Jovan Rebula.
Tristin Galant almost pulled off a shock victory in the 54-hole SunBet Challenge at Sun City last June, losing a playoff to Jacques Blaauw – his first win in eight years. However, Galant made one cut in the last eight months of the season, still managing to retain his card for 2025/26. George Coetzee returned to the tour last August in the VOG event at Highland Gate where he had an 82 in the final round. The season wasn’t going that well, a mixed bag of scores, but he made the cut at the SA Open and Joburg Open, then won the Serengeti Playoffs, and lost by one at Blair Atholl. In his last two events he shot eight consecutive rounds in the 60s.
Jovan Rebula, 2018 British Amateur champion and nephew of Ernie Els, enjoyed his best Sunshine Tour season to be 13th on the Order of Merit. He had fourth place finishes in the Mauritius Open and Cape Town Open which financially made his year. “Mauritius was an unbelievable event. It helped a lot mentally to know that I can do it and the game is there,” said the 27-year-old. “I took a local caddie who could hardly speak English, so there was a satisfaction of knowing I had done everything myself. A big confidence boost which gave me a better perspective moving into the new year.” Rebula played in three majors as an amateur, including the 2019 Masters at Augusta National, but is still chasing his first win as a tour pro.
George Coetzee.
Pieter Moolman.
Biggest moves up order of merit (Compared to 2023/24 positions) Daniel van Tonder 25 to 1 Shaun Norris 17 to 2 Dylan Naidoo 16 to 3 Yurav Premlall 52 to 6 Michael Hollick 54 to 7 Jacques Blaauw 32 to 8 Jean Hugo 21 to 9 Keenan Davidse 18 to 10 Pieter Moolman 19 to 11 Martin Vorster 83 to 12 Jovan Rebula 33 to 13 Luke Brown 78 to 16 M J Viljoen 64 to 18 Ricky Hendler 91 to 22 Christiaan Burke 74 to 27 Kyle de Beer 81 to 30 Herman Loubser 112 to 40 JJ Senekal 101 to 43 Rourke vd Spuy 95 to 52
Pieter Moolman had two contrasting experiences in October-November. In the 54-hole Vodacom Origins at Wild Coast Sun he led into the final round after 63-66 but slumped to a 74 to finish T-12. A month later, in the PGA Championship at St Francis Links, he just made the 36-hole cut on 144, which was 10 shots off the lead. Off at 7.45 the next morning he had a course record 62 to vault into a tie for fourth. A closing 67 saw him win by one from 36-hole leader Barend Botha.
110 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MAY 2025
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