KATHU, Northern Cape (22 September 2024) – Yurav Premlall was never certain he would win on the Sunshine Tour, but said he was “over the moon” following his maiden triumph at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Sishen event on Sunday.
Premlall has been in tremendous form this season, finishing second twice, racking up two third-place finishes and three other top-15 placings, but the Glendower golfer said he did not feel like a breakthrough win was definitely just around the corner.
When Premlall stood on the first tee in the final round on Sunday, he was four strokes behind leader Deon Germishuys. And that rapidly became five behind as he bogeyed the par-four first hole.
But then his precision golf kicked in and Premlall did not drop another shot, while collecting birdies on the second, fifth, eighth, ninth, 11th, 14th and 15th holes. His six-under-par 66 saw him finish on 11-under-par, good enough for a one-stroke victory over Martin Vorster (70 for 10-under-par).
“I’m over the moon,” Premlall said afterwards. “The win felt like a long time coming, but you can never be certain that you are going to win in this game. So to get over the line for the first time is very special. It’s taken lots of hard work to get this far. My frame of mind today was no different to how it’s been before this season. But sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t.
“The start wasn’t ideal, but I just stayed very patient. I hit a couple of shots close to the hole, I holed a few good putts but I missed a few as well; I guess 26 putts and the result speak differently though. But my iron play was phenomenal, every time I was in-position, even when I had to get up-and-down, the ball was in the right spots. I was very tidy around the green,” Premlall said.
Premlall has now overtaken Danie van Tonder at the top of the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, and he says staying at the top of the local circuit will be his main focus for the rest of the year.
“At the start of the year I set myself the goal of really contending in the order of merit and trying to get into the top three by the end of the lucrative Tour Championship. I don’t want to have too many eggs in different baskets and you’ll see me a lot more on our tour for the remainder of the year, that’s my focus,” Premlall said.
Vorster started well, with birdies at the second and third holes putting him in the lead. But one could sense bogeys at the par-four seventh and especially the par-five 11th holes would prove costly. Even though Vorster birdied the 14th and 15th holes, so did Premlall and two bogeys to the winner’s one would prove the difference.
Rookie Simon du Plooy enjoyed his best ever Sunshine Tour performance as he shot a 68 to finish third on nine-under-par. The Krugersdorp golfer put himself right in contention with an eagle on the par-five 15th, but he then double-bogeyed the par-four 16th to slip back. He was joined in third place by Lyle Rowe, whose 68 was bogey-free.
Germishuys struggled to a 73 on Sunday that left him on eight-under-par, alongside Matthew Spacey and Heinrich Bruiners, who both posted 69s. Malcolm Mitchell stayed on seven-under-par to finish eighth, while rookie Kyle de Beer shot a 71 to finish tied for ninth on six-under-par with the seasoned trio of Van Tonder (67), MJ Viljoen (68) and Neil Schietekat (71).
Right wing Angelo Davids (left) celebrates his try on debut for the Lions as they hammered the Sharks in their Currie Cup opener. Photo: Christiaan Kotze (Gallo Images)
The Gauteng Lions played like the team that has had more exposure to the higher level of the United Rugby Championship as they swept aside a young, inexperienced Natal Sharks XV 46-5 in their Currie Cup opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Lions were captained by stalwart hooker Jaco Visagie, a man with plenty of SuperRugby and URC experience, while players like Morgan Naude, Darrien Landsberg, Jarod Cairns, Nico Steyn, Rynhardt Jonker and Gianni Lombard are also regular participants in the European franchise tournament.
The Sharks, in contrast, had captain Nick Hatton and scrumhalf Bradley Davids from last year’s Currie Cup, and centre Litelihle Bester is highly-rated as a former SA U20 star and has even played in the Challenge Cup. But the rest of the squad they brought to Johannesburg was really made up of young talents they are looking to develop further.
The youngsters started well, won the early kicking game and dominated the first seven minutes in terms of territory. But they just could not crack open a committed, physical Lions defence.
And then a poor kick by flyhalf Jean Smith, with father Franco watching from the stands, went over the dead ball line and gave the Lions their first entry into Sharks territory with a scrum. The opening try came after 10 minutes, with three more coming in the first half, the Lions going into the break 24-0 to the good.
The home side scored three more tries in the second half and coach Mziwakhe Nkosi said he was satisfied by the level of performance, whatever the large difference on the scoreboard.
“We were quite apprehensive going into this game because we didn’t have a warm-up match, but it was a good start and we will certainly take it. It was good to get the cobwebs out and get the result we did.
“We came in blind and in the first half, the ball-in-play time was so low, so there wasn’t really any flow due to all the stoppages. With guys like Angelo Davids and Rabs Maxwane on the edges, it’s best to get the ball to them sooner rather than later, and it was good to see us get on to it in terms of how we want to play.
“We were probably the more settled side, but not that much more experienced. These okes have not had much game time in the URC,” Nkosi said.
Visagie was the first to use the space out wide to good effect, finding left wing Maxwane, who then sent flank Cairns charging down the touchline to score the opening try.
Right wing Davids then sliced through a number of defenders after some scrappy play off a lineout, scrumhalf Steyn then sending a crosskick heavenwards and Maxwane leaping high to claim the ball and go over for his first try, in the 22nd minute.
Real calamity struck the Sharks in the 34th minute, however, when wing Phiko Sobahle was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on that prevented a certain try by Davids after a blindside move by fullback Lombard. The penalty try took the Lions 17-0 clear, and they added two more tries either side of halftime as Smith was also yellow-carded for the same offence.
Maxwane was put in space again for his second try in the 39th minute and he fed Davids for a try on Lions debut in the 51st minute. Davids had provided the initial impetus for the superb move with his counter off a Sharks kick, while impressive centre Jonker did great work down the right touchline and then cutting infield.
With flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela kicking a penalty and the conversion, the Lions were 34-0 up with half-an-hour to play.
But the Sharks were the next to score, a breakdown in the chain of communication at the back allowing Sobahle to dot down a kick through by Bester, with Lombard getting in the way of replacement flyhalf Kade Wolhuter.
Davids was running free again in the 71st minute and set up Jonker for a try, while replacement prop SJ Kotze burst through off a lineout and sent replacement scrumhalf Layton Horn over for the final try.
Sharks XV coach JP Pietersen acknowledged that he is still trying to bring this new young group together as they look to defend the Currie Cup title they won in thrilling fashion at Ellis Park last year.
“It was our first game together as a group and the average age of the team is 23. So it was a challenge for these young men. They did alright and we showed some fight, especially in defending the Lions’ mauls. But we stayed in the pressure cycle and a team like the Lions will always capitalise.
“We’ll have better cohesion next week and we’re going to be working hard together from Monday. The Sharks angle in the Currie Cup is to develop youngsters for the URC, that’s the trend in the competition.
“The defence wasn’t there today, but that does not mean it is an issue. Defence is about cohesion and trust. This Lions group have been together for three+ years and they have that synergy and understand their game better,” Pietersen said.The Gauteng Lions played like the team that has had more exposure to the higher level of the United Rugby Championship as they swept aside a young, inexperienced Natal Sharks XV 46-5 in their Currie Cup opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Lions were captained by stalwart hooker Jaco Visagie, a man with plenty of SuperRugby and URC experience, while players like Morgan Naude, Darrien Landsberg, Jarod Cairns, Nico Steyn, Rynhardt Jonker and Gianni Lombard are also regular participants in the European franchise tournament.
The Sharks, in contrast, had captain Nick Hatton and scrumhalf Bradley Davids from last year’s Currie Cup, and centre Litelihle Bester is highly-rated as a former SA U20 star and has even played in the Challenge Cup. But the rest of the squad they brought to Johannesburg was really made up of young talents they are looking to develop further.
The youngsters started well, won the early kicking game and dominated the first seven minutes in terms of territory. But they just could not crack open a committed, physical Lions defence.
And then a poor kick by flyhalf Jean Smith, with father Franco watching from the stands, went over the dead ball line and gave the Lions their first entry into Sharks territory with a scrum. The opening try came after 10 minutes, with three more coming in the first half, the Lions going into the break 24-0 to the good.
The home side scored three more tries in the second half and coach Mziwakhe Nkosi said he was satisfied by the level of performance, whatever the large difference on the scoreboard.
“We were quite apprehensive going into this game because we didn’t have a warm-up match, but it was a good start and we will certainly take it. It was good to get the cobwebs out and get the result we did.
“We came in blind and in the first half, the ball-in-play time was so low, so there wasn’t really any flow due to all the stoppages. With guys like Angelo Davids and Rabs Maxwane on the edges, it’s best to get the ball to them sooner rather than later, and it was good to see us get on to it in terms of how we want to play.
“We were probably the more settled side, but not that much more experienced. These okes have not had much game time in the URC,” Nkosi said.
Visagie was the first to use the space out wide to good effect, finding left wing Maxwane, who then sent flank Cairns charging down the touchline to score the opening try.
Right wing Davids then sliced through a number of defenders after some scrappy play off a lineout, scrumhalf Steyn then sending a crosskick heavenwards and Maxwane leaping high to claim the ball and go over for his first try, in the 22nd minute.
Real calamity struck the Sharks in the 34th minute, however, when wing Phiko Sobahle was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on that prevented a certain try by Davids after a blindside move by fullback Lombard. The penalty try took the Lions 17-0 clear, and they added two more tries either side of halftime as Smith was also yellow-carded for the same offence.
Maxwane was put in space again for his second try in the 39th minute and he fed Davids for a try on Lions debut in the 51st minute. Davids had provided the initial impetus for the superb move with his counter off a Sharks kick, while impressive centre Jonker did great work down the right touchline and then cutting infield.
With flyhalf Lubabalo Dobela kicking a penalty and the conversion, the Lions were 34-0 up with half-an-hour to play.
But the Sharks were the next to score, a breakdown in the chain of communication at the back allowing Sobahle to dot down a kick through by Bester, with Lombard getting in the way of replacement flyhalf Kade Wolhuter.
Davids was running free again in the 71st minute and set up Jonker for a try, while replacement prop SJ Kotze burst through off a lineout and sent replacement scrumhalf Layton Horn over for the final try.
Sharks XV coach JP Pietersen acknowledged that he is still trying to bring this new young group together as they look to defend the Currie Cup title they won in thrilling fashion at Ellis Park last year.
“It was our first game together as a group and the average age of the team is 23. So it was a challenge for these young men. They did alright and we showed some fight, especially in defending the Lions’ mauls. But we stayed in the pressure cycle and a team like the Lions will always capitalise.
“We’ll have better cohesion next week and we’re going to be working hard together from Monday. The Sharks angle in the Currie Cup is to develop youngsters for the URC, that’s the trend in the competition.
“The defence wasn’t there today, but that does not mean it is an issue. Defence is about cohesion and trust. This Lions group have been together for three+ years and they have that synergy and understand their game better,” Pietersen said.
KATHU, Northern Cape (21 September 2024) – Deon Germishuys had the luxury of returning to the Sunshine Tour at a venue where he has previously won – the Sishen Golf Club – and on Saturday he fired a brilliant five-under-par 67 to go to nine-under-par overall and in the lead heading into the final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Northern Cape event.
Germishuys is a regular campaigner on the DP World Tour these days, and his last appearance on the Sunshine Tour was back in May at the Waterfall City Tour Championship. But Sishen Golf Club has happy memories for the 24-year-old as he claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title there in the Sishen Classic back in May 2022.
The Serengeti Estates golfer started his round on the 10th hole and reached the turn in one-under thanks to a birdie on the par-four 18th, having earlier cancelled out birdies on the 10th and 14th holes with bogeys on the 12th and 15th.
But Germishuys really caught fire in the closing stages of the front nine. Following a birdie on the par-five second, he finished with four birdies in the last five holes. A bogey on the par-three eighth limited his lead to just one stroke however.
“It’s nice to be back playing here at Sishen again, I really enjoy the golf course and it just fell into my schedule perfectly,” Germishuys said. “I felt everything clicked towards the end of the front nine, I was hitting decent irons and rolling in putts. But it’s not as if I was playing awful golf on the back nine.
“I feel like my game is at a good stage at the moment, I’ve made a lot of improvements and I’ve done decently in Europe. I have nothing to really complain about and I’ll just stick to what I’ve been doing in the final round,” Germishuys said.
Martin Vorster, continuing his comeback from injury, also played wonderful golf on Saturday. Three birdies in the first six holes of the back nine left him on four-under for his round and one stroke off the lead. But he just could not gain that pivotal extra shot in the closing three holes and will go into the final round in second place, one behind Germishuys on eight-under-par.
Malcolm Mitchell posted a one-under 71 on Saturday to sit third on seven-under-par, while nine golfers are in the tie for fourth on five-under-par.
First-round leader Jacob Oakley went the other way in the second round, shooting a 75 to finish on four-under-par.
Gabrielle Venter fired a fantastic 69 on Saturday to make the cut and she is the leading women’s golfer, on one-over-par.
Kathu (Northern Cape) – Englishman Jacob Oakley enjoyed a welcome respite from the tough maiden Sunshine Tour campaign he is enduring as he fired a wonderful seven-under-par 65 on Friday to lead after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Sishen event.
The 26-year-old from Cheshire has missed the cut in six of the seven Sunshine Tour events he has played in this season, but he did finish tied-53rd in the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino tournament at the end of last month.
Oakley started on the 10th hole at Sishen Golf Club with three straight pars, but then caught fire with a birdie on the par-three 13th and an eagle on the par-five 15th to go out in three-under. The product of Styal Golf Club, where he was mentored by four-time DP World Tour winner David Horsey, was superb on the front nine, picking up further birdies on the second, fourth, fifth and eighth holes to claim a one-stroke lead over Malcolm Mitchell after the first day out in the Kalahari.
Mitchell continued his good recent form as he shot a 66 which included just one bogey, on the par-four 12th. The 29-year-old, coming off top-10 finishes in his last two Sunshine Tour events, was faultless on a front nine in which he claimed three birdies. Remarkably, he made fours at all four of the par-fives on the highly-rated 6554m course.
“I drove the ball well today and I was able to take advantage of the par-fives, hitting all of them in two. And I also didn’t make any basic errors, like three-putting,” Mitchell said when asked how his success came about.
“The wind was all over the show, it had a mind of its own, so it was quite difficult out there. Luckily I’m a Durban boy though and I was able to figure it out. It’s just great that the hard work is starting to show and I’m just focusing on myself more than anything else. The mind controls everything, so I’m just trying to keep positive and stay in the present,” Mitchell said.
Kyle de Beer, who has already won nearly R600 000 in his rookie season, is tied for third on five-under-par with Simon du Plooy and Albert Venter.
Pietermaritzburg’s Neil Schietekat is among the group tied for sixth place on four-under-par.
Martin Vorster also finished with a 68, having been six-under-par with four holes left to play. But the closing holes of the front nine proved to be a bit of a mountain to climb for the 22-year-old making his way back from injury and he dropped two shots coming home.
Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O mortal man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
“Just knowing the scriptures does not make someone a Christian. Many experts on the theory of Christianity are not Christians. In the same way, good deeds do not make one a Christian.
“The core of our Christian faith is our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our redeemer and saviour, and our faith in him. We need to open up our lives to him so that his Holy Spirit can work in and through us to his honour and glory.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm
Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father.”
So we must do God’s will. Which means steadfastly obeying his commands, following and loving Christ and serving our neighbour with love.
We must see to it that justice prevails by showing love and faith and living righteously before God.
All this is possible in the strength of the Holy Spirit.