NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE December 5-8, Gary Player CC
NEW SUNSHINE TOUR PLAYOFFS
The Sunshine Tour is adopting a new Playoffs series in the last two weeks of March to conclude the 2024/25 season. The top 72 players on the Order of Merit will qualify for the R2.5 million Serengeti Invitational from March 20-23. The top 50 will then compete in the R3 million Tour Championship from March 27-30. The leading three players on the Order of Merit receive DP World Tour cards for the 2025/26 season. The Order of Merit winner, in ad- dition to a R500 000 bonus, will earn an exemption to two 2025 majors, The Open and US PGA, plus the Nedbank Challenge. The 10-tournament second half of the season has prizemon- ey of R84 million and includes four consecutive European Challenge Tour events, starting with the SDC Open at Zebula and ending with the NTT Data Pro-Am at Fancourt, and two DP World Tour events, the SA Open and Joburg Open. THE 2025 SUNSHINE TOUR SCHEDULE Jan 16-19 Mediclinic Invitational (R2m), Heron Banks Jan 23-26 SDC Open ($375 000), Zebula Jan 30-Feb 2 MyGolfLife Open ($375 000, Pecanwood Feb 6-9 Cape Town Open ($375 000, Royal Cape Feb 13-16 NTT Data Pro-Am (R7m), Fancourt Feb 20-23 Hyundai Open (R2m), Royal Johannesburg (East) Feb 27-March 2 SA Open ($1.5m), Durban CC March 6-9 Joburg Open (R20.5m), Houghton March 20-23 Serengeti Invitational (R2.5m), Serengeti March 27-30 Tour Championship (R3m), Steyn City
CHINESE PRODIGY TEES UP
One of Asia’s rising young stars, 20-year-old Wenyi Ding, has accepted an invite to the NGC. After a glittering amateur career, Ding turned pro in October through the Global Amateur Pathway, which was launched in June by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, and The R&A to help the best eligible male ama- teur players within the top
20 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings take the next step in their careers and secure playing rights on the DP World Tour. Sun City is a popular des- tination for Chinese tour- ists, and Ding is expected to have a large following. The Beijing-born golfer was the first in Arizona State history to win both the Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year. He was the first Chinese golfer to win a US Golf Asso- ciation title when he claimed the 2022 US Junior Amateur. This year he won the Asia Pacific Amateur Champion- ship in Japan and turning pro so soon means he has forfeited invitations to both the 2025 Masters and Open Championship that were as a result of that triumph. “I was struggling with the decision (to turn pro). It’s hard to get a tour card as a young player, and the Global Pathway opportunity was probably my best chance,” said Ding. “I can’t sacrifice this tour card for the chance to play the Masters and Open.”
82 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024
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