Ken Borland

PRETORIA – Thriston Lawrence cautioned overnight that his three-shot lead going into the final round of the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino event at Wingate Park Country Club would not be immune to threat, but the 2022 SA Open champion did not see any significant challenges on the last day as he cruised to a five-shot victory in the R2 million Sunshine Tour tournament on Friday.

And it’s not as if the rest of the field produced mediocre golf either: Lawrence was just once again pure class as he fired a five-under-par 67 to take him to 20-under for the 54 holes.

The exciting 26-year-old Dylan Naidoo matched that 67 to finish second on 15-under-par, with Yurav Premlall third on 13-under after a 71 on Friday. Ryan van Velzen, the 2023/24 winner of the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, produced the low round of the day, a 66 that took him into a share of fourth place on 12-under with Michael Hollick (69) and Neil Schietekat (71).

Jacques Blaauw, who was tied for second with Premlall after the second round, struggled off the tee on Friday and shot a 73 that left him on 11-under-par, tied for seventh with George Coetzee (70) and Werner Deyzel (70).

Lawrence settled any nerves right from the outset as he birdied the first two holes, and then went out in four-under 31 as he also birdied the fifth and ninth holes. The world number 76 then birdied the 11^th and 13^th holes to stretch his lead to a mighty seven shots, and he could afford a bogey on the par-three 14^th before cruising home with pars.

“It was definitely a dream start, but from the third to the eighth there was a wind change which made it tricky. But I just had to stay composed and hit my numbers. It was a good driving day, everything pretty much went where I wanted,” Lawrence said.

Even though Lawrence has a hunk of professional titles, he said his fourth Sunshine Tour win was still very special, coming in his first competitive round since injuring his back during his fourth-place finish in the Open Championship last month.

“It’s awesome, every victory is still insane to pull off. I haven’t won a normal Sunshine Tour event since 2019, and I haven’t had a win anywhere since last year, so this is nice. You never know when you’re going to win again, so I am very grateful. I will always support this tour because it gave me my start.

“It’s been a great week and to win just before I go back overseas is really nice for the confidence. No matter how much you lead by, it’s always a cool feeling on the 18^th green because you don’t want to mess up. I’m proud of my patience because the greens were tricky. My game feels great and my body feels amazing.

“But it’s back to the drawing board on Monday. I still have a job to do on the DP World Tour, I’m trying to get one of the 10 cards for the PGA Tour. Then I’ll be back for Africa’s Major [Nedbank Golf Challenge] and Leopard Creek [Alfred Dunhill Championship]. I’ve always wanted to win both of those, so hopefully I win one this year,” Lawrence, currently sixth on the Race to Dubai, said.

KHOLWANE (Eswatini) – Golf can be a cruel mistress and is even tougher when a course comprises two nines that are totally different in style, but Jason Roets has handled the challenges of the Nkonyeni Lodge and Golf Estate with aplomb as he goes into the final round of the FNB Eswatini Challenge with a one-stroke lead.

Roets fired a marvellous bogey-free six-under-par 66 in Friday’s second round to go to 11-under-par for the tournament. The Dainfern golfer dropped just one shot in the first round, sharing the lead with Combrinck Smit and Stephen Ferreira, so it is fair to say he has mastered the 18-hole combination of nine holes on the Bushveld Golf Course and nine on the Golden Eagle Links.

Roets started his round on Friday on the 10^th, the Bushveld nine, and went out in four-under, and then finished his round wonderfully with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes, both par-fours, as he took his score to six-under over the first two days on the front nine links.

“It was a very nice day, any time you go bogey-free you know you’ve played well,” Roets said. “I like both nines, it’s a really unique challenge to have a whole new set-up after halfway.

“On seven I hit a good drive, hit my second to 25 feet and made a really nice putt. On the short ninth, I took driver and was slightly left of the green, but I hit a great shot to about two feet,” Roets said.

The 31-year-old Roets is one stroke clear of former SA Open winner Danie van Tonder, who showed a return to something approaching his best form with a 66 on Friday, his lowest round this season. He had one bogey on each nine, but eagled the par-five eighth and collected six birdies.

Other contenders for the title on Saturday are Keenan Davidse (68) and Neil Schietekat (69) on seven-under, while Lyle Rowe fired a 67 to be five strokes back on six-under-par.

Smit could only shoot level-par 72 on Friday and is in the tie for sixth on five-under, while Ferreira had three bogeys on the front nine and a seven on the par-five 15^th in a 74 that leaves him eight shots behind.

Roets has been on the Sunshine Tour since 2020/21 and is without a victory after 68 tournaments. Other than contending strongly on the Blue Label Development Tour, the former University of North Texas golfer also has three top-10 finishes on the Sunshine Tour proper. But this season has been his best, as he currently sits 32^nd on the Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

“I’ve played really nicely this year, just a couple of rounds have let me down. So it’s nice to capitalise on good golf. Obviously I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about my first win, but I’m just going to try hard to stay in the moment in the final round, take it shot-for-shot with 100% commitment,” Roets said.

The South African men’s hockey team has had to overcome miscellaneous challenges ranging from the shock departure of their coach to having to pay thousands of rands to compete and having to stay in a boarding house in Potchefstroom, so their victory in the FIH Nations Cup at the weekend was a remarkable, most praiseworthy effort.

More important than winning the trophy itself, the thrilling 4-3 victory over Ireland in the final means South Africa get the single qualification spot for the 2023/24 FIH Pro League, where they will compete on a regular basis with top teams like Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and India.

South Africa beat Malaysia, France, Canada and Ireland, all teams higher up on the world rankings, to achieve this brilliant feat.

One can only salute the skill, hunger and determination the team showed in the final; they produced some sublime attacking hockey, led by inspirational 22-year-old captain and player of the tournament Dayyaan Cassiem, but their defence, marshalled by veteran Jethro Eustice, was exceptional as they held off numerous Irish onslaughts in the final quarter.

With so much on the line, one can only praise interim coach Cheslin Gie and his charges for showing tremendous composure.

One hopes there are assorted sponsors lining up to support them now that they are going to be getting regular exposure on the global stage. A capacity crowd in Potchefstroom, a fully transformed team and the exciting brand of hockey they play should make it one of the easier sales for SA Hockey to now pull off.

Hockey has enormous support at grassroots level with it being one of the most popular school sports, so the potential for sustained growth is big, providing they get the right backing and the administration is focused on selling the game.

The World Cup in India in January is the next major event on the international hockey calendar and an opportunity for South Africa to move closer to their long-term goal of getting into the top-10 of the rankings.

SOUTHBROOM, KwaZulu-Natal – Wynand Dingle finally has his maiden Sunshine Tour title to his name with a thrilling victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series San Lameer event, as the challenges of Jaco Prinsloo and Sean Bradley died in the closing holes on Saturday.

Dingle shot a scintillating six-under-par 66 to finish on 16-under-par for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Prinsloo, who also fired a 66, but paid the price for only being able to par the last three holes, following a streak of three successive birdies from the 13^th.

The 38-year-old Dingle, meanwhile, picked up a crucial birdie on the par-five 17^th, having also birdied the par-four 15^th.

Earlier Bradley, who began eagle-birdie for a phenomenal start, and then picked up two more shots on the front nine, had taken the lead on 15-under with back-to-back birdies on the 12^th and 13^th holes. But disaster then struck for the 27-year-old from Royal Cape Golf Club as he left the par-three 14^th hole with a triple-bogey six. It killed his challenge and he ended with a three-under 69 to finish four strokes back on 12-under-par.

The day belonged to Dingle, however, who, despite several close misses and the frustration that brings, peacefully went about nailing down his first win in his 192^nd Sunshine Tour event.

The Silver Lakes Country Club golfer dropped just one shot on the final day, at the par-four seventh, and despite the pressure put on him by both Prinsloo and Bradley when they were running hot, Dingle kept his cool superbly during the closing holes.

Overnight leader Danie van Niekerk had a tough day, capped by a double-bogey seven at the 17^th, to finish with a 75 that dropped him into a tie for seventh place on eight-under with Harry Konig (67), Luke Jerling (69), Herman Loubser (69) and Rourke van der Spuy (71).

Malcolm Mitchell (67) and Luca Filippi (68) enjoyed excellent final rounds as they climbed into a share of fifth on nine-under, while Rupert Kaminski was alone in fourth on 10-under-par after shooting a 69 on Saturday.