GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – Daniel Greene secured his first Sunshine Tour title in his 12^th season on tour at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series Humewood event on Saturday and it took all of his composure and skill to secure the playoff win over Tristen Strydom as it was blowing a gale on the links course.

Greene completed a solid par on the first playoff hole, on the par-four 18^th, while Strydom could only get a bogey after he hit his second shot well right of the green. It was a bitter blow for the 24-year-old who was also chasing his first victory on tour, Strydom missing a shortish putt for par on the last hole of regulation play.

Making the turn on two-under for his round, Greene then did exceptionally well to come home in level-par as the players faced the worst of the wind. The 36-year-old was helped by a crucial eagle on the par-five 11^th.

When Strydom bogeyed the 17^th it meant they were all-square going up the last and Strydom wasted a golden opportunity to win as he was lying just off the green and decided to chip his third instead of putting.

Steve Surry, Christiaan Basson and Malcolm Mitchell, who blazed through the last nine holes in four-under-par to finish with a level-par 72, all finished just one stroke off the lead on four-under-par, proving that the leaders cannot take anything for granted when conditions were as tough as they were at Humewood on Saturday.

But Greene, who has a strong record in Vodacom events on the coast, showed he could adapt and remain unflustered despite how testing the situation was.

GQEBERHA, Eastern Cape – For Scott Keevy, who describes himself as “an avid golfer” the final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series Humewood Pro-Am was all about building towards the Stroke 1 eighth hole on the famous old links course.

The six-handicapper from down the road, relatively speaking, at the St Francis Links, managed to birdie the daunting 455-yard hole and the four points he and Merrick Bremner gained was their best score of the second day. It proved critical because their winning margin at the end of the Pro-Am was just one point over Lyle Rowe and Adrian Kemp.

“We started on the third hole and we battled early on but Merrick kept us going. And then on the eighth, the Stroke 1, I hit a big drive, a nine-iron and then I managed to sink a 15-footer for birdie and four points!

“And then when the rain hit, we were busy playing into an Easterly and I managed to get a par on the 15^th when my pro finally required my help again. But Merrick and I dovetailed very well and he was my number one choice as a partner. I remember meeting him when I caddied for Titch Moore once and I know Merrick won here and I love the way he plays and his interaction with his partners,” Keevy said.

Keevy is one of those sporting all-rounders, having played second division football for Callies and Masters squash, but his passion for golf goes back several years.

“Ours is a sporting family, I am one of three brothers and we basically played anything from table tennis to golf and all with the same competitiveness. Ryan Reid is a first cousin and the real star golfer in the family, he played on the European Tour and is now director of sport at Fancourt. I’m a self-taught golfer so I have a big hook, but I make it work for me.

“This Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is just an unbelievable experience for us, I have played in them for many years but it’s the first time I’ve won a tournament, having been to the finals on the odd occasion. The way Vodacom spoils us and the way they make us feel – it’s unsurpassed,” Keevy said.

The revitalisation of a bankrupt clothing factory in Durban would not seem to have any obvious links to South African golfing legend Ernie Els, but such is the scope of the four-time Major champion’s commitments these days that he can take part of the credit for the Royal Green Clothing Company now being a thriving concern.

While the South African clothing industry has been ravaged by cheap overseas imports, Royal Green now makes 2000 garments a day for the Ernie Els Collection, which is run by Global Golf and for which Els himself launched a new distribution deal this week with Barron, who describe themselves as “the largest and most trusted corporate and promotional brand in Africa”.

The involvement of Els in his range of golf attire extends to him having a say in the designs, with The Big Easy saying he wanted the shirts to be “as comfortable when you’re swinging a golf club as when you’re drinking a beer”.

The 49-year-old is also involved in the wine industry and course design business, and is also the current President’s Cup captain, preparing for their biennial contest with the United States in Melbourne in a year’s time. He also devotes plenty of his time to the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation to assist young golfers and his Els for Autism charity he started in the wake of his son, Ben, being diagnosed with the condition. And the father of two is also still playing regular top-level golf and finished inside the top-15 in the prestigious South African Open last December at Randpark Golf Club.

So how does Els juggle all these commitments?

“It’s fun and I still love the game we play, it has never felt like a job to me, whether I’m six-putting a green or being a champion seventy times around the world. I’ve forged some nice partnerships and friendships through golf and these other commitments are just an extension of my golf. I’ve forged friendships around the world but I always wanted to do something with South Africans.

“This clothing factory, Royal Green, is the perfect way to do that and I first met Langley Perrins of Global Golf when we spent my 21^st birthday together in a foreign city when we were both young golfers trying to make it. I met my wife, Liezl, at a wine farm and for nearly 20 years we’ve been making wine out of Stellenbosch. Autism touched my family and Liezl has been the driving force of that work, she’s made it very prominent,” Els said.

The fact that The Big Easy is able to combine such a laidback demeanour with an undiluted passion for the game is probably what makes him so popular with the public, even after all these years. Even though there are players in the top-50 of the world rankings like Louis Oosthuizen, Matt Wallace and Branden Grace in the field, Els has still boasted some of the biggest galleries following him around Randpark.

Apart from holding events for the Ernie Els Collection and Els for Autism, the former world number one, now 591^st in the rankings, also hosted the prizegiving for the Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation which funds the education and golf instruction of youths from underprivileged backgrounds.

“The foundation started 20 years ago and we’re trying to support the education of these boys and girls and their endeavours in golf. It has evolved quite a bit since then and I feel very proud when I see professionals who have come through the foundation. I was privileged enough, because of the great backing from my Dad, Neels, and my mother, Hettie, to be able to elevate my game to higher levels, but I knew some of my mates at the time couldn’t do that.

“So the foundation looks to make that process easier, to give these youngsters a better chance of becoming what they want to be. It all starts with junior golf, there is no other way, no shortcut to the top. You need hard work, a love for the sport and you need to get a few breaks. And you have to show character to come back from disaster,” Els said at the prizegiving.

The five-time SA Open champion, while delighted to still be mixing it with the youngsters out on the course, is also using this week’s tournament as a reconnaissance mission. As part of his duties as President’s Cup captain, he has to keep an eye on all the contenders for the International team, players like Charl Schwartzel, Justin Harding, Grace and Brandon Stone.

“It’s important for me to play with the youngsters as President’s Cup captain, I need to be relevant. I’m really looking forward to next December in Melbourne and I want to get it right. I think I know what the players need because I’m playing quite a bit just to see them in action. I won a couple of times in Melbourne as well, so I can give them some local knowledge.

“So I need to stay close to the players, to stay relevant to captain them properly. It’s fun and I’m excited about it. Even if I’m not competing day by day, I’m quietly going about playing good golf still. Shooting 60s at my age is really nice and I would obviously love to win again, but my consistency is not what it should be,” Els said.

But there is no doubt that the World Golf Hall of Fame member since 2010 remains consistently relevant to the game all around the world.

https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/special-feature/2047402/at-49-ernie-els-remains-highly-relevant-to-golf-globally/

Jose-Maria Olazabal enjoyed the milder weather at Fancourt on Friday as he fired a five-under-par 68 to move into contention after the second round of the Volvo Golf Champions at the Links.

Olazabal moved to seven-under overall, five shots off the scorching pace set by Branden Grace, who was on 12-under with two holes to play.

“Today was a little better, the last two days have been very hot and humid and I struggled a bit. There was a bit more wind today, but overall the conditions were pretty benign,” a happy Olazabal said after his round.

The Spaniard made the elite 35-man field thanks to his 22 career wins on the European Tour, but a bad recent run has seen him slip to number 596 on the world rankings, so Friday’s round provided a welcome return to form.

“The bar wasn’t very high to begin with, so improving on my recent form wasn’t difficult! The last couple of years, I’ve been playing very poorly and I need to improve my driving. I hit lovely shots on the range, but it’s harder to take those on to the course. But there are at least some signs on the range that it’s coming right, so that makes it easier,” Olazabal said.

Of course, Olazabal doesn’t just have his own testing times to worry about on the golf course these days – as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, he also has to study the form of his potential players. The two-time Masters champion said it was important for him to focus on keeping his own play up to scratch as the team captain.

“I made it very clear in September that there is no way I will play in the team, but I would still love to be competitive because then I get to play with my boys and see how they’re doing in this important year,” Olazabal said.

The 45-year-old is playing at Fancourt for the first time and is clearly impressed with the course and estate.

“The practice facilities are fantastic and the whole setting is really beautiful. The set-up of the course is also great and done in a way that you get reward for good shots. And if you miss a shot, you’ll be in trouble, which is fair.

“It’s a great test and we’ve been playing off the forward tees. I can’t imagine how tough it must be off the back tees! But it’s a great course and I would recommend it to anyone,” Olazabal said.