Brandon ready to tick another box
JOHANNESBURG: Brandon Stone likes to tick the boxes in his career as a young professional golfer. So Cape Town Open, November 2015, box ticked. South African Open, January 2016, ditto. Alfred Dunhill Championship, December last year, another tick.
“The SA Open and the Dunhill are particularly special as they’re European Tour events and to have won them both last year means a lot to me.
“And this week’s Joburg Open is also a European Tour event and one of South Africa’s biggest tournament so, yes, I’d also very much like to cross it off the list of tournaments I’ve won,” said Stone yesterday ahead of this year’s R16.5-million showpiece beginning at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington tomorrow.
“I’ve had an encouraging start to this year, playing a couple of events on the PGA Tour in America on tough golf courses just for the experience and then getting a top 10 (he tied for seventh) in the Dubai Desert Classic. I feel I learnt a lot on those overseas trips and my game has moved up another level.
“I’m looking forward to playing this week at Royal because it’s a place I know well from my amateur days, and I’ve also played three Joburg Opens there, once while still an amateur which I really enjoyed.
“I’d have loved to also be around for next week’s Tshwane Open (at Pretoria Country Club, which is also a European Tour event) because that’s one golf course I also feel good about.
“But I qualify for next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship (with its enormous $9.75-million prize fund) and I can’t miss that. It’s a chance for me to go up against the world’s best golfers – Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlory and Jordan Spieth will all be there. I’ve never been to Mexico before and the course we’ll be playing in Mexico City (Chapultepec Golf Club) is 500 metres higher above sea level than here in Joburg, and we consider this to be at high altitude, so it’ll be interesting to see just how far the ball will fly. My dad will be travelling with me and he’s a great guy to have around.”
Last year’s Joburg Open was won by Stone’s fellow countryman Haydn Porteous, a year or so his junior and a great rival throughout their amateur days, and as rookie professionals on the Challenge Tour.
“Yeah, it was great for Haydn last year and hopefully he and I can put on another good show this week,” said Stone yesterday.
Porteous didn’t have the best of seasons in 2016 following his Joburg Open success but he’s a huge talent and, like Stone, could well be a factor this week.
Twelve months ago Porteous, 21 at the time, became the third youngest South African winner in European Tour history after Charl Schwartzel (at the 2005 Alfred Dunhill Championship) and Anton Haig (2007 Johnnie Walker Classic).
“Words can’t describe how I feel right now, it’s surreal to be honest,” Porteous said following his victory last year. “I’ve been battling with my golf for the last few months and hats off to (fitness coach) Garth Milne for all the strategy and game plan, and gym. It’s a dream come true.”
In 2007, the inaugural edition of the Joburg Open saw Argentina’s Ariel Canete capture his maiden European Tour title in impressive fashion, closing with three birdies in the final four holes.
Since then the tournament has proved to be prosperous for local golfers. Only two players from outside of South Africa have won the Joburg Open in the past 10 years – Denmark’s Anders Hansen in 2009 and Englishman Andy Sullivan in 2015.
Richard Sterne and Charl Schwartzel have picked up two victories apiece, with Sterne bidding to become the first player to win the title three times when he returns to the field this week.
Branden Grace, George Coetzee and Porteous round off the roll-call of South African winners of the event.
The Joburg Open has the largest field of the season, with 210 players gathering at the club this week, with play scheduled to take place on both the East and West Courses.
The 2016 Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke is joined in the field by fellow major champions Trevor Immelman and YE Yang.
Graeme Storm will be aiming to continue his remarkable story on his return to South African soil.
The Englishman beat McIlroy in a playoff to win the South African Open in January, just 84 days after he thought he had lost his European Tour card.