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.

CENTURION – The solid plan and clinical execution of Kieran Vincent made sure that any dreams of a challenge to him would be still-born as the Zimbabwean cruised to a four-shot victory in the KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-Am at Irene Country Club on Sunday.

Vincent went into the final round tied for the lead on 15-under-par with James Mack, and there were 11 other golfers within five shots. But the 26-year-old gave them no chance as he fired a brilliant, bogey-free six-under-par 66 on Sunday to finish on 21-under and clinch a comfortable victory.

Vincent picked up his first birdie at the par-four sixth hole and the turn was fertile territory for him as he then reeled off a hat-trick of birdies from the ninth to 11th holes. Vincent sank a superb 40ft putt for birdie on the par-five 10^th, and then hit an equally excellent approach to a foot on the par-four 11^th to pick up another shot.

The likes of Malcolm Mitchell and Jacques Blaauw did appear briefly in his rearview mirror, but Vincent settled the deal with birdies on the last two holes.

“It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I’m here on an invite so I’m super-grateful to KitKat Cash & Carry for this opportunity,” Vincent said. “I’m very excited because we did a lot of good things today and a lot of hard work has gone into making this first professional win with my caddie Alec a reality. To have my mother and sister in the crowd was also so special.

“Any time you win, it’s a huge boost, wherever it is. I have a long season ahead and there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Vincent is hoping part of that long season will be the Olympic Games tournament in Paris, and his golf in the first two events of the new Sunshine Tour season – he finished tied-fourth in the FBC Zim Open – certainly fits the bill in terms of climbing the world rankings. He was number 439 in the world coming to Irene Country Club, but he is the leading Zimbabwean in the rankings.

“I’m not sure if I’m 100% there yet, but playing good golf will take care of that itself,” Vincent said.

Vincent was stalked by Mitchell on the front nine, with the latter reaching the turn in four-under to be just a stroke behind at one stage. But a double-bogey on the par-three 13^th and another dropped shot on the 14^th were crucial lapses by Mitchell.

Blaauw also legged it up the leaderboard with a round of 67 that included just one bogey, finishing in third place on 16-under-par.

Mack struggled to a 73 on Sunday and finished on 14-under-par, in a tie for sixth.

The way Nick Bachem cruised to victory in the Jonsson Workwear Open at Steyn City on Sunday, it may have seemed that DP World Tour titles are not retailing for much these days.

But don’t be fooled by the ease with which the 23-year-old German soared to 24-under-par and a four-stroke victory with a tremendous final-round 64; this was high-quality golf overpowering a field boasting plenty of strength in depth.

Having won his DP World Tour card for the first time at qualifying school in November, Bachem claimed his first title in just his 10^th start in the 2022/23 season. The engaging youngster admitted that he did not expect to be winning tournaments quite so soon.

“It’s just amazing, this is just my 10^th start. I believed I could win, but just to be playing here is actually pretty overwhelming. I don’t really understand what has happened over the last couple of days, in fact over the last year-and-a-half,” a beaming Bachem said.

“Today was just my day. I thought it was going to be super-close, but I was still chilled and so relaxed. But then on the 15^th I saw a scoreboard and saw I was four ahead. And then I got super-nervous! I knew I just needed three pars and I would win, but suddenly that felt so hard!

“But I had to tell myself that it is just golf I am playing and a missed putt or something is not the end of the world. And then it was a nice finish.

“Getting my tour card is always in mind when I’m playing, and now I’ve got the job done pretty early. Now I can just enjoy playing all the events and letting all the experiences sink in.

“It feels unreal right now, it’s definitely a dream come true. I felt it would take more time,” Bachem said.

Beginning the final day one stroke behind leader and fellow German Alexander Knappe, Bachem was struck with terrible bad luck right from the outset, a decent opening tee-shot ending in a plugged lie. He had to take a drop and did exceptionally well to still get a par-four.

From there he reeled off four birdies in the next five holes, which sent him soaring to the top of the leaderboard. Four more birdies on the back nine sealed the deal, the second-placed South African duo of Zander Lombard (65) and Hennie du Plessis (68) left in his wake on 20-under-par.

Another South African, Ockie Strydom, finished in a tie for fourth on 19-under with Scotsman Ewen Ferguson.

The genial Bachem showed he has the bottle to win on the main tour and he said making sure he enjoyed himself on the course was a vital part of handling the pressure.

“I was leading a tournament for the first time a couple of weeks ago in the Kenya Open and I just wanted to win so badly, I wanted to shoot course records, and I ended up nearly finishing last.

“But yesterday I was really calm, I just felt like if I finished top-20 I would be happy. And then my goal today was to just enjoy myself and enjoy as much as possible having the chance to win.

“It’s definitely something I have to keep telling myself because it is not always easy out there. But I just reminded myself that I am in sunny South Africa while it is winter in Germany, playing on a beautiful course. So life is actually pretty good and you need to try and remember that in the tough times.

“I don’t believe there is anything better that I could be doing, playing golf just brings me so much fun and joy. Even when there are bad weeks, it is nice to be able to enjoy them as well, because that is when you learn. In Kenya I learnt so much and without that experience I would have had no chance of winning here,” Bachem said.

It’s been a crazy 18 months for Bachem and now he has even more exciting possibilities in store to look forward to.

“When I was still an amateur, I played a few events on the Pro Golf mini-tour and then I turned pro. Playing on the Challenge Tour in 2022 was pretty good, but I just missed winning my DP World Tour card. Qualifying School was then a real rollercoaster, I was four-over after the first round but then shot 10-under. Just a couple of months later, here I am having won my card for the next two years. So I am pretty excited about the future,” Bachem said.

In his immediate future, there is a trip to France next week. Bachem does not just enjoy riding the waves of fortune and misfortune in the golfing world, he is also a keen surfer of literal waves.

Between the Kenya Open and the Jonsson Workwear Open, Bachem spent time at South Africa’s surfing mecca, Jeffrey’s Bay.

“My family used to go to the west coast of France for holidays on the Atlantic and I started to get into surfing since I was young. I’ve been doing it more and more since I turned 18. Now I can drive a car and I spent six weeks in Portugal recently in a campervan. Maybe there is a career in surfing after golf for me … ”

PENNINGTON, KwaZulu-Natal – American Brooklin Bailey shattered the peace at the Selborne Park Golf Club on Thursday with a thunderous start as he cruised to a 64 and the first-round lead in the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge.

Bailey eagled the par-five first hole on the course adjoining the Indian Ocean and then picked up birdies on the next two holes for a phenomenal four-under start through three holes, and although his run was ended by a bogey at the par-three fourth, he parred his way through to the turn.

The 28-year-old then cruised through the back nine in five-under 31 to post an eight-under-par 64, finishing the first day one shot ahead of the South African trio of Ruan Korb, Sean Bradley and Albert Venter.

The dropped shot on the fourth hole was Bailey’s only blemish as he collected seven birdies and an eagle to post his lowest round since joining the Sunshine Tour last year.

The Texan seems to have found some form after his maiden top-10 finish in the Sunshine Tour’s previous event – the Vodacom Origins of Golf Highland Gate tournament at the end of August.

Bailey worked his magic after Korb and Bradley, playing in the same three-ball, had already posted their 65s, so he did well to go under their marks.

Bailey said after his round that he just felt right at home from the get-go in the R1.2 million event.

“It’s the Bermuda Grass for me, we play on it in Texas and I just love it, my confidence just gets higher when I’m on it. Playing in the wind is also something we do a lot of in Texas, so all-in-all it was helpful for me,” Bailey said.

“You need to be patient on the Selborne course and I like that as well, but I also like being able to give it a go when you can. I like to know you can push it when you want to as well.

“I’ve just fallen in love with the Sunshine Tour, I think there are great opportunities here. The tour does a fantastic job of providing opportunities to advance our careers. Everyone here just wants to see you thrive and it’s healthy competition.”

The tournament is a tribute to the late wife of South Africa’s greatest golfer and the continuation of Gary and Vivienne Player’s legacy through the work of their foundation.

Bailey feels a connection to the nine-time Major champion and recognises the lustre of the event bearing the Player name.

“I actually watched Gary, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer play the Par-Three Tournament at Augusta for the last time together, so to be in contention in this event, attached to a golfer like Gary, is amazing.

“It makes me really want to sketch my own name in golfing history as well,” Bailey said.

Korb’s round caught alight after he began with three straights pars – despite both the first and third holes being par-fives – as the 28-year-old fired off four birdies on the trot from the fourth hole, and then also birdied nine and 10 for good measure. After his only bogey of the day, on the par-three 15^th, he finished birdie-birdie for his joint-best round of the season.

Bradley started his round birdie-birdie and picked up another shot at the par-four ninth hole, and also completed his round birdie-birdie after gaining successive shots on the 12^th and 13^th holes. It was the Royal Cape golfer’s best round of the season.

The in-form Venter, who is second on the Luno Order of Merit after his victory at the SunBet Challenge at Time Square last month, also reached seven-under-par as he blazed home in five-under 31.

Five players, including veteran Hennie Otto and amateur Kyle de Beer, shot six-under-par 66s.