Sun City set to erupt as golfing year hots up
Richard Sterne made us sit up and take notice after his first round at the British Masters last Thursday. His five-under 66 was enough to give him a share of the first round lead at The Grove, but eventually slipped out of contention with a final round 71.
Despite the disappointing conclusion, he had scored in the 60s for 10 consecutive rounds – his last 70-something coming at last month’s Italian Open.
A week earlier the 35-year-old came even closer, finishing joint runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. All this, bodes very well as we enter the European Tour stretch at home starting with the Nedbank Challenge from November 10.
Our boys dominated the 2015/16 co-sanctioned tournaments.
Leopard Creek specialist Charl Schwartzel started the trend at the Alfred Dunhill last November and Brandon Stone and Haydn Porteous made it three out of four with the SA and Joburg Open titles in January.
Schwartzel put the last twist in the koeksister triumphing at the Tshwane Open on Valentine’s Day.
And while all focus shifts to Sun City three weeks from now, Sterne – whose last win came at the Joburg Open in 2013 – is enjoying his welcome spurt of form.
“It always helps to come off a good finish. I’m playing solid golf and I’m hitting it pretty good off the tee which is keeping me out of trouble,” said Sterne after his moving day 67.
Prior to his St Andrews outing, Sterne was well outside the top-60 in the Race to Dubai rankings at 72nd. The 2008 Sunshine Tour’s Order of Merit winner has since moved up a whopping 40 spots.
Branden Grace (seventh) and Louis Oothuizen (eighth) are sitting comfortably within the top10 followed by Schwartzel, Stone and Jaco van Zyl.
Out to ruin South African hopes at the Gary Player Country Club are a host of recent winners including Tyrrell Hatton of England and Alex Noren of Sweden. Not that it’s been a local party in recent years … Trevor Immelman was the last South African to win way back in 2007.
Like Sterne, these rising stars have made major inroads in the Race to Dubai rankings with an eye on the top-10 at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and a share of the $5 million bonus pool. As the penultimate event of the final series, Sun City is set to be rewarding.
The 2004 champion Retief Goosen, special invitation in hand, also returns to the North West province as well as Andrew “Beef” Johnston who is sure to a hit among fans descending on the resort.
Also looking forward to Africa’s Major is 2008 champion Henrik Stenson. “I am second on the Race to Dubai at the moment and I know that if I can win the NGC then I will have a great chance to finish the season as No 1, which would be the perfect way to end what has obviously been a very special year for me,” said the British Open champion.
Seems like this golfing year is about to become a whole lot more special.