Ken Borland

The Nedbank Golf Challenge (NGC) is set to once again go ahead at the end of the year at Sun City, thanks to the demise of the Tournament of Hope that sounds a clear warning to the international golf tours that they are losing control of their players.

The Sunshine Tour, in conjunction with the International Federation of PGA Tours, had initially announced that the Tournament of Hope, an $8.5 million event modelled on the World Golf Championship tournaments, would take place in late November and it is an open secret that they had hoped Sun City would host it.

But with the announcement that the Tournament of Hope has been put on hold, the NGC is no longer under pressure, although it is believed negotiations are under way to alter the format of the tournament from its traditional 12-man field.

It is likely that the NGC will have an expanded field – possibly as many as 50 golfers – while it will also enjoy closer ties with the Sunshine and European Tours, elevating it from a mere exhibition tournament.

The NGC has been in existence for 32 years and it is in many ways a relic of the past, having been designed to bring top overseas golfers to South Africa (or Bophuthatswana as it was then known) during the days of sporting isolation. Having once been the richest tournament in the world, it is now struggling to attract the top players who have so many more options all over the world to choose from.

It is this “player-power” that has effectively sunk (hopefully temporarily) the Tournament of Hope.

Despite offering more prizemoney than any of the WGC events, there was no guarantee that the event would attract the top players.

Even the WGC events face the same challenge these days: Last November, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods withdrew from the HSBC Champions in Shenzhen, preferring to play an exhibition match elsewhere in China instead.

And that’s what the Sunshine Tour and Sail, the Tournament of Hope promoters, feared: No matter how much money they were offering, there was no guarantee leading players would make the trip to South Africa, especially at the end of the year.

Although it wasn’t in the contract, they were hoping that what had been promised to them by the U.S. PGA Tour  – that the event would count for their money-list and for FedEx Cup points, as well as earning the winner a three-year exemption in America – would be delivered.

Unfortunately these incentives have not yet been forthcoming, although Sunshine Tour commissioner Selwyn Nathan is optimistic that they might come through in Masters week in April.

As one Sunshine Tour insider said: “We’re not in the business of over-promising and there wasn’t enough motivation for the top players to guarantee their presence in South Africa”.

Without the top names, the sponsors’ investment would not bring sufficient return and it is to the credit of the Sunshine Tour that they have been honest with their stakeholders about this.

Meanwhile, Alastair Roper, the NGC tournament director, has been praising the event as “the best tournament ever”, using the testimonials of 2012 champion Martin Kaymer, veteran Bernhard Langer and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts as evidence.

The changing landscape of professional golf may force the NGC to alter the shape and feel of the event, but the end-of-year party at Sun City looks set to still be the encore of the South African golfing year.

Composure under pressure was the quality appertaining most to Martin Kaymer as he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge by two strokes at Sun City on Sunday.

The German maintained his cool on the back nine, despite home favourite Charl Schwartzel drawing level with him as he reached the turn, securing the crystal globe trophy with a three-under-par 69 in the final round for an overall tally of eight-under-par 280.

Kaymer was the archetypal efficient German, mirroring the original golfing model, Bernhard Langer, who won the Champions Challenge for seniors on the previous day, also by two strokes.

Although the blue skies and searing heat usually associated with the Nedbank Golf Challenge gave way to steady rain on Sunday, Kaymer revelled in the conditions and said the final round had been the easiest.

“Today was the easiest of the four rounds, there wasn’t much wind, it was fairly calm and easier to hit the fairways. It was easy to be aggressive, you could hit mid-irons and the greens were holding, they stopped very quickly,” Kaymer said.

The Ryder Cup hero was relaxed and seemed to be enjoying himself as he set out for the final round with a one-stroke lead over Louis Oosthuizen.

A magnificent eagle on the par-five second hole was the perfect boost, but he immediately handed back the advantage with a double-bogey on the third, his pulled drive being unplayable.

Five straight pars followed before Kaymer successfully held off the charging Schwartzel with three successive birdies from the ninth hole.

But the 27-year-old, playing in the NGC for just the second time, made some bad mistakes on the back nine, but recovered from them in brilliant fashion.

He found a greenside bunker on the par-three 12^th hole and then chipped 12 feet past the hole, but made the putt for par.

Then, on the par-five 14th, he sent his drive way left to where the sun don’t shine. Incredibly, his ball landed in a clearing in the thick Pilanesberg bush and Kaymer was able to rise to the challenge of hitting his ball back on to the fairway and then producing a superb third shot that landed 10 feet from the flag to set up the most unlikely of birdies.

“My tee shot on 14 was the biggest piece of luck, I was very lucky to find the ball and then it was in a perfect position just to chip out on to the fairway, which led to birdie,” Kaymer said.

The 2010 PGA champion did drop a stroke on the par-four 15^th after hitting his approach shot over the green and then chipping 10 feet short of the flag, but he escaped from big trouble again on the par-three 16^th, sinking a clutch 18-foot putt for par.

Kaymer had weathered the storm and two pars coming in completed a very impressive triumph.

Schwartzel played very well too on the final day, matching Kaymer’s 69 – in fact, he could easily have gone a couple shots lower were it not for a frustrating day with the putter, a few putts hanging agonisingly on the edge of the hole.

The auburn-haired Oosthuizen, who began the day hot on Kaymer’s heels, saw his challenge fade away as he mixed three birdies with five bogeys for a 74, finishing fourth on two-under-par overall.

It was Schwartzel, however, who had the most regrets, looking as glum as the weather, with not even a sunset over the Pilanesberg hills to cheer him up.

He birdied the second hole and then went on a hot streak around the turn with further birdies on the ninth and 10^th holes. His chances looked bright as he birdied the 14^th hole and Kaymer bogeyed 15 to narrow the gap to just one stroke.

But his hopes disappeared on the penultimate hole when he left his approach shot short on the par-four 17^th and then duffed his chip for a costly bogey.

“It was really tough out there, the course played long. I gave it a good shot but was just short at the end. I’ve always liked this course but it just doesn’t seem to suit my eye, it’s always a real hard grind for me,” Schwartzel told CCTV after his round.

Langer, who Kaymer credited with being a great help during the Ryder Cup, was waiting at the final hole for his countryman as Germany celebrated a double triumph.

Langer also won the NGC twice, in 1985 and 1991, and was also the first German golfer to reach number one in the world rankings.

Kaymer became the second early last year and is eagerly trying to recapture that form.

His win at Sun City, beating some of the best golfers in Europe, is a step in the right direction and he will begin his 2013 campaign with confidence, keen to pick up where he left off at the Gary Player Country Club.

“I’m very happy that I’ve finally won this year. I’ve been practising hard and playing well, but it just didn’t happen for me before today. I said to my caddie, Craig Connelly, that we have to win once a year at least.

“Bernhard has been a very big help to me and everyone talking about a German double put a bit more pressure on me. But I’m very proud to now have my name on the path at the ninth green, joining that special circle of winners,” Kaymer said.

The focused German can fondly remember the weekend he played like a world number one at Sun City as he aims for the pinnacle of world golf again next year.

http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-12-03-cool-kaymer-makes-it-a-german-double

Louis Oosthuizen once again ate something dodgy at the Sun City beach party but had recovered sufficiently by Saturday to position himself nicely just one stroke behind leader Martin Kaymer after the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.

Kaymer shot a solid two-under-par 70 on Saturday to move to five-under overall, but Oosthuizen closed in on the former world number one with a three-under 69, the joint best round of the day.

Fellow South African Charl Schwartzel is one stroke back after a 70, while two-time defending champion Lee Westwood and rising American star Bill Haas are tied for fourth on two-under-par.

When Oosthuizen made his NGC debut in 2010, he suffered a reaction to eating seafood at the famous beach party at the Valley of the Waves and finished last.

“Two years ago, the whole tournament felt like a blur, I just felt terrible,” Oosthuizen said.

Unbelievably, the South African once again picked up a stomach bug at this year’s beach party and did well to struggle his way to an even-par 72 in the second round.

“Yesterday I wasn’t feeling good at all. Today I still had a bit of cramps and pain in my stomach area, but at least I was able to eat a bit, to get something in me,” Oosthuisen said on Saturday after his round.

The 30-year-old from Mossel Bay produced a skilful display of golf on Saturday, thriving in the tough conditions as sunny skies gave way to cloud and occasional light rain.

“The weather was like on the coast, the wind was all over the place and the ball just didn’t go as far. The rain didn’t do much to make the greens easier either,” Oosthuizen said.

Kaymer, however, is in pole position after recovering from a bogey on the par-four third hole to collect three birdies and not drop another shot.

The German said it had taken him a while to lock down his distance control after a dramatic overnight change in weather.

“It was a bit more difficult than yesterday, especially the first few holes because usually the ball goes a bit further in the heat,” Kaymer said.

“Usually the ball goes 10% further, but it took a while to work out whether it was 10% less today or 5% less. And the wind was swirling around on a few holes too.”

Overnight leader Paul Lawrie’s challenge waned as he struggled to a 75 on Saturday to trail Kaymer by four shots, four bogeys in his first eight holes serving to derail his round.

Schwartzel played some inspired golf, dropping just one shot after a wayward drive on the testing par-four eighth hole as home fans contemplated a first South African triumph in the exhibition event since 2007.

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