Van der Klis claims dramatic win for maiden Big Easy title

Ryan van der Klis shot a final-round 66 to total 12-under and claimed a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the 10th Betway Big Easy Tour event held at Observatory Golf Club.

The 24-year-old Van der Klis turned pro four months after graduating from Augusta University in July. Having had four top-10 finishes in his first five starts on this Sunshine Tour feeder circuit, Van der Klis got his breakthrough win in his sixth start, a testimony to his ability and very high work rate.

Van der Klis was two shots off the pace coming into the final round. His par-eagle-bogey start was decent enough to keep him within reach of the leaders, including Musiwalo Nethunzwi, veteran Ulrich van den Berg and Andrew Williamson.

Birdies on the fifth and seventh holes eased Van der Klis’ nerves as he turned in 34. Coming home, a bogey on 12 threatened to derail his progress but Van der Klis bounced back expertly; birdieing four of his last six holes to get to 12-under for a one-stroke victory.

“I’m truly ecstatic,” said Van der Klis after his dramatic win. “A lot of credit has to go to my coaches out at Augusta for getting me ready to compete at such a high level and against these really good professionals out here. It was nice.

“I wasn’t expecting to turn professional so early but the Betway Big Easy Tour has given me that opportunity to pursue that dream quite early and I had four top10s in the last five events and it’s nice to get the win on my sixth start.

“It’s nice to show up on the green and think ‘I belong here and I can do it’. So, to actually just prove it again with a win is satisfying and I’m incredibly happy to get the win here today.”

This was the final event of the regular season before The Playoff and The Finals where only the top 50 (playoff) and top 30 (final) players on the Order of Merit, will compete to conclude the season. Van der Klis’ triumph catapulted him to seventh on the Order of Merit, guaranteeing a spot in the abovementioned events.

From there, only the top 12 players on the final points standings will earn their Sunshine Tour cards for next season.

Exciting finale ahead as three share Big Easy lead at Observatory

The final round of the 10^th event of the Betway Big Easy Tour will be a guaranteed spectacle as no less than 10 players stand a real chance of claiming victory on Thursday.

This 54-hole event is the last tournament of the regular season before the season-ending Playoff which is to be held at Killarney Country Club in February and The Final which will be played at The Els, Copperleaf in March.

Leon Visser, Ulrich van den Berg and Musiwalo Nethunzwi will head into the final round in a three-way share of the lead at eight-under-par and two shots clear of the field. Visser – at the back of a level-par opening round – carded a blemish-free 64 on Wednesday to claim his spot among the leading three. Van den Berg shot 67 while Nethunzwi carded a 66 to get to eight-under for the week.

“Today I just hit very good off the tee and that helped me,” said Visser after his second round. “I had a lot of wedges in. I was all over the course yesterday and all I needed today was to hit it a little bit straighter. Luckily today I hit my driver really good and the putter kept working.

“I got off to a slow start and then I had a chip in on 14, I think. From there I just kept it clean. I’m very excited for tomorrow and I told my girlfriend that I just want to try and shoot a low one and have a chance tomorrow. I feel like the course suits me, so hopefully, I can just go out tomorrow and enjoy every moment.”

Five players – Thanda Mavundla, Ryan Van Der Klis, Toto Thimba Jnr, Ryan Tipping and Karabo Mokoena – are on a tournament total of six-under and trail by two strokes. They will be confident of their respective chances to claim victory here this week.

The top 50 players on the Order of Merit after this tournament will go on to play in The Playoff next month and then the top 30 from there will head to The Final at The Els Club Copperleaf in March.

The top 12 players on the final points standings will earn their Sunshine Tour cards for next season.

Mokoena off to a fast start at Observatory

Karabo Mokoena carded a near-perfect six-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the 10^th Betway Big Easy Tour tournament which is underway at Observatory Golf Club.

This 54-hole event is the last tournament of the regular season before the season-ending Playoff which is to be held at Killarney Country Club in February and The Final which will be played at The Els, Copperleaf in March.

Fresh from a T53 on the Sunshine Tour’s Mediclinic Invitational at Heron Banks Estate last week, Mokoena felt he had found something in the Vaal and sought to ride that wave at Observatory on Tuesday.

The course here is very tight,” he said, “but I just kept the ball on the fairway. I took some notes from last week’s Sunshine tour events at Heron Banks and improved on some aspects; especially the putting. I spent a long time on the putting green and I am happy I made a few today. I was unfortunate to make a bogey with a three-foot putt on 16; the greens were getting slower in the afternoon. But I am happy with my round.”

The par on the ninth proved to be the beginning of a streak of seven straight pars before Mokoena dropped his first shot of the day on the par-four 16^th. He didn’t dwell too much on the lost gains and birdied the last two holes to finish with a 66. Mokoena, who plays out of Modderfontein Golf Club, credited his driver for his solid display on day one.

“Funny, I broke my driver in December and I didn’t have a driver until the day before last week’s tournament at Heron Banks,” he said. “I was hitting it so badly in the practice round and then in the first round there, I was learning a few things about it.

“Today though my tee shots were very good and you need that on a tight golf course like this. The driver really came through for me today and the putting was also good, so it was a good performance today.”

A shot back lurks East London Golf Club’s Lwazi Gqira whose eventful round of 67 was the second-lowest round of the day after Mokoena’s. Ryan Tipping shot 68 to take third on the leaderboard while Richard Joubert, Christopher Long, Ryan Van Der Klis, Ulrich van den Berg and England’s Thomas Spreadborough share fourth on three-under-par.

Mayo claims breakthrough win at Ebotse

Luke Mayo became the latest first-time winner on the Betway Big Easy Tour after clinching the ninth event of the season at Ebotse Links on Thursday.

The Mount Edgecombe player carded a final round of one-under 71 to take his tournament total to seven-under, claiming a four-stroke victory in the process.

“The Big Easy is such a good feeder tour to the Sunshine Tour and to win here is huge,” said Mayo after his win. “I didn’t have the best of starts to the season but in my last four tournaments, I’ve had a second, a fifth and winning today pretty much gets me my card which means a lot to me.

With this being the second-last regular event before the playoffs and the final, Mayo will feel a huge amount of relief, given that only the top 12 players on the Order of Merit here will earn their Sunshine Tour playing privileges for the next season.

“This win takes a lot of pressure off the last two events and I am happy that I was able to get the job done today,” admitted Mayo. “Coming into this event, I knew that in the last two events, money doubles and triples, so you want t get the job done as soon as you can. “

In a round where birdies were hard to come by and the leaderboard as tight as they come, Mayo had one thing in his mind the entire day.

“I just focused on my own game and what I could do,” he said, “I didn’t even look at the leaderboard because I wanted to stay focused. I didn’t even know what everyone else was doing; I just stuck to my game plan throughout the week and I only had three bogeys the whole week.

“I think that was pretty much the key to my good golf this week. I wasn’t even going for birdies out there today. I knew that if I shot around 70 or 71, I was in with a shout and I just stuck to the plan. The goal was not to look at the leaderboard and just keep playing good golf.”

His victory at Ebotse Links takes Mayo to fourth on the Order of Merit with one regular season tournament left ahead before the playoff and the final. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit which enjoys the support of Ernie Els among other patrons.

Liebenberg takes slender lead ahead of final round

Louis Liebenberg will sleep on a slim one-stroke lead going into the final round of the ninth Betway Big Easy Tour event at Ebotse Links, thanks to a second round of 70 on Wednesday.

That score took his tournament total to seven-under and a stroke clear of the chasing pack led by Luke Mayo. Liebenberg, who plays out of Glenvista, admitted on Wednesday that the second round proved a little tougher than the first 18 holes of this 54-hole event.

“It was a little bit trickier than yesterday,” Liebenberg said of his second round. “I put myself in some strange places today but managed a few good up-and-downs; I didn’t panic and made a few good putts and ended up two-under-par.

“Course management is huge on this golf course because you make a big number even by just picking the wrong club. You have to plan ahead of time for this golf course and then commit and hit the ball straight.”

Liebenberg’s eventful round consisted of three birdies, the same number of dropped shots plus an eagle.

Mayo will be eager to get going in the final round given the good form he’s enjoyed in the last couple of events. He will find further confidence following his bogey-free 70 on Wednesday. Keeping the big numbers off the card will be key in a final round where the leaderboard is as packed as it is this week.

A single shot behind Mayo is the quartet of Ebotse Links’ own amateur Jordan Burnand, Daniel Cronje, Houghton Golf Club’s Coert Groenewald and Royal Johannesburg and Kensington’s Tyrone Ryan, all on five-under.

Slade Pickering, Michael Kok, Dillon Germshuys and overnight leader, Silver Lakes Golf Estate’s Xander Basson make up the top 10 leading players, all on a tournament total of three-under.

Basson rides last year’s form to a share of lead at Ebotse

The first Betway Big Easy Tour event of the new year got off to a scintillating start, just like the final event of the last year, with Xander Basson producing yet another fine effort to share the early lead at Ebotse Links on Tuesday.

Basson finished second to Paul Boshoff in the last two tournaments before the Christmas break; a sign of a resurgent man whose game had significantly improved.

With the memory of those losses still lingering, Basson brought his usual intensity and accuracy to the opening round of the ninth tournament of the season held at Ebotse Links in Benoni. His unblemished six-under-par 66 on Tuesday gave him a share of the lead alongside Centurion Country Club’s amateur, Wandre Snyman.

“It actually started on the second hole; made probably a 40-footer for birdie,” said Basson who plays out of Silver Lakes Golf and Wildlife Estate when recalling some key moments in his round.

“That just got my round started and then on the par-five fourth, I made a nice one. Then I hit two great shots on six; almost made an albatross there but made an eagle. I was four-under through seven and from there I just kept it clean. It was nice starting a round; a year like that, with no bogeys. Hopefully, I can keep it that way this week.”

Just as impressive as Basson was, Snyman also showed his mettle on his maiden Betway Big Easy Tour appearance. His eventful round of 66 showed glimpses of a player who could hold his own among the elite. A single bogey on the second, a double on nine, seven birdies and an eagle characterised the amateur’s opening round in the East Rand.

His effort took him to the summit alongside the fairly experienced Basson as the pair shared a one-stroke lead over the field. Tyrone Davidowitz, Louis Liebenberg and Slade Pickering share third at six-under-par while Tyrone, Jaden Deltel and Luke Mayo are a shot further back on five-under.

“It’s always good to get off to a good start,” said Snyman. “I played well today against a strong field. I managed myself well. This golf course is tough and the tee shot is very important here. My tee shots were really good. I made a couple of good putts, I must say, but the tee shots were crucial. If you’re not hitting it well off the tee here, you’re going to suffer.”

The trio of Philip Geerts, England’s Harry Koning and Francois Van der Walt share ninth after respective rounds of 69.

Resurgent Boshoff claims historic victory in Pretoria

Paul Boshoff claimed a historic eight-shot victory in the eighth tournament of the Betway Big Easy Tour that was played at Waterkloof Golf Club, making it two wins in two weeks in the process.

A final round 63 which included three eagles, five birdies and two bogeys took Boshoff’s total for the week to 21-under-par 195, some distance clear of Xander Basson who had led proceedings since Tuesday.

“You don’t always know if you have a 63 in you,” said a happy Boshoff. “I didn’t really have a number today but at the beginning of the week, I sort of had 20-under in my head as a goal for myself. There are a lot of birdies here to be made. I have a really good process and I was just going out to play 18 good holes and see what happens.”

Boshoff was two shots off Basson’s lead at the start of the final round and with some work to do, seeing how good Basson was playing. In the end, the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, Boshoff, his second victory on Tour and over Basson this season. His feat etched him into the history books of the Betway Big Easy Tour as the first player to win back-to-back since the Tour returned under the Sunshine Tour banner.

“That’s obviously an honour I will keep,” he said of being the first man to win twice in a row on the circuit. “It’s so hard to explain that my game has been good for so long and obviously, last week gave me a lot of confidence.

More confidence in the process that I am following; that I am actually doing the right things. So, I just said into the week, just copy and paste and do the same things. I got the same results, so it shows that what I am doing is working and I am very happy right now.”

Boshoff was third on the Order of Merit at the start of the week, thanks to his win at CMR Golf Club last week. Thursday’s win catapulted him to the summit of those rankings with four events left in the campaign.

The top 12 players on the standings after the season concludes will earn their Sunshine Tour playing privileges for the season ahead, and Boshoff has placed himself in pole position to be among those players.

“It means a lot to be up there,” he said. “It’s the reason all of us are here; to move up to the Sunshine Tour. I want to say that It’s almost secured now. I a obviously going to try to win as much as I can and finish this season as high as I can and play good golf. But, yeah, I am already preparing my game for next season; to level up. There is a level up and I just want to be ready for that.”

While Basson will feel a little gutted at losing out twice within as many weeks – and after he has been playing some of his best golf – he will be happy with his position on the Order of Merit.

Despite that victory remaining elusive, Basson has shot up to second on those Order of Merit and he too will be thinking about the prospect of teeing it up among the elite in the 2025/26 season.

Basson shoots 66 to extend lead at Waterkloof

Xander Basson shot an eventful second round of six-under-par 66 to take his total to 15-under ahead of the final round of the eighth Betway Big Easy Tour event at Waterkloof Golf Club.

The second round of this 54-hole tournament was suspended because of bad weather on Wednesday. Basson and most of the field hadn’t finished the round and had to come to wrap things up early on Friday.

While his front-nine 37 was not as impressive as he would have liked, the Silverlakes Golf Club member, Basson, got going on the homeward stretch. He shot a blemish-free 29 there in what was a show of skill, patience and determination.

“I had quite a slow start yesterday morning,” he said of his front nine showing. “I was hitting it well but I just left myself in some bad spots. But, this morning, I started off well and told my caddie that I felt I was hitting it well and we must try to make as many birdies as possible on the back nine. Then I went on a little streak there, so it was fun.

The weather-enforced delay did very little to demotivate Basson.

“I was actually excited to go back out yesterday,” he said. “But this morning I thought to myself I’m hitting it well and I’m rolling the putter well, so let’s go and make a few more putts and see what happens, Then I ended here on 18 with a give eagle putt. That was nice.”

Last week’s winner and another man on form, Paul Boshoff, carded a 67 to move to within two shots of Basson’s lead. Given the brilliant golf he has been playing, he will feel confident about his chances of a second win in as many starts.

At 11-under for the week and in solo third on the leaderboard is Leon Visser. Graham van der Merwe and Eric Wowor share fourth on nine-under.

Basson takes good form to Waterkloof

Xander Basson carded a phenomenal opening round of 63 to take a two-shot lead in the eighth tournament of the season hosted at Waterkloof Golf Club.

It was Basson’s second 63 in as many starts after he shot the same score in the final round of the seventh event which was held at CMR Golf Club last week, a feat he admitted was a first for him.

“Last week, I made a comeback for it and shot nine under to finish in second place after Paul Boshoff played some amazing golf,” Basson stated. “It’s been a good few events now. Over the last five few events, I think I got four top 10s. Last week, I finished the week off with a nice 63 and today, I followed it up with another 63.

“It’s actually a first for me to shoot two 63s in a row. Interestingly, I hadn’t touched a club since last Thursday. But it was a good round and I am happy with how I have been playing.”

Starting his round on 10, Basson made birdie there but those gains were immediately erased as he dropped on the next hole. After making pars on his next two holes, Basson let loose, resulting in a run of four birdies and an eagle to turn in 30.

He rode that momentum to the back nine; shooting three-under-par on that stretch with zero bogeys to write home about.

“I started a little slow,” he admitted. “I three-putted on 11 which was my second hole of the day. And then I went on a great run from 14; I made a birdie there. 15, I hit it close and I holed out on 16 from about 58 metres and that got my round going. I took the momentum from there and it went well.”

Defending champion, Reece McKain and last week’s champion, Paul Boshoff carded respective rounds of 65 to share second on the leaderboard. At the same time, England’s Joe Knox, amateur Oliver Goldhill, Zimbabwe’s David Amm, Luke Trocado and Leon Visser tied fourth at six-under par.

Travis Ladner and Eric Wowor made up the rest of the top 10 leading players; sharing ninth at five-under.

Boshoff ends trophy drought in style at CMR

Paul Boshoff claimed a two-stroke victory over Xander Basson in the seventh tournament of the season at CMR Golf Club on Thursday, ending a six-year trophy drought in the process.

His final-round 67 took his tournament total to 17-under-par 199, two clear of Basson who produced a near-perfect round of 63 to take solo second. The victory at CMR was Boshoff’s second on this circuit, having one at Randpark Golf Club in 2018. Ironically, that victory also came in the seventh tournament of that season.

“I think it’s a lot of relief,” said Boshoff, describing his feelings in the aftermath of his triumph. “It’s been a lot of hard work and struggles over the last couple of years. So, for it to start getting together; I got the win, so it came together; it’s just relief.

“I have been playing very nicely for the last six, seven, eight, nine weeks but there’s always a bad round in there or a couple of bad holes that derail me, so I’m just relieved and very happy right now.

“It means a lot to me to win against such a strong field. People tend to underestimate the fields of the Big Easy, but the winning score was 17-under-par to win by two shots. You need to play good golf and every week is sort of a grind. It’s a building block to where you want to be and I think it prepares you for the higher levels of the game.”

His win certainly went a long way in boosting his chances of earning his Sunshine Tour card for next season by lifting him to third on the Order of Merit. It also brought his six-year winless streak to a halt.

“My first victory was in 2018, the year before I got my Sunshine Tour card,” Boshoff recalled. “It was also a Big Easy event at Randpark but obviously a long time ago. Very different emotions back then. This one means a little bit more, I would say. I think back then I sort of took it for granted a bit but this one means a bit more.

“This win sets me up nicely because, obviously, I want to play on the Sunshine Tour again and move on from there. I want to play all over the world and I think South African golfers have proven that we can compete wherever we want to compete.”

A man fully aware of the impact the Betway Big Easy Tour has had in launching some of the country’s fines golfers’ careers, Boshoff will look forward to the rest of the season with some renewed confidence as destiny beckons.

The top 12 players on the Order of Merit standings will earn their Sunshine Tour cards, come end of the season, and Boshoff has thrown his name in the hat.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s development circuit and enjoys the support of South African golfing legend, Ernie Els among other patrons.