East London and Pretoria CC – has the most wins of any South African, two more than Ernie Els (two at Durban CC, one each at Leopard Creek, Houghton, Humewood and Wanderers). “I was miles left of the fairway with my first three drives, then holed out brilliantly,” said the 27-year-old from Leeds in Yorkshire. “However, I ended up shooting a 7-under 65, which I guess is disappointing. My putter went cold on the back nine. I didn’t make another birdie.” Knox has been playing mini-tours in SA since 2022 with the aim of earning a Sunshine Tour card through the annual Q School in April. “It’s a great country for such an opportunity,” he said. “Playing in Gauteng is affordable compared to the UK and Europe where costs are unsustainable. There are numerous events within a short drive of each other, wonderful courses and terrific weather.” It was at another Pretoria course, Woodhill, where the Sunshine Tour record of nine straight birdies was set by Alan McLean in the third round of the 2005 Telkom PGA Championship. His run began at No 7 and ended at No 15. He went on to shoot 62. 54-hole Waterkloof event on December 5 by chipping in for birdie on the par-4 opener. He changed his ball because it was scuffed and reeled off another nine birdies with nine one-putt greens.
THRISTON LAWRENCE SPENT TIME in the commentary booth during the third round of the Investec SA Open, and predicted another South African champion the following day, saying SA players had a big home advantage in co- sanctioned DP World Tour events. Lawrence was right. The odds are 2-to-1 in favour. In 93 co-sanctioned tournaments held in South Africa, 28 locals have won 62, and foreign wins are 31. This does not include the three Volvo Golf Champions tournaments we hosted from 2012 to 2014 (each won by a South African), or the Mauritius Open (three SA winners in 8 tournaments). Our players are most reluctant HOME ADVANTAGE Has given SA 62 titles Ryan van Velzen claimed his first in the Limpopo Championship at Euphoria, and contended for the SA Open at Blair Atholl where he earned R2.1-million for a share of second place. Other first-time winners were Stefan Wears-Taylor (25-under at Centurion in the Mediclinic Invitational with 27 birdies and an eagle), Malcom Mitchell (SunBet Challenge at Wingate Park), Luca Filippi (Blue Label Challenge at Sun City) and Gerhard Pepler (Gary & Vivienne Challenge at White River). Pepler, from Mogol GC in Limpopo, was leading with most eagles (15) this season. circle for the first time in his 193rd tournament after a red-hot finish at the Wild Coast Sun in the SunBet Challenge. He holed a 30-metre putt for eagle three at 16 and birdied 18 for a final round 64 to edge Jean Hugo by one. “This win was written in the stars. My coach for the last 20-odd years, Raymond Earle, passed away last week. This morning, having coffee in the dark, I saw a shooting star and thought today might be special. Sometimes it's meant to be," Du Plessis said.
10 STRAIGHT BIRDIES At Waterkloof
to concede the SA Open trophy to foreigners, winning 19 of 27 played as part of the European or DP World Tour. Interestingly, four of the eight foreign SA Open triumphs were at Glendower. Seven foreign wins have come at Houghton (old and new courses) in the Alfred Dunhill PGA and Joburg Open, and six at Leopard Creek in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Curiously, only three foreign players have won more than once, two Spaniards, Pablo Larrazabal at Leopard Creek and Pecanwood, and Pablo Martin, back-to-back at Leopard Creek in 2009-10, and Englishman Andy Sullivan, winner of the SA Open and Joburg Open in the space of seven weeks in January-February 2015. The 28 foreign winners are from Europe, except for five: Vijay Singh (Fiji), Adam Scott (Australia), David Lipsky (US), Ariel Canete (Argentina) and Shubhankar Sharma (India). Charl Schwartzel, with eight home victories – four at Leopard Creek, two at Royal Johannesburg, one each at LITTLE KNOWN ENGLISH PRO JOE Knox made headlines at Waterkloof GC in Pretoria when he became the first person in South Africa to have 10 con- secutive birdies in a tournament round, beginning at the first hole. There’s only been one other recorded instance of this happening anywhere. Knox, playing the Bushveld Tour in Gauteng, began his second round of the
SA home champions 8 Charl Schwartzel 6 Ernie Els
4 Louis Oosthuizen, Richard Sterne* 3 Nick Price, Branden Grace, George Coetzee, Dean Burmester 2 Mark McNulty, Trevor Immelman, Tim Clark, Dawie van der Walt, Brandon Stone, Darren Fichardt, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Thriston Lawrence 1 Wayne Westner, Tony Johnstone, David Frost, Retief Goosen, James Kingston, Hennie Otto, Garth Mulroy, Thomas Aiken, Trevor Fisher, Haydn Porteous, Shaun Norris, Ockie Strydom *Sterne won Joburg Open, Alfred Dunhill and SA Open in 2008.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 97
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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