Ken Borland

PORT EDWARD (KwaZulu-Natal) – Neelesh Sitlu very nearly retired injured after the first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Wild Coast Pro-Am, but the 16-handicapper from Mount Edgecombe Estate bravely soldiered on in the second round on Thursday and ended up winning the competition alongside professional Pierre Pellegrin.

Sitlu and Pellegrin, along with Pride Sembo who was the professional partner in the first round, notched 87 points, two points more than the team of Albert Venter, James Pennington and amateur Marvela Sithole.

Sitlu only started playing golf two years ago and was appearing in his first pro-am, and his victory was even more remarkable considering his injury.

“On the first day I was trying to out-drive the pros from our forward tees, but I ended up pulling or tearing something in my right arm. I barely slept, I was buying ice for my arm, using towels soaked in hot water and I even called my Dad, who is a GP, and my cousin, who is a physio, for advice.

“This morning I could barely move my arm, but then one of the pros said I shouldn’t be using my right arm much anyway, I should be pulling with my left arm. So I focused on that and I had my best round ever, my lowest score,” Sitlu revealed.

The business analyst and software developer in the health services sector had nothing but praise for professional partners Sembo and Pellegrin, and they in turn said Sitlu was the perfect gentleman.

“Playing in my first pro-am, I was quite nervous because I didn’t really know how you are meant to play with a professional. But they were so calm and welcoming, it was like playing with a friend, just a 100 times better golfer! They are so disciplined and they were both exactly what you’d imagine a pro to be,” Sitlu said.

“He was very fun to play with, a very good partner,” Pellegrin said of Sitlu. “It was a good day in an amazing place, we combined perfectly together and to win was just a bonus. Our job as pros is to make the amateurs happy, and I really enjoy playing in pro-ams because you meet new people from around the country and make connections.

“I’m always grateful to play in a pro-am because it’s a way of thanking the sponsors, who make it possible for us to play golf,” Pellegrin said.

The Mauritian is playing his second full season on the Sunshine Tour and says the pivotal difference as he finds his feet on the prestigious tour that is continually churning out fresh generations of bright Southern African talent, is that he knows what to expect.

“I managed to retain my card after my first season and now I know what to expect, especially in terms of how I manage external things like travel and accommodation, I’m doing that much better now.

“I’m very happy with where my golf is at, I’m doing okay, although any golfer always feels they can do better. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I played well in the pro-am, but it will be a tougher set-up for the tournament proper.

“I’ve played a couple of times at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club and it is in great condition. But this course is my nemesis, I haven’t had my best results here. You’ve got to know how to score around here and I’m always up for the challenge. Plus I can take some confidence from winning the pro-am,” Pellegrin said.

Siya Kolisi said he can’t wait to tell his grandchildren that he played with Eben Etzebeth, while the giant lock himself said he would not have reached his landmark of becoming the most-capped Springbok rugby player ever if he had not been playing alongside his captain and other South African veterans who have won the last two World Cups.

Etzebeth won his 128^th Test cap on Saturday as the Springboks hammered Argentina 48-7 to claim the Rugby Championship title in Mbombela. He surpassed the previous record of 127 caps held by Victor Matfield, between 2001 and 2015.

“To Eben, you are an yster [iron man] and I’m so grateful to have been able to walk this journey with you and I’m so grateful for your support, from when Rassie first made me captain, you have had my back. He leads the team, he is so smart and I am so proud of you. I can’t wait to tell my grandkids that I played with Eben Ysterbeth. I love you, my brother,” Kolisi said in an emotional post-match interview on TV.

Etzebeth responded in the post-match press conference, saying: “Siya and I have come a long way and he spoke so nicely about me, he is an unbelievable person. As a small boy, you just want to play for the Springboks, and to now have the most caps feels unreal, it is unbelievable.

“To do it together with this team, we are best pals, makes it even more special. I could not have done it without the team, guys who I’ve been to three World Cups with. They’ve been with me from day one and I would not have reached this milestone if they weren’t there.

“It’s also not nice if you lose on a day like this. This was a final for us and the guys made it special for me. We will celebrate very nicely, you must win in this industry to be able to enjoy your beer,” Etzebeth said.

The 32-year-old Etzebeth will now have an eye on the all-time Test record of 171 caps set by fellow lock Alun-Wyn Jones of Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

“I’m staying put for now. I will push my body as far as it can go. The ultimate is playing rugby for this team, so I will keep on pushing, training hard and trying to perform for my club [the Sharks]. Hopefully the coaches will keep selecting me,” Etzebeth said.

Matfield praised Etzebeth for being an ambassador for South Africa as a whole.

“I was very fortunate to also become the most capped Springbok in Nelspruit, taking over from another legend in John Smit. And now another legend has overtaken me, I was there with him when he was 19 years old. What Eben does on the field is incredible, but he does even more off the field and is a great ambassador for South Africa,” Matfield said.

Kiera Floyd, a 19-year-old South African prodigy and Englishwoman Georgia Coughlin, who took to the sport late, are leading alongside Ellen Hutchinson-Kay, a Swede who came through the U.S. College system, after the first round of the Fidelity ADT Ladies Challenge at the Blue Valley Golf Estate on Wednesday.

The trio all started on the 10th tee and posted four-under-par 68s on a sweltering day in Centurion, giving them a one-stroke lead over six golfers on three-under on a congested leaderboard.

Floyd won the Benoni Country Club Ladies Championship aged nine, she finished third in the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Jabra Classic aged 14, and she won the South African Women’s Strokeplay Championship in 2022 before turning professional at the beginning of last year. She has already racked up three more top-10 finishes on tour.

On Wednesday Floyd birdied the 10th, 12th, 17th and 18th holes to go out in 33, and although the front nine proved more challenging, a birdie at the ninth saw her come home in one-under.

Coughlin only took up golf when she was 16 and living in Saudi Arabia, but by the time she was 23 she had a Ladies European Tour card.

The 28-year-old had a dramatic start with three birdies and a bogey in her first four holes, going out in 34 and then making further gains with birdies on the first and fourth holes. Coughlin closed bogey-birdie, as did Hutchinson-Kay and Floyd.

Hutchinson-Kay is a University of Mississippi graduate and she also turned pro last year. The 25-year-old finished just outside the top-10 in the previous Sunshine Ladies Tour event, the SuperSport Ladies Challenge.

On Wednesday, Hutchinson-Key did the bulk of her scoring in a fantastic run of four birdies in five holes from the 14th.

For Floyd, the back nine (her front) was also the time to capitalise.

“Today was a good day, I hit the ball really nicely and gave myself lots of opportunities, which you have to grab when you can. This course definitely suits us big-hitters, it’s always open and you can let go a bit. I was normally hitting seven-iron into the greens,” Floyd said.

“I didn’t give myself as much opportunity on the front nine, but I pulled through in the end, to finish with a tap-in birdie was really nice. I made two silly mistakes that cost me birdies, but that’s okay, you just have to move on. You need to keep level-headed and not get ahead of yourself.”

The Sunshine Ladies Tour golfers showed their talents in impressive fashion on Wednesday at the oblong Blue Valley Golf Estate, despite the heat, with 27 of the 61-strong field finishing under-par. The increased opportunities provided by the tour are clearly paying off, and are attracting strong international competition, and it is thanks to partners like Fidelity ADT.

Wahl Bartmann, the CEO of Fidelity Services Group, said “As Southern Africa’s largest integrated security solutions provider, we are committed to uplifting and supporting women’s professional sport. Our partnership with the Sunshine Ladies Tour allows us to show our support tangibly and help create more opportunities for women in sport.” 

Renier von Zeuner, the Group Sponsorship Manager, added “We have been involved with the SA Open, as well as the Senior Tour, for a number of years, so adding a Sunshine Ladies Tour event to our portfolio is a tremendous privilege. We are honoured to contribute to the work done by the Sunshine Ladies Tour team, and incredibly proud of our group’s commitment to women’s sport.”

Potential Springbok new cap Salmaan Moerat has spent a reassuring week training alongside starting locks Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager and has just let their experience and wisdom rub off on him ahead of the first Test against Wales at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Moerat was named on the bench on Tuesday alongside Elrigh Louw as the only uncapped players in the Springbok squad to tackle Wales in their first Test of 2022.

Franco Mostert, who can also play lock, is starting in the No.7 jersey, while Louw can also provide cover in the middle-row. But Moerat was one of the most consistent players in the Stormers’ triumphant URC campaign, and he will surely get a chance to replace either Etzebeth, who will be playing his 98^th Test, or De Jager, making his 57^th appearance.

“It’s a really comforting factor to have Eben and Lood there and they have been helping me throughout the week,” Moerat said at the Springbok hotel in Fourways on Tuesday.

“I’ve been taking their advice and just trying to let them rub off on me. It’s a real plus to be playing with guys like them and now I must just execute my job.

“And in this environment you know exactly what your job is and you are expected to execute it, nothing more. I just have to do my role, nothing flashy.

“It’s a dream come true and very emotional for me and my family. Hopefully the guys who are starting do well and we all have the opportunity to get on off the bench,” Moerat said.

Given that Moerat has been on the Springboks’ radar since he was chosen for the SA Schools side in 2015 and then captained them the following year, and that he was part of the national squad for the end-of-year tour in 2021, coach Jacques Nienaber was not going to leave him on the window sill for long.

The towering 24-year-old, who weighs 116kg, is one of the brightest talents in South African rugby and likes to get stuck in. Nienaber clearly likes what he sees.

“Since 2015 we’ve operated together and Salmaan has been a leader for both Western Province and the Junior Springboks. He’s a good human being, we should start there,” Nienaber said.

“He’s a hard-worker and he’s coachable. Salmaan brings nice physicality, and we like that. Those are the standout features,” Nienaber said.