful.

“Work hard. Keep your head down, be humble. I love my wife, she’s the rock. She keeps me calm, makes me positive in everything.”

The victory is van Tonder’s fifth in his last 13 worldwide starts, while Janewattananond secured his best European Tour finish since his tied second place at the 2017 Fiji International. England’s Sam Horsfield and Scotland’s Calum Hill both carded seven under par final rounds of 64 to share third place on 20 under par, while David Drysdale, of Scotland, and South Africa’s Jacques Kruyswijk finished two shots further back in a tie for fifth place on 18 under par. – European Tour.

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Limpopo Championship keeps driving growth for Limpopo tourism

26th March 2021

Limpopo Championship keeps driving growth for Limpopo tourism

The Limpopo Tourism Agency (LTA) has once again thrown its full support behind this year’s Limpopo Championship, seeing it as a vital component of their goal to drive tourism to the province.

The Limpopo Championship is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour and will be played from 22-25 April at Euphoria Lifestyle Golf Estate.

At the official launch of this year’s tournament at Euphoria on Thursday, the LTA declared its excitement at the growth of this tournament in partnership with Sunshine Tour since it first teed off in 2019, and also announced the return of their popular “golf passport”.

“This year we wish to also resuscitate the golf passport both for professional and recreational golfers in the country and beyond to enjoy some of our pristine golf courses found in Limpopo. We see this as an opportunity for both parties to popularise this initiative to drive domestic tourism in the province. The Limpopo Golf Passport will give golfers an opportunity to play some rounds of golf on any of the participating golf resorts over a given period. The vision is for this golf event to grow annually and to attract the highest level of professionals from South Africa and abroad,” said LTA Board Chairperson, Andrew Dipela.

“The tournament compliments our brand offering and promotion of diverse tourism experiences. This we do not do alone as we collaborate with the private sector organizations to drive for sector transformation. The Waterberg region where this tournament takes place has a myriad of tourist destinations like the Nylsvley Nature Reserve, which is a RAMSAR Site with over 400 bird species, the Waterberg Biosphere, Makapans Valley World Heritage Site, Welgevonden Private Game Reserve with its approximately 65 lodges, Waterberg Meander, Marakele National Park and many private game reserves, to name but a few.”

Ludwick Manyama, the Sunshine Tour Tournament Director, said they were equally pleased to continue their partnership with the LTA and the Limpopo Championship.

“We are excited to partner with organizations like the Limpopo Tourism Agency, which has helped us grow the Limpopo Championship to its current international status. We hope to sustain this partnership as it is adding value to the sport tourism profile of the country but most importantly using golf as the vehicle to showcase to the world the amazing tourism treasures that exist within South Africa.”

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
SAGDB receives 18 000 golf balls from Titleist and Sunshine Tour

25th March 2021

SAGDB given 18 000 golf balls from Titleist and Sunshine Tour

The thousands of golf balls used on driving ranges throughout the Sunshine Tour season all go to a very good cause, with the Tour and partner Titleist donating them to the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) to assist with their nationwide development programmes.

At Serengeti Estates on Thursday, during this week’s Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational, the Sunshine Tour and Titleist donated 18 000 golf balls to the SAGDB.

“We are extremely grateful for the golf balls from Titleist and the Sunshine Tour. It goes a long way to helping us run the SAGDB programmes. I’d like to thank all involved for the terrific support,” said Grant Hepburn, CEO of the SAGDB and GolfRSA.

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Prinsloo stays on top at Serengeti

24th March 2021

Prinsloo stays on top at Serengeti

Jaco Prinsloo’s decision to play the kind of golf he did as a kid continues to pay off as he retained his lead in the Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational at Serengeti Estates on Wednesday.

Prinsloo signed for a one-under-par 71 on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Championship golf course, lifting him to nine under par overall.

He is one stroke clear of MJ Viljoen, James Hart du Preez and amateur Christiaan Maas. The 18-year-old Maas surged through the field with a 66 that puts South Africa’s number one amateur in a perfect position for the next three rounds of this five-round tournament.

Although he described his progress as slower on Wednesday, Prinsloo is happy that his golf was still good enough to keep him at the top of the leaderboard.

“I’m a bit surprised actually because I thought I’d get caught at the top. It was a bit harder out there today. It was cold and there was a bit of wind. I was hitting the ball solid from tee to green, but I wasn’t hitting my approaches as close as I did in the first round. So that left me with a bit more work to do with the putter, but fortunately I managed to hang in there.

“I didn’t have too many scoring opportunities. It was just slow par golf really.”

But Prinsloo’s opening 64 gave him the room to absorb a slower second round.

“I suppose that’s the luxury of having a good first day. You can still just shoot under par the next day, and someone else has to play well to catch you. In a way it’s nice to not play my best and still be at the top of the leaderboard.”

This week’s tournament is unique in that Thursday will be a day off for the professionals.

The halfway cut has been made to the top 50 and ties, and now the pro-am element of the tournament will be incorporated following an auction of the professionals and their amateur partners on Thursday.

Then on Friday they take to Serengeti’s famed Whistling Thorn Par 3 course for the professionals’ third round as well as the first round of the pro-am. They will return to Serengeti’s main Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Championship course for Saturday’s fourth round, which will include the second round of the pro-am. And they will remain here for Sunday’s fifth round, which is also the final round of the pro-am.

“It is quite a unique format. We have a day off and then we’re playing a par three course. I suppose if you were really playing well today you wouldn’t want the break on Thursday. But I’m looking forward to it actually. It’s been four weeks in a row now for me so I need a breather. I’m in good form at the moment and we’ll see if we can continue that on Friday,” said Prinsloo. – Michael Vlismas

Photo Credit: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Prinsloo powers to the top at Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational

23rd March 2021

Prinsloo powers to the top at Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational

Jaco Prinsloo is hunting his second victory in three tournaments after opening with an eight-under-par 64 to lead the first round of the Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational at Serengeti Estates on Tuesday.

Prinsloo, the winner of The Players Championship hosted at Dainfern Golf Estate earlier this month, surged into the lead with a round that saw him birdie two of his first three holes, make an eagle and two birdies over the turn, and close with three straight birdies. His card included one more birdie and two bogeys on Serengeti’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Designed Championship golf course.

He leads by one shot over James Hart du Preez while Jean-Paul Strydom, the winner of the 2019 Tour Championship at Serengeti, Anthony Michael and Daniel Greene finished the first round on six under par.

Prinsloo certainly got the most out of his first round, and is definitely getting the most out of his season on the Sunshine Tour with a run of good form that he says is down to his new approach of playing like he did when he was a kid.

“I had tried to change my swing and while it looked better visually, it didn’t feel right. I couldn’t play with it. So before the Tour resumed this month I went back to my old game. I literally went back to how I used to play as a kid – just aim and hit. And it’s working,” he said.

Behind him, Du Preez also took full advantage of a golf course that played to his strengths on Tuesday.

“It’s a long course off the back, and I’m enjoying playing a course where I can make use of my length,” he said after his opening seven-under-par 65.

“The way the course is set up for this week certainly helps me. The rough is down and the greens are soft because of the rain, so I can afford to take some aggressive lines off the tee. I’ve been playing well the last few events but I’ve just had lapses in my decision making. It was good to have a mentally sharp round today.”

Jbe’ Kruger, last week’s winner of the Gauteng Championship presented by Betway, is back in the hunt again after opening with a 67 on his home course.

And South Africa’s number one amateur and GolfRSA National squad member Christiaan Maas started well with a 70 that puts him in the top 20 after day one. – Michael Vlismas

Photo Credit: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Top amateur Maas to test himself against Sunshine Tour pros

22nd March 2021

Top amateur Maas to test himself against Sunshine Tour pros

South Africa’s number one amateur, Christiaan Maas, will have the opportunity to test himself against the Sunshine Tour professionals in this week’s Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational at Serengeti Estates, which tees off on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old GolfRSA National Squad star and reigning South African Amateur champion will find himself in a field that includes a wealth of in-form professionals who are all contributing to a run of low scoring on the Sunshine Tour over the past three tournaments.

The last two halfway cuts have been at six under par and five under par. There have been two golfers, Neil Schietekat and Daniel van Tonder, who have shot nine-hole scores of 29. In fact, Schietekat posted a back nine of 29 for a 62 in the second round of last week’s Gauteng Championship presented by Betway, and still only led by one shot.

This week’s tournament includes two of the last three champions on the Tour in Jaco Prinsloo and Jbe’ Kruger. Schietekat, who narrowly lost out to Kruger in last week’s Gauteng Championship presented by Betway, is back to try again.

The experienced Hennie Otto is back at the venue where he won the South African Open in 2011, and in fine form as well having finished fourth in two of his last three tournaments. The equally experienced Jean Hugo comes into this week with finishes of fourth and ninth in his last two tournaments. And Tristen Strydom continues his push for a maiden Sunshine Tour victory, having not finished outside the top nine in his last three tournaments.

It will be the perfect highly competitive environment for Maas to test himself. Former Sunshine Tour professional Nico van Rensburg will be keeping a close eye on his progress as well. Van Rensburg has long believed Maas is the next big star of South African golf.

“Christiaan is the first golfer I’ve seen that’s in Ernie Els’s calibre with his short game and his ability to be really creative in this department. He’s now close to six feet tall and his swing is so easy. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and is very strong mentally,” he says.

The format for this week’s five-round tournament will see the professionals compete on their own for the first and second rounds, followed by a cut to the top 50 and ties. Then they take to the Serengeti’s famed Whistling Thorn Par 3 course for their third round as well as the first round of the pro-am. They will return to Serengeti’s main Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Championship course for Saturday’s fourth round, which will include the second round of the pro-am. And they will remain here for Sunday’s fifth round, which is also the final round of the pro-am.

The tournament will be broadcast live on SuperSport for the final two rounds for a minimum of three hours daily, and HotFM will also be broadcasting live from the tournament on Friday. – Michael Vlismas

Photo Credit: Christiaan Maas/GolfRSA

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Kruger strikes gold in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

21st March 2021

Kruger strikes gold in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

Jbe’ Kruger claimed an emotional two-stroke victory in the Gauteng Championship presented by Betway at the Ebotse Links on Sunday.

Kruger closed with a 66 to win on 21 under par. Martin Rohwer took second place on 19 under following his own final round of 66. Neil Schietekat, who was chasing Kruger just one shot behind with the par-five 18th to play, made double bogey on the last to finish third on 18 under with a 70.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous as this in my life,” said a relieved Kruger. “Neil is a very strong competitor and he pushed me all the way.”

While his long game still isn’t quite at the level he’d like, Kruger kept himself in contention with his putting on Sunday.

Kruger and Schietekat battled for the lead for most of the final round. Then Schietekat bogeyed the 16th to give Kruger a one-shot advantage, and on 18 Schietekat hit his drive into an environmentally sensitive area that led to a double bogey that ended his challenge.

When Kruger tapped in for par at the last, he couldn’t control the tears as he recorded his first victory since 2019. It ended what has been a frustrating few years in which he made swing changes in the hope of improving but which had the opposite effect and caused more problems than it solved.

“It’s tough when you’re not playing great, but I’ve had some wonderful support from my family,” he said.

“I think in light of the whole Covid situation and me trying to fix my swing, this victory ranks in at least top two wins of my career. I’ve never had to win under this amount of pressure. With me playing badly, I didn’t have a great category on the Sunshine Tour so I only had a handful of tournaments I was exempt for to try and do something. So to win under those circumstances is really sweet.”

The Sunshine Tour heads to Serengeti Estates this week for the R1.5 million Serengti Pro-Am Invitational. –  Michael Vlismas

Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Schietekat retains lead in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

20th March 2021

Schietekat retains lead in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

Neil Schietekat birdied the last to maintain his one-stroke lead in the Gauteng Championship presented by Betway at the Ebotse Links on Saturday.

On a day when a good breeze made the Ebotse Links play more true to its name, Schietekat signed for a 69 to stay top of the leaderboard and go into the final round on 16 under par.

Moments earlier, Jbe’ Kruger had set the clubhouse target at 15 under par with a 67 that was a massive boost in confidence for a man who has spent the past few years trying to regain the form, and swing, that carried him to six titles and a one-time place within the top 110 on the world rankings.

For Schietekat, Saturday’s third round was a true test of confidence in the changes he’s made to his swing, especially when two soft bogeys crept in during the middle of the round.

“I was grinding a bit there in the middle of the round. You know, following up a 62 from the second round is tough, and the wind didn’t make it any easier. This course is designed for a bit of wind. But it still feels like I’m playing pretty good and everything is coming out the way I expected it. I’m proud that I was able to pull myself together and get a decent score in on a difficult day.”

Behind him, Kruger also took a lot of confidence from his 67. Kruger has been working hard to rediscover his form, which includes undoing some swing changes that have been detrimental to his game.

“I’m just taking it one shot at a time out there. I can’t even say I’m taking it one day at a time. It’s just one shot at a time in the process to get my swing back. Today I made a few putts which was rewarding. And I like a course where the wind blows and conditions are tough. It’s rewarding to see the results, even if they’re still very small at this stage in my process to get my natural swing back.”

MJ Viljoen heads into the final round in third place on 14 under par following a 67. The leaderboard is still very tightly bunched, with only four shots separating the top 10 players. –  Michael Vlismas

Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Schietekat shoots 62 to lead Gauteng Champs presented by Betway

19th March 2021

Schietekat shoots 62 to lead Gauteng Champs presented by Betway

Neil Schietekat added to the incredible run of low scoring on the Sunshine Tour at the moment as he signed for a 62, including a first nine of 29, to lead the Gauteng Championship presented by Betway by a single stroke heading into the weekend at the Ebotse Links.

Schietekat carded only the second 29 on the Sunshine Tour this year, following Daniel van Tonder’s 29 in the third round of The Players Championship at Dainfern last week, and finished Friday’s second round top of the leaderboard on 13 under par.

“Everybody is shooting really low scores at the moment and I knew I’d have to go low to be at the top of the leadeboard,” said Schietekat.

CJ du Plessis and Tristen Strydom are currently second on 12 under following respective rounds of 64 and 68, while Martin Rohwer is next best on 11 under after signing for a 66. Jean Hugo is well-placed at three shots off the lead going into the weekend.

But Friday was clearly Schietekat’s turn to add to the surfeit of low scores on the Tour since the resumption of its schedule this month.

“The course was set up for it today. The greens and fairways are soft, and the tees were forward. As is always the case with Ebotse, if there is a bit of a breeze it makes it tougher. But that said, there are some low numbers out there at the moment,” he said.

Teeing off the 10th, Schietekat parred the first and then let loose, making seven birdies in his next eight holes. After the turn, he birdied the first, third and eighth holes to top the leaderboard.

Schietekat has been on an upward curve, finishing 27th and 10th in his last two tournaments. He’s won three times on the Sunshine Tour, two of which came in 2018. And last year he had two runner-up finishes. He also has the confidence of having earned his playing privileges on the Asian Tour, and was looking forward to competing there before that Tour was suspended because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Getting my card in Asia has given me a lot of confidence. I played one event there and then Covid hit. But I took the break as an opportunity to make some changes to my swing, and it’s paying off.” –  Michael Vlismas

Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

SHARE ON: [addtoany buttons='facebook,twitter,email']
PRINT
Tristen tops on day one in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

18th March 2021

Tristen tops on day one in Gauteng Championship presented by Betway

Tristen Strydom’s consistent rise in form carried him to the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Gauteng Championship presented by Betway at the Ebotse Links on Thursday.

Strydom opened with a bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to lead the field by a single stroke in this Sunshine Tour event. He turned at three under, and then made four consecutive birdies from the 10th and finished with a birdie on 18 to take the lead.

Kyle Barker is his nearest challenger after a first round of 65.

Jaco Prinsloo, last week’s winner of the Players Championship at Dainfern, was tied for the lead with Strydom playing the par-five 18th, but double-bogeyed the hole to finish the day on six under with a 66. It was a disappointing end to a round that saw him climb the leaderboard with six consecutive birdies over the turn as he continued the form that earned him his second Sunshine Tour title last week.

But Strydom has long been hungry to translate his prodigious amateur success into professional success on the Sunshine Tour since he turned professional in 2017, and feels he edging ever closer to that goal.

“It was a great way to start. I haven’t been starting tournaments too well of late, and it’s good to get those first round woes oout of the way. We’ve been playing tournaments for three weeks now and the first couple of events there was still a bit of rust. But today I was really comfortable. I really putted well and holed some nice putts. No bogeys also helps.”

Since the Tour’s return following lockdown in August last year, Strydom has been making a strong push for a maiden Sunshine Tour title and came close in last September’s Titleist Championship on the Rise-Up Series before finishing second to George Coetzee. This year he’s been on an upward curve, finishing tied ninth in the Kit Kat Group Pro-Am and then tied sixth in the Players Championship.

But Strydom is not about to get ahead of himself after the first round.

“I’m just trying to control what I can. That’s my mindset. I’m not too worried about results but more concerned with sticking to what I believe in and enjoy. I refreshed my body and mind in December and it’s been good to play without any doubts in my mind. It’s only the first day so I won’t make too much of it yet.”

The 55-year-old James Kingston is also continuing his resurgence. After challenging for the lead in last week’s Players Championship before falling back on the weekend to eventually finish tied 27th, the former European Tour campaigner started strong again at Ebotse. Kingston opened with a bogey-free six-under-par 66 that places him tied third with Prinsloo and Paul Boshoff.

Michael Hollick scored the first hole-in-one of the week during an adventurous opening round. Hollick’s three-over-par 75 included three birdies, two bogeys, three double bogeys, and his ace. – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour