Van Den Berg in the hunt at Dainfern

Ulrich Van Den Berg took full advantage of the excellent course conditions at Dainfern Golf Club and shot a second-round 66, bringing his total to 10-under and two shots clear of the field ahead of Thursday’s final round.

“I’ve played some steady golf,” said the veteran campaigner of his first 36 holes here. “I’ve driven the ball well, and when you drive the ball well around here, you’re going to give yourself chances.

“But, it’s kudos to the ground staff here. These are some of the best greens I’ve ever played. They resemble what the guys are playing this week on the Sunshine Tour in Zimbabwe; I’ve always said those are the best greens all year. So, big-up to Dainfern for showing up with a world-class golf course this week.”

Starting his second round from the 10^th, Van den Berg made five straight pars in what seemed a measured approach. Then, a hat-trick of birdies followed as the 50-year-old Van Den Berg turned in 33 and bogey-free. After the turn, Van Den Berg gave away a shot on the first, his 10^th, but recovered swiftly on the next hole, making a birdie there to keep the foot on the gas.

Three uninterrupted pars preceded another hat-trick of birdies, this time on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes of the golf course. He closed off with a par on nine, sealing a round of six-under 66 to lead.

England’s Joe Sullivan, Drikus Joubert and member of the Papwa Sewgolum Class, Musiwalo Nethunzwi are in a three-man tie for second at eight-under. Despite making a bogey and double bogey in the round, Sullivan was able to weave together a round of 67.

Joubert backed up his opening 68 with another on day two, while Nethunzwi’s 70 was enough to get him in that share of second. Andrew Williamson and Brandon Gildenhuys share fifth at seven under while the recently-turned-pro Oliver Goldhill shares seventh with Ryan Tipping, overnight leader Richard Joubert and former Sunshine Tour winner Haydn Porteous at six under-par.

The final round of this 54-hole event promises to be a spectacle as there will be no less than 10 players with a real chance of challenging for glory in this first tournament of this new campaign.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els among other patrons.

Strong start gives Joubert slender lead at Dainfern

Richard Joubert shrugged off a bogey on the first hole and carded an opening round of 65 to take a slim lead in the first event of the season at Dainfern Golf Estate on Tuesday.

“I hit two good shots on one; just got a little bit unlucky with my second shot,” said Joubert of his start on day one. “It was just a bad bunker shot, and I made a drop. I knew the swing was good; I’ve been working so hard. To be honest, I feel like I shouldn’t even be standing here. I played so well at Q-School, and to miss my card by 1 was very bad.

“But, we got the mindset back on track, and I think the golf is really looking good and putting very well too. Today, I made a few nice ones. The greens are rolling great and hopefully, we can keep it up tomorrow and it’s going to be a lekker week ahead.”

Following that bogey on the first, Joubert made birdie on two, four, seven and nine to turn in 33. Then, two more birdies – on 12 and 13 – made their way onto his card and then two more on 17 and 18 to seal a round of 65.

“The course is quite tight off the tee, I think,” added Joubert. “There are a lot of houses everywhere, so it’s not like it’s wide open. But, it is gettable and you can hit some irons off the tee if you’re not comfortable with the driver. I hit the driver very well today.”

A shot adrift lies Musiwalo Nethunzwi, whose 66 consisted of five birdies, an eagle and a solitary drop.

“I’m happy with my start,” said Nethunzwi. “First tournament of the season; 6-under, I can’t complain. I started with a bogey, but I thought it’s the first hole of the first tournament of the season, so I didn’t put any pressure on myself after that drop.

“You can’t give up. You need to trust your process and the work you’ve done during the off-season. So, I’m happy with y score today and I’m looking forward to the next two days.”

Daniel Cronje, Haydn Porteous and Reece McKain carded respective rounds of 67 to share the third spot on the leaderboard. Veterans Ulrich Van Den Berg and Ryan Tipping carded rounds of 68 to share the sixth spot with American Austin Cherichella, Drikus Joubert and Travis Ladner.

Betway Big Easy Tour season starts as exciting 2025/26 schedule is announced

The Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit, the Betway Big Easy Tour, has announced an exciting schedule for the upcoming 2025/26 season, which begins at Dainfern Golf Estate from 6 to 8 May.

Riding the momentum of last season’s successful campaign, the Tour has announced 10 regular-event tournaments plus two season-ending events: The Play-Off and The Final. Added to that, the new campaign will feature an additional five special events to be co-hosted with the Bushveld Tour and named the Betway Big Easy Tour Blue Label Invitationals.

“The Betway Big Easy Tour has grown so much over the last three seasons, and we are very excited to get the new season going,” said Ludwick Manyama, General Manager of the Betway Big Easy Tour.

“The relationship we have shared with the Bushveld Tour in the last couple of years, since that Tour’s inception, has culminated in the additional five tournaments we will co-host in the new season. This partnership will provide our members further playing opportunities and help improve competition among the players.”

Following the season-opener at Dainfern Golf Estate, the first of the five Blue Label Invitationals will tee off at Ruimsig Country Club from the 12^th to the 14^th of May. The second Betway Big Easy Tour event – the third tournament overall – will go to Glenvista Country Club from 20^th to 22^nd May.

The next stop will be the scene of last season’s playoff event, Killarney Country Club, where the second Blue Label Invitational event will be held from 2^nd to 4^th June, and then the Wanderers Golf Club will host the third Betway Big Easy Tour event from the 10^th to the 12^th of June.

To close off the first two months of the new campaign, the next event will be held at Benoni Country Club from 17 to 19 June. The third of the five events to be co-hosted with the Bushveld Tour will be held at Waterkloof Golf Club from 28 to 30 July, while CMR Golf Club will host the fifth event of the Betway Big Easy Tour from 5 to 7 August.

Five days later, Reading Country Club will host the sixth event of the season while Soweto Country Club will be the venue for the seventh event, scheduled for 16 to 18 September. Then, the fourth Blue Label Invitational will go to Reading from 29 September to the first of October.

The host for the eighth event of the Betway Big Easy Tour is yet to be confirmed. The final Blue Label Invitational event will be held at Silver Lakes Golf Club, and the ninth event of the Big Easy will be at Krugersdorp Golf Club from 11 to 13 November.

The dates and venues for The Play Off and The Final will be announced as the season progresses. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit, which enjoys the support of Ernie Els and boasts international star Christiaan Bezuidenhout as one of its former Order of Merit winners.

The Sunshine Development Tour launches in Kenya

The Sunshine Tour, one of the top golf tours of the world, has expanded its footprint into Kenya and East Africa, introducing the Sunshine Development Tour.

The South Africa-based Sunshine Tour has signed a three-year exclusive contract with leading sports marketing agency IMG Kenya Limited to launch and operationalize this brand new mixed, professional development golf tour in Kenya and East Africa.

The Sunshine Development Tour – East African Swing, will offer professional golfers and elite amateurs, both men and women, a chance to play regular competitive golf tournaments organized in line with Sunshine Tour standards.

Commenting on the Tour, IMG Kenya CEO, Peter Gacheru said the Tour is set to revolutionize professional and elite amateur golf in the region.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with The Sunshine Tour of South Africa to bring The Sunshine Development Tour – East African Swing to the region. It is our conviction that this Tour will offer golfers the much-needed platform to play consistent and competitive golf to an ever-increasing standard, whilst providing them with a steady revenue stream.

“Our objective is to enhance the quality of professional golf in Kenya and the region, provide elite amateurs and juniors with a development pad, and elevate our profile as a golfing community on the global stage.

“We believe that, through this tour, our local and regional golf landscape will be transformed to produce globally acclaimed golf champions whilst providing a development pipeline for future talent,” he said.

“We look forward to joining hands with other like-minded partners to grow this event to make it bigger, more sustainable, and more impactful for the present and future of golf in the region,” he added.

This Tour will include 10 to 15 events annually and will deliver Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which are crucial for player advancement, providing local professional golfers with a genuine merit-based “pathway” into global golf. OWGR points are also crucial for qualification to the Olympic Games.

Commenting on the deal, Sunshine Tour Commissioner, Thomas Abt, said:
“The launch of the Sunshine Development Tour is a significant moment for golf in Africa as we are able to create unrivalled opportunities for professional golfers and the top amateurs in East Africa. We now have an effective vehicle to unearth the talent on the continent and bring new stars to the game.

“The Sunshine Tour and Sunshine Ladies Tour have effective global pathways in place that are perfectly suited to the development of talent in Africa.
“We look forward to launching the Sunshine Development Tour in what is a milestone moment for the game in Africa, and one in which we can play an important role in the growth of golf here.”

Ahead of the tour, IMG Kenya and the Sunshine Tour have organized a qualifying event (Q-School) from the 30th of March to 2nd of April 2025 at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club. The qualifying school will be a four-day tournament with a prize money of Sh1 million.

“Ordinarily Q-Schools don’t offer Prize money, but we made a decision at IMG Kenya to kick start the Tour with an incentive for the professional golfers,” Gacheru added.
The ‘Q-School’ is a mandatory pre-requisite for earning OWGR points on the East Africa

Swing, and all players hoping to join the tour may register online at easwing.epass.co.ke. Players completing the four-round qualifier event will be awarded tour cards for the 2025/26 season and the top 10 qualifiers will earn invitations to the Sunshine Tour Final Stage Qualifier in Johannesburg, 8 – 11 April 2025.

New dawn for Purchase and Co.

Warwick Purchase’s victory in the final of the Betway Big Easy Tour at Copperleaf last Friday not only handed him his second win of the season but also the honour of being the Order of Merit winner.

His one-stroke victory over Graham van der Merwe proved enough to hand him the title of the Order of Merit, and thus, seeing him lead a new 12-man cohort into the Sunshine Tour for the 2025/26 season.

The other players who earned their way into greatness are England’s Joe Knox, Paul Boshoff, Xander Basson, veteran Ulrich van den Berg, Slade Pickering, Luke Mayo, Ryan Van Der Klis, Eric Wowor, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Leon Vorster and Marcel Steyn Scholtz.

Toto Thimba Jnr, Allister de Kock, Thanda Mavundla, Jacquin Hess, Kyle Wykes and Jastice Mashego are the top six transformation players who have secured their Sunshine Tour playing rights.

Now, having secured their rights to compete among the elite golfers on the continent, Purchase and company are yet another solid proof of how integral this circuit is as a pathway to the Sunshine Tour and beyond.

They will draw inspiration from previous graduates who have gone on to make names for themselves on the grandest golfing stages around the world. Such players include Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the former Investec South African Open champion.

For Purchase, however, his win in the final also earned him a spot in the season-opening Waterfall City Tournament of Champions supported by Attacq and the Waterfall City Management Company, where every champion in South African golf will be vying for the glory of being crowned the Champion of Champions.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the primary pathway into the Sunshine Tour and enjoys the support of Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Knox in four-way share of Big Easy lead ahead final round at Copperleaf

England’s Joe Knox played himself to a four-way share of the lead ahead of the final round of the Betway Big Easy Tour final after he carded an eventful second-round 67 at The Els Club, Copperleaf, on Thursday.

Knox is on a tournament total of seven-under par alongside Warwick Purchase, Graham van der Merwe and overnight leader, Ulrich van den Berg, ahead of the final round at The Els Club, Copperleaf.

A winner already on this circuit this season – he claimed his victory in The Play-Off which was held at Killarney Country Club, the event which preceded this week’s final – Knox is not only targeting a win here this week, but has his sights set on the very top spot on the Order of Merit.

“I’m gonna try,” Knox said, candidly, of his desire to claim back-to-back wins. Like many in this field, however, Knox’s target is that coveted first spot on the Order of Merit; the honour of leading the top players into greatness.

“Me and Warwick (Purchase) played together today; we both played nicely. We’re good friends, so hopefully, we can kind of feed off each other tomorrow if we play together. And yeah, I think that number one spot on the Order of Merit is up for grabs.

“I think there’s a good number of guys who’ve already secured their (Sunshine Tour) cards, so they can kind of play with a bit of freedom. And the guys in the bubble might feel like they have to push. But the course is, kind of, in front of you, so you don’t always have to take aggressive lines or anything like that.”

Purchase, Graham van der Merwe – both winners this season – and, indeed, Ulrich van den Berg are no strangers to the winner’s circle. Both Purchase and Van der Merwe are first-time winners on the Betway Big Easy Tour this season while Van den Berg boasts an impressive eight victories on the Sunshine Tour alone.

While Knox’s round featured six birdies, an eagle and three dropped shots, Warwick’s was characterised by seven birdies and two bogeys. It was a strong showing from the Benoni Country Club member; an opportunity for him to also win his second title of the campaign.

“I played a little bit better today,” said Purchase after his round. “I made a couple of putts.  I drove the ball okay; I hit myself into some precarious positions, but overall, it was a good day.

“It’s a long golf course, so you’ve got to hit it onto some good positions. There are times to be aggressive on this golf course, but this week’s I’m just going to try to carry on with what I’ve done the whole season because it seems to have worked.”

Van der Merwe shot a near-perfect 68 while Van den Berg laboured to a 70 to take a share of the lead. Zimbabwe’s David Amm and Drikus Joubert tie the fifth spot at three-under-par and four shots off the pace while Phillip Geerts, Slade Pickering, Matthew Rushton, Ryan Van Der Klis, and Leon Visser share seventh on the leaderboard.

Only the top 30 players on the Order of Merit are eligible for the Final.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the feeder circuit of the Sunshine Tour and enjoys the support of legendary South African golfer, Ernie Els, amongst many other patrons.

Blemish-free 67 hands Van den Berg early lead in Big Easy final

Ulrich van den Berg’s experience came to the fore on Wednesday, as he charged to an untainted five-under-par 67 in the opening round of the Big Easy Tour final event at The Els Club, Copperleaf, in Centurion.

With the stakes as high as they are this week – where the top 12 players on the Order of Merit will receive their Sunshine Tour playing privileges after this event – it was the veteran Van den Berg who rose to the top, cementing a two-stroke lead over Graham van der Merwe.

Lying eighth on the Order of Merit list following a stellar season on this Sunshine Tour feeder circuit, Van den Berg came into this 54-hole tournament as one of the most experienced and in-form players.

He opened his round with a birdie on the par-fourth first and followed that up with nine straight pars as he sought to avoid the big numbers. Now settled and in control, Van den Berg found another birdie on 12, and two more on 14 and 15. He sealed his round with another birdie on 18 for a score of 67.

“The course is very soft, so it’s playing to its full length,” said Van den Berg who has eight Sunshine Tour victories to his name. “It was a grind out there. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of good iron shots and I was able to have a nice little run around the back nine, which helped my scorecard.”

Van den Berg is fully aware of what’s at stake this week and his position on the points list is suggestive of a man who has had a solid plan all season long.

“For me, personally, this event is about trying to get my Sunshine Tour card back for next year,” said Van den Berg. “All my exemptions that I’ve had from all my years on the Tour have now come an end, hence I’ve been playing the Betway Big Easy Tour this year; to try and secure that.

“And, obviously, everybody else is trying to do the same thing. We are playing to try to secure a spot to play for our livelihoods. That comes with different pressures.”

Second on the leaderboard is Graham van der Merwe who won the Krugersdorp tournament and who lies one spot behind Van den Berg on the Order of Merit. His solid round of 69 was characterised by four birdies and a solitary drop. Drikus Joubert and Zimbabwe’s David Amm share the third spot on the leaderboard with four players who have each won a tournament this season – Warwick Purchase, Luke Mayo, Marcel Scholts-Steyn and last tournament’s winner, England’s Joe Knox.

Only the top 30 players on the Order of Merit are eligible for the Final.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the feeder circuit of the Sunshine Tour and enjoys the support of legendary South African golfer, Ernie Els, amongst many other patrons.

Van Den Berg charges to slim lead at Killarney

Veteran campaigner Ulrich van den Berg carded a round of four-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead in the Betway Big Easy Tour Pla-Off tournament at Killarney Country Club on Thursday.

The weather-delayed Play-Off event, scheduled to begin on Tuesday 18^th, finally teed off on Thursday after some heavy rains left the course waterlogged and unplayable on Tuesday and Wednesday. As such, what was initially a 54-hole event has now been shortened to a 36-hole spectacle, with the top 30 players on the Order of Merit after this event going on to The Final at The Els Club Copperleaf, next month.

Van den Berg, a multiple-time Sunshine Tour winner, produced an eventful round of 66 on this par-70 layout, characterised by seven birdies and three dropped shots.

“I have been hitting a couple more balls than I’m used to,” revealed Van den Berg after his round. “Obviously, I am trying to get ready for next week’s SA Open. And, I hit the ball well. I waited patiently and then made three birdies in the last six holes, so it was a patient day.

“I made a couple mistakes but all in all I’m very thrilled with how I played today. The course was really wet but amazingly, the greens were incredible and didn’t show any signs of having been waterlogged. There were a couple of the par-fours on the low-lying areas on the front nine that were a little wetter than most. But, by and large, I was surprised that we could actually get to play.”

England’s Joe Knox shot 67 to trail by a single shot, giving himself a shot at glory. Three birdies and an eagle were accompanied by two bogeys in Knox’s scorecard but that will not bother him much as he is in with a real chance of challenging for a win here this week.

“I have played here a lot of times and got bitten trying to be too aggressive,” Knox said. “I knew today that you just had to hit it to spots and accept that you’re going to have some good irons in. So, it was nice to play well today.”

This play-off event follows 10 regular-season events after which only the top 50 players on the Order of Merit earned their way into this week’s tournament. From this event, the top 30 players on the rankings will head to Pretoria for The Final.

From there, only the top 12 players on the final points standings will earn their Sunshine Tour cards for next season. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the main feeder circuit to the Sunshine Tour and enjoys the support of legendary South African golfer, Ernie Els.

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.