Ken Borland

Matthew Boast

One of the clutch of new players being groomed to be stars at SuperSport Park, Matthew Boast is a lively pace bowler and useful lower-order batsman who hits the ball hard. Educated at Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal Inland, Boast then joined Tuks and was a key member of the SA U19 team in the 2022 Junior World Cup.

His potential was shown when he was bought by the Pretoria Capitals as a rookie for a whopping R1.6 million for the second season of the SA20. Boast played one first-class match, taking four wickets, and three 50-over games, claiming five wickets, for the Titans last season. He will turn 22 in February.

Keegan Petersen

Having lost his place in the Proteas Test team, Keegan Petersen has decided to reignite his career by moving from his birthplace in Paarl to join the brilliant cricket therapists at the Titans. There is a proud tradition of batsmen from the Western Cape coming to stay at SuperSport Park and scoring plenty of runs.

Having played a starring role in South Africa’s epic series win over India in 2021/22, Petersen played just three Tests last summer and had his struggles domestically for Boland as well. But he showed his enduring class in the One-Day Cup, scoring 383 runs at an average of 76.60 and a strike-rate of 82.01, with a century and three fifties.

A gutsy cricketer who is always up for a challenge, Petersen has always worked diligently on his batting, and even though he is 31 years old now, he is still learning and growing his game. Technically sound, Petersen’s highly-esteemed strokeplay is always worth a watch as he massages the ball around the field, but he also has great resilience.

Corbin Bosch

Corbin Bosch adheres to the principle of going hard whether it is with ball or bat, making him one of the Titans’ most valuable all-rounders, particularly in the white-ball formats.

The 30-year-old has developed into a reliable lower-order batsman, and he was especially good in first-class cricket last season, averaging 42.75 and taking his tally of career half-centuries to eight.

But the Durban-born Tuks product first made his name as a mean and nasty fast bowler, who often creates pressure and wickets for the bowler at the other end. Bosch has followed in the footsteps of his late father Tertius, a bowler of great pace for Northerns who played a Test and two ODIs for South Africa in 1992.

Corbin Bosch enjoyed an excellent T20 campaign for the Titans last season, playing in 13 matches and taking 13 wickets, while conceding just 7.33 runs-per-over.

Neil Brand

Half-a-dozen seasons of consistency at the Titans with both bat and ball earned Neil Brand reward last season when he made his Test debut for South Africa, and was given the honour of captaining the team on their tour of New Zealand.

Although Brand did not fare as well as he usually does with the bat for the Titans last season, he showed his adaptability as a cricketer when he moved into the middle-order for the CSA T20 Challenge and did a fine job, averaging 34.83 and scoring at a strike-rate of 130.62.

He made a considerable contribution with the ball throughout the season, though, his left-arm spin netting him 12 wickets in four red-ball matches at an average of just 16.75, while he was tough to score off in the white-ball formats with economy rates of 5.25 in one-day cricket and 6.83 in the T20s.

Generally a top-order batsman, Brand will be relied upon again this season to get the Titans on the front foot, while his bowling has also earned respect.

Dewald Brevis

The weight of expectation on young Dewald Brevis, the 2022 U19 World Cup Player of the Tournament, does not stunt the growth of his game as his second full season of senior cricket saw him once again produce several moments of great skill and daring.

He came of age in four-day cricket, averaging 40.63 with two centuries, and he also made two hundreds in one-day cricket, averaging 53.14 at a strike-rate of 97.89 as he collected 372 runs, the most for the Titans.

The maker of the highest individual score by a South African in T20 cricket – his breakthrough 162 off just 57 balls for the Titans against the Knights in 2022/23 – only played three matches in the shortest format for the franchise last season, due to his IPL commitments.

His two 50-over centuries were contrasting efforts: Brevis made 100 off only 80 balls against the Dragons, and also scored 116 off 118 deliveries, out of a total of 217, the Titans having lost their first three wickets with just one run on the board, against Western Province.

The 21-year-old’s maiden four-day hundred (110) came in the thrilling win over the Warriors, and he then scored 113 a week later in a victory over the Dragons in Potchefstroom. Those back-to-back displays really attracted attention and the further development of this precocious, massive talent will be eagerly watched this season.

Junior Dala

If ever there was a player who you could choose to represent the ultimate professional, then Junior Dala would be your man. Supremely fit, willing to charge in all day and constantly growing his skills with both ball and bat, Dala was the leading wicket-taker for the Titans in the four-day competition, taking 23 in just four matches at an excellent average of only 22.47. His six for 58, and nine wickets in the match, against the Lions at SuperSport Park almost bowled the Titans into the final.

Capped a dozen times for South Africa in white-ball cricket, Dala initially played for Gauteng and Easterns, but joined the Titans in 2013. His outstanding resilience and athleticism have now been complemented by great clarity in terms of game-plan, and this affable stalwart of Titans cricket will no doubt continue to be a key strike bowler this season.

Donovan Ferreira

Born and bred in Pretoria, Ferreira got off the mark in international cricket with a second-ball six, which epitomises the boldness of his batting. But the 26-year-old is way more than just a hard-hitting basher: Ferreira is a nice package across the board as a cricketer – an adept finisher but someone who is also crossing over with success into four-day cricket, a handy off-spinner and a part-time wicketkeeper.

Having been plucked out of civilian life as a salesman by Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi, Ferreira continues to grow his game and is now a sought-after player in leagues across the world.

Ferreira hammered 353 runs in seven innings, at an average of 58.83 and a strike-rate of 137.35 for the Momentum Multiply Titans in the One-Day Cup, ensuring a positive end to most innings. He collected 18 sixes during the competition, more than anyone else.

He showed his bowling prowess by taking 10 wickets in the four-day match against North-West in Potchefstroom, while his brave 96 against Western Province at Newlands was his red-ball batting highlight.

Dayyaan Galiem

After being named the Titans’ 2019/20 Player of the Season, Galiem has had terrible misfortune with injuries. Nevertheless, he keeps popping up with crucial contributions with both bat and ball, and in all three formats. As a bowler, the all-rounder has lively pace and swings the ball prodigiously, making him a real handful when conditions are conducive. Galiem is also a very capable batsman down the order, as shown by his average of 23.82 for the Titans in four-day cricket, while his strong hitting has seen him employed in a finishing role in white-ball cricket. Alongside Donovan Ferreira, he famously steered the Titans to the CSA T20 Challenge title in 2022/23 with a top-class, matchwinning, unbeaten effort with the bat, while last season he had a strike-rate of 152.63 with the bat in the same competition to show his ability to punish attacks.

Sibonelo Makhanya

Very pleasing on the eye whether as a strokeplayer or when dashing around the field, Sibs Makhanya was one of the Titans’ most consistent batsmen last season in both four-day cricket and the T20 competition.

He had a marvellous T20 tournament, scoring 348 runs, second only to Rivaldo Moonsamy for the Titans, at a strike-rate of 132.82 and he passed 50 three times, more than any other Titans batsman. He shone as a true middle-order entertainer, bringing great urgency, quick running between the wickets and tremendous improvisation and skill to the crease, as well as being one of the best fielders in the competition.

In first-class cricket, he notched four half-centuries, averaging 31.75 for the campaign.

Makhanya was a member of Aiden Markram’s 2014 junior world cup winning team and has also been a popular captain of the Titans.

Rivaldo Moonsamy

The wicketkeeper/batsman was on fire last season on his return to the Momentum Multiply Titans, being their leading run-scorer in both the four-day and T20 competitions. Moonsamy averaged an impressive 48.72 against the red ball, scoring 536 runs which included hundreds against the Warriors and the Dolphins. He also more than earned his bread in the T20 competition, lashing 428 runs at a dazzling strike-rate of 136.30.

Moonsamy was named the Titans’ Men’s Player of the Year in a triumphant return to the province after two seasons away with Northern Cape. A born-and-bred Pretoria product, Moonsamy is from Laudium and was schooled at St Alban’s, making the Northerns Schools team in 2013 and 2014.

Selection for the SA A team for the four-day series against Sri Lanka A in September showed that Moonsamy has put himself in line for higher honours and he will be eager to once again produce the goods for the Titans this season.

Joshua van Heerden

The St Alban’s educated Van Heerden played in just eight matches for the Momentum Multiply Titans in 2023/24, but it was across all formats and he marked his return to Pretoria, having played in the Eastern Cape since leaving school, with some memorable personal achievements. The right-handed opener notched his first century for the Titans when he scored an unbeaten 109 against the Tuskers in Pietermaritzburg, adding a record 252 for the first wicket with Matthew Kleinveldt. Van Heerden also scored his first T20 half-century for the Titans when he bashed 56 off just 35 balls against the Dolphins.

A composed batsman who shows good judgement, Van Heerden played 10 T20 internationals for Germany in 2022/23.

Lizaad Williams

One can’t underestimate the threat posed by Lizaad Williams with his skiddy bounce and ability to move the ball off the pitch. Those weapons are why the Proteas had selected the pace bowler for two Tests, four ODIs and 13 T20 internationals by the start of this season. He was part of the 50-over World Cup squad that made the semi-finals in 2023.

Fiercely competitive, Williams was the leading wicket-taker for the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 in 2024 and he has served the Momentum Multiply Titans extremely well since 2020/21, when he was named as their Player of the Year at the end of the season, as a strike bowler able to break those stubborn partnerships.

The Lizaad Williams story is an inspirational one as he comes from humble beginnings in Vredenburg on the Cape West Coast and early hardships have made him a very resilient character.

Sisanda Magala

The Proteas white-ball international is a new signing for the Momentum Multiply Titans, having missed most of last season with the Lions due to knee surgery. Magala is a marvellous limited-overs bowler, possessing both a magnificent yorker and, thanks to his physical strength, the ability to hit the deck hard while bowling at decent pace.

Hailing originally from the Eastern Cape, Magala should also not be underestimated as a batsman, averaging 19.44 in first-class cricket with nine half-centuries, and having a pair of fifties each in 50-over and T20 cricket.

Magala was originally named in South Africa’s squad for the 2023 World Cup, but had to withdraw due to his knee injury, and he will want to perform at top-level again this season to show why he is regarded as one of the best death bowlers in the country.

Tsepo Ndwandwa

The Momentum Multiply Titans are the fourth franchise left-arm spinner Ndwandwa will represent after previous stints with the Cobras, Warriors, Knights and Lions. Another Eastern Cape product, Ndwandwa began his career with Border before moving to South-Western Districts, where he enjoyed the bulk of his success, taking 67 wickets in 22 first-class matches at an average of 27.70.

He has been a tidy performer in 50-over cricket and his career economy in the T20 format is a stingy 7.19.

Jhedli van Briesies

The 23-year-old from Mossel Bay, South-Western Districts, enjoyed a marvellous past season with the Garden Route Badgers in which he averaged 68.25 in first-class cricket, including a couple of centuries.

Van Briesies is a pleasing strokeplayer who favours the leg-side and is magnificent on the pull. He is also a tidy wicketkeeper and his arrival at the Momentum Multiply Titans, after a breakthrough season in Division II, will generate much interest.

Schooled at Langenhoven Gimnasium, Van Briesies played for the SWD Schools team for three years (2017-19) and has also played a couple of seasons of club cricket in the UK.

Lhuan-Dre Pretorius

One of the kings of junior cricket in South Africa, Pretorius successfully transitioned from U19 cricket to the senior Momentum Multiply Titans ranks last season.

The left-handed opener is still in school, doing matric at Cornwall Hill College this year, having been a dominant figure in the powerful St Stithians team, breaking the record for the most centuries for the school.

After an excellent Junior World Cup, in which he was among the top five-run-scorers with 287 at an average of 57.40 and a strike-rate of 94.09, Pretorius debuted for the Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge and scored 279 runs at a strike-rate of 119.74. While this showed the Klerksdorp-born 18-year-old is a tremendous talent, it was also the way he scored those runs that was so impressive. Renowned as a big-hitter who destroys attacks, Pretorius showed he is able to hit the ball ferociously hard and also manipulate it all around the field with sweetly-timed strokes.

His tally included two half-centuries – 58 from 43 balls against the Tuskers at SuperSport Park and a vital 52 off 32 balls in the de facto quarterfinal win over Western Province at Newlands. Pretorius also kept wicket tidily and there are high hopes he can follow in the footsteps of former Titans kingpin Quinton de Kock as a left-handed opener/wicketkeeper who became a major international star.

Roelof van der Merwe

Going into his 19^th season as a professional cricketer, Roelof van der Merwe continues to advertise his enduring passion for the game with every double fist pump wicket celebration, every lusty swing of the bat and every moment of age-defying brilliance in the field.

The veteran all-rounder is an astute signing by the Momentum Multiply Titans as he is a serial winner in the white-ball game, and a key member of the previous generation of Titans players that dominated South African domestic cricket. He last played in South Africa in 2023 when he led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title and he remains a sought-after T20 player all over the world, having played in the UK, the Caribbean, the IPL, the UAE and the Big Bash. Van der Merwe is a double international, having played 26 times for the Proteas and more than 50 times for the Netherlands.

A left-arm spinner adept at keeping batsmen quiet and an aggressive batter who was good enough to score an unbeaten double-century in first-class cricket for the Titans, Van der Merwe will bring competitive fire to the team, his nickname of The Bulldog still being most apt.

Gerald Coetzee

The Momentum Multiply Titans welcomed Coetzee to SuperSport Park last season and even though he only managed to appear once for them due to Proteas commitments, when he did play the Titans ended up winners of a thrilling four-day match against Eastern Province, the former Free Stater taking four for 54 as they won by just 13 runs. Those international commitments included the 50-over World Cup, which ensured Coetzee is now well-known across the world for having plenty of wheels and the ability to take wickets, as he broke the South African record for the most dismissals (20) in a single edition of that showpiece tournament. His passion and aggression have also made him a favourite at the Wankhede Stadium following his stint for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

Coetzee is also a handy batsman who will rattle up quick runs in the lower-order.

Heinrich Klaasen

The way Heinrich Klaasen has grown his game in the last couple of seasons has been remarkable and he is now one of the kings of white-ball cricket globally, being one of the very best finishers around. His performance in last year’s 50-over World Cup was exceptional as he plundered 373 runs at the second-highest strike-rate of the tournament (133.21) and he continued these heroics in the T20 World Cup this year, including the fastest ever half-century in a final (27 balls).

In the last two seasons, he has scored 1065 ODI runs at an average of 48.40 and a strike-rate of 134.46, with three centuries.

The wicketkeeper/batsman is acknowledged as one of the finest players of spin in the world, and his relaxed persona belies a steely determination. When he’s not sparring with the world’s best bowlers, Klaasen loves to play for the Titans and is one of the franchise’s favourite sons with more than 8000 runs and 11 centuries for the union across all formats.

Aiden Markram

The co-captain of the Proteas alongside Temba Bavuma, Markram has been one of the great leaders of the Titans over the last decade. His captaincy credentials seem to improve with every year: having led South Africa to the U19 World Cup crown in 2014, he captained Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the title in the first two seasons of the SA20, and in 2024 he led the Proteas to an historic place in the T20 World Cup final.

In addition to his leadership skills, Markram has contributed more than 6000 runs across formats for the Titans, with 19 centuries. Many of those have come from one of the most gorgeous cover-drives in the game. The 30-year-old also contributes useful off-spin and is going to go down as one of the greatest players for the franchise, having shared in eight trophy-winning campaigns.

Part of the considerable legacy of Tuks cricket, Markram attended Pretoria Boys High and Cornwall Hill College.

Lungi Ngidi

Pace bowler Ngidi made his debut for the Titans in 2015 and burst on to the international scene in 2017 when he made his Proteas debut in a T20 against Sri Lanka and won the man of the match award. His Test debut in 2018 was even more dramatic as he took a matchwinning six for 39 against India at SuperSport Park, and then made his ODI debut against the same opponents, taking eight wickets in his first three matches.

Hailing from KZN, where he won bursaries to Highbury Prep School and Hilton College, Ngidi came to Pretoria in 2015 to play for Tuks and was an immediate success. The 28-year-old has been struck down by untimely injuries, but has still managed to take 120 wickets for the Titans across the three formats.

Ngidi is a sought-after bowler in T20 leagues around the world, thanks to his ability to surprise batsmen with incredibly skilful slower balls and cutters, making him a difficult bowler to chase after.

Tabraiz Shamsi

The left-arm wrist-spinner used to loathe being hit for boundaries, but now that he has become one of the most potent wicket-takers in international white-ball cricket, Tabraiz Shamsi knows he has the ability to dismiss any over-confident or unwatchful batsman.

His performances for the Proteas will go down in lore as he is South Africa’s highest-ever wicket-taker in T20 internationals as well as being an ever-present member of the ODI squad.

Shamsi is an experienced campaigner around the world, having played in T20 leagues in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, England and the IPL. He joined the Titans in 2014/15 and enjoyed a dream second season as he spearheaded their charge to the first-class title with 41 wickets at 19.97.

The Johannesburg-born and educated star really began to blossom after the 2019 World Cup, once Imran Tahir retired from international cricket, and Shamsi’s eight for 32 against the Warriors at St George’s Park in 2020/21 are the best ever bowling figures for the Titans franchise.

Andile Phehlukwayo

After making his name in Durban for the last decade, Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo is looking for a new challenge in Centurion with the Momentum Multiply Titans.

Phehlukwayo’s inventive seam bowling will give the Titans a skilful option in the middle and death overs of limited-overs cricket, to add to his sweet striking with the bat and ability to hit the long ball in the lower-order.

The 28-year-old has played in more than a hundred games for South Africa, in all three formats, and has played in the last two 50-over World Cups. Becoming a vital cog in the Titans outfit will go a long way to ensuring he is included in the 2027 squad for the World Cup to be played in South Africa.

Mandla Mashimbyi

The Momentum Multiply Titans head coach is an expert in boosting the sheer mentality of his players and that is shown by the four-day and T20 titles he has steered the team to since taking over from Mark Boucher midway through the 2019/20 season.

Mashimbyi’s own playing career was cut short in 2010 at the age of 29 by knee injuries, but the pace bowler took 103 wickets in 39 first-class matches for the Titans and Northerns, as well as averaging over 20 with the bat. He also played 44 one-day games while based in Centurion, helping Northerns to the three-day and one-day double in 2005/6 and captaining them to the CSA One-Day Challenge title in 2009/10.

The Phalaborwa-born Mashimbyi has also had stints at international level with the SA U19, SA A, SA Emerging and Proteas teams as an assistant coach.

Richard das Neves

Richard das Neves’ stock has risen considerably in recent years as he continues his progress into the elite coaching ranks, boosted by backroom roles with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and the Paarl Royals in the SA20.

As a successful former captain of the Gauteng team, Das Neves is strong on the theory behind winning cricket and strategy, and he made Easterns the kings of the second division, leading them to three titles in four seasons between 2017/18 and 2020/21. He was named Cricket South Africa’s Coach of the Year in 2020.

As a player, Das Neves was an off-spinner and useful batsman, scoring nearly a thousand first-class runs, including one century, and taking 126 wickets at an average of just 24.

The Titans assistant coach is a qualified biokineticist.

*All stats as of September 1, 2024

JOHANNESBURG – England-based James Mack shot a six-under-par 66 on Wednesday to lead the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge after the first round at Kyalami Country Club, but there is a hunk of prime South African Sunshine Tour talent chasing him down just one stroke behind.

Simon du Plooy, Jacques P. de Villiers, Ruan de Smidt, Christiaan Burke, Martin Rohwer and Jonathan Broomhead all posted five-under-par 67s on Wednesday to ensure Mack has plenty of challengers in his rearview mirror.

De Villiers, whose only bogey came on the par-five 13^th when he three-putted, said the key to doing well at Kyalami Country Club on Wednesday was shaping the ball on the 6631m course with tight fairways.

“The fairways are very hard and they’re tight, so it’s tough to hit them with the ball bouncing so much. You’ve got to be able to shape the ball off the tee and I did that well today,” De Villiers said.

“I also putted really well and even though I made four birdies and an eagle, I still had a few horseshoes, including one that came right back at me. But it was a really solid round, I played well today in conditions that were very nice. It wasn’t too cold this morning and the wind didn’t blow too much either.”

The highlight of De Villiers’ season thus far has been finishing third in the FBC Zambia Open, which was then followed by a long break. His finishes since the Sunshine Tour returned to action have been 20^th, 43^rd, 35^th and 37^th, but the Schoeman Park golfer still feels his game is well-toned as he looks towards the co-sanctioned events in the summer.

“I’ve been working hard on my swing with Doug Wood and the changes are there or thereabouts. But the game has been trending in the right direction for sure over the last couple of weeks. It’s all preparation now for the big events on the summer swing,” the 34-year-old said.

Mack started his round on the par-four 10^th hole and immediately picked up a birdie. Two more birdies in a faultless back nine saw him go out in three-under, and he collected four more birdies on the front nine, although a bogey on the par-three fourth hole was a hiccup.

Ten other golfers are two shots behind on four-under-par.

PRETORIA – Thriston Lawrence and Jacques Blaauw both fired outstanding 10-under-par 62s to share the lead in a meeting of two of South African golf’s most in-form stars in the first round of the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino at Wingate Park Country Club on Wednesday.

Lawrence, who is currently sixth on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, is back in South Africa to complete his rehabilitation from a back injury he suffered after the Open Championship a month ago. His first competitive round since then could barely have gone better as he plundered eight birdies and an eagle on the 6740m course in south-eastern Pretoria.

The winner of eight professional events, including four on the DP World Tour, was part of the morning field, while Blaauw, who is leading the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and is eager to return full-time to the European tour, was off at 11.50am.

The 38-year-old Blaauw made a blazing start to his round as he set out to catch Lawrence, reaching the turn in six-under-par, which included an eagle on the 381m par-four sixth hole. Although he bogeyed the par-four 11^th, Blaauw finished strong with five birdies in the last seven holes.

“I’ve had four weeks off since hurting my back a bit at the Open and I’m not a big fan of hitting lots of balls on the range, so I felt playing this tournament would help my rehab more. And I love to compete,” Lawrence said.

“But I was still quite surprised how well it went because I’ve only played two practice rounds in the last few weeks, I didn’t expect 10-under. But the back is good and game is solid.

“I started on 10 and the eagle came on 18 after I hit a nice drive and had a good number for a nine-iron in; I hit it to three feet for a simple eagle. That got my momentum going, I had four birdies in a row to start the front nine, I was on fire,” Lawrence said.

Blaauw, who is enjoying his best season in nearly a decade with five successive top-10 finishes on the Sunshine Tour, including victory in the SunBet Challenge Sun City event, admitted the presence of Lawrence, and the fact he had shot 62, motivated him.

“What Thriston shot told me there was obviously a low score out there. I started quickly so I knew something was up. I’ve been playing good golf of late and it all came together today,” Blaauw said.

“When our DP World Tour stars play here you always want to beat them and Thriston has been playing some unbelievable golf lately. But I’ve showed I can play great golf at home, hopefully I can do the same elsewhere. Getting full status in Europe has been my plan from January and now it’s just about keeping things going.

“It’s about sticking to the processes, just letting it happen and not trying to force things. Just keep giving myself opportunities because the putter is working,” Blaauw said.

The six-time Sunshine Tour winner’s eagle came when he followed a 300m drive on the sixth with a 90m lob-wedge into the hole.

Another multiple winner on the DP World Tour, George Coetzee, is also making his way back from long-term injury, and he will certainly have a say in where the title goes this week as he shot an eight-under-par 64 on Wednesday.

Young Yurav Premlall also made his presence known with a 66, a score matched by Quintin Wilsnach.

Danie van Tonder says it feels marvellous to be based back in South Africa again, but the challenge of making it on an overseas tour still appeals to him, and the 33-year-old is thinking about perhaps having a go at the Asian Tour and hopefully the LIV.

But what about a return to the DP World Tour and playing in Europe, the usual route to the top for South African golfers?

“Never again,” Van Tonder says emphatically.

The 2021 South African Open champion enjoyed a successful first full season on the DP World Tour that year, winning the Kenya Savannah Classic and finishing 75th on the Race to Dubai with more than €340 000 in prizemoney for the season. Having also made the cut in both the PGA and Open Championships of 2021 and won five Sunshine Tour tournaments in the previous eight months, it seemed his career was heading to great heights.

But 2022 and 2023 were years of struggle for Van Tonder as he finished 125^th and 117^th respectively on the order of merit, losing his DP World Tour card. For the self-taught golfer from Boksburg, the slog of campaigning in Europe was not for him.

That realisation was confirmed in August when he won the FNB Eswatini Challenge at Nkonyeni Lodge and Golf Estate, his first victory since his massive SA Open triumph at the Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, in December 2021. Van Tonder’s two-stroke victory in Eswatini came after he had taken a long break from competitive action.

“It was great to win again, my previous title was the SA Open and that was like three years ago. So there was a bit of a drought, but I went through some big changes, I was on the road for so long. It becomes a grind and you’re just not able to fix things in your game,” Van Tonder says.

“I had six weeks at home before playing in Eswatini and that really helped. I felt great coming into the tournament and I’m finally seeing the results of the work I’ve been able to put into my game.

“Playing week-after-week on the DP World Tour, you begin to get into bad habits and you try and fix them, but you don’t really have the time to make the changes you need to or to improve your game. I won’t be doing that again, I need to take breaks.”

The lucrative LIV Tour is obviously still the subject of much chat in Sunshine Tour locker rooms, especially since the Asian Tour sanctions the International Series, made up of 10 events which provides a route to Greg Norman’s breakaway league. South Africans such as Jbe’ Kruger, Jaco Ahlers, Neil Schietekat and Yurav Premlall have already tried their hand at these enhanced events that offer a minimum purse of $2 million.

Van Tonder is forthright in admitting that the LIV Tour, with its unique, non-traditional format, megastar signings and emphasis on fast-paced, more entertaining play, has caught his eye.

“I like to take driver and hit it long and far and straight. That’s why if I do play overseas, I would prefer to be on the Asian Tour because I love the thought of playing LIV. I think they would enjoy me on that tour, the way I play and my personality. I’m always aiming for a lot of birdies,” the winner of more than R17 million on the Sunshine Tour says.

Playing LIV, which only has 14 events a year, would also allow Van Tonder to take those breaks from golf that he needs to keep himself fresh. Plus each event is only played over three rounds and there’s a more relaxed dress code in which shorts are allowed.

The Serengeti Estate golfer is more of a traditionalist though when it comes to equipment and he says he is looking forward to the golf ball rollback that will come into force in 2028.

“I use the Titleist Pro V1 23X which everyone plays with. To use the older one would be a disadvantage because it goes shorter, but I will go back to it when the rollback happens because those are the distances we’ll be going back to. I’m looking forward to the change,” Van Tonder says.

“I still have my old Titleist 620 CB irons and I waited eight months for my old putter to be refurbished. It kinda works so I stick with it.”

Which is typical of a golfer who may be idiosyncratic, but he is his own man and his record speaks for itself.

SIDEBARS

Danie’s favourite courses

Carnoustie

Leopard Creek

Gary Player Country Club, Sun City

Glendower

Serengeti

(“Nkonyeni is very close to the top 5 because that was fun to play,” he says.)

What’s in Danie’s bag?

Titleist TSR3 Driver

Titleist TSi 3-Wood

Titleist GT 5-Wood

Titleist CB irons 3-9

Titleist Vokey SM10 wedge, gap wedge & lob wedge

Scotty Cameron Futura MB putter

How does Danie prepare before a round?

“Every day is different: sometimes I will do weights to get loose, on other days I will listen to music. I really enjoy David Crowder’s music, pump up music or just a whole mix of everything.”