Christiaan Bezuidenhout claimed three European Tour victories in 2020 – but his season begain with victory in the Dimension Data Pro-am on the Challenge Tour in February.
Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

THE European Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour have confirmed the postponement of next month’s three co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa, which will now be played later in the season.

Following thorough consultation with the medical teams from both Tours, it has been agreed to reschedule the three co-sanctioned events, that were due to take place in February, until later in the year.

The Challenge Tour’s South African Swing will now begin in the week of April 22-25.

An announcement will be made shortly regarding the tournament and its venue.

It will be followed by the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club, from April 29-May 2, and then the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate, from May 6-9.

The spread of the more virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus in South Africa has forced the two tours’ hand – with a sizeable contingent of the field coming from the UK, which also has experienced a new strain of the coronavirus, which has killed nearly two million victims across the world.

Challenge Tour head Jamie Hodges said: “The decision to postpone these events follows consultation with all stakeholders – and was made with the health and well-being of all players and staff as our absolute priority.

“I want to express our thanks to the Sunshine Tour, and each of the tournament venues, sponsors and stakeholders for their flexibility and understanding of this situation.

“We greatly appreciate our partnership with our friends at the Sunshine Tour and look forward to co-sanctioning the three events later this year.”

Sunshine Tour commissioner Thomas Abt said: “In light of the current worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases – and after consultation with our own health experts and GolfRSA and its Risk Mitigation Strategy – we believe it is the most responsible course of action to postpone these tournaments.

“The safety of our members as well as our staff is our primary concern. I’d like to thank the Challenge Tour as well as our own Sunshine Tour Board of Directors and sponsors for their guidance, patience and understanding amidst what remains a very fluid situation for world golf.”

J C Ritchie won the first leg of the European Challenge Tour’s South African Swing last year with victory in the Limpopo Championship. Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

Last year’s South Africa Swing on the Challenge Tour began with the Limpopo Championship, which was won by J C Ritchie.

Sunshine Tour regular Ritchie finished two shots of teenage prodigy Wilco Nienaber, who would make such a big impression on the European Tour later in the summer.

Sweden’s Anton Karlsson recorded his maiden win in Cape Town, with Hampshire’s former Amateur Champion Harry Ellis producing his best result of what would become a curtailed season, with a fourth place, just behind Sussex’s Toby Tree.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout announced his intentions for the year with victory in the Dimnesion Data Pro-am at Fancourt in the final leg of the Challenge Tour’s 2020 South African Swing.

The South African went on to win the Andalucia Masters, at Valderrama in June, before turning to his homeland to end 2020 with back-to-back victories in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, and then the South African Open, at Sun City.

Swede Anton Karlsson claimed his maiden Challenge Tour win in the 2020 Cape Town Open. Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

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JC Ritchie claimed his seventh Sunshine Tour title – and his first co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour – after defending his Limpopo Championship crown.
Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

JC RITCHIE carded a five-under par 67 in his final round to successfully defend his Limpopo Championship title and claim the opening tournament on the 2020 Road to Mallorca season.

The South African held off a determined charge from his compatriot Wilco Nienaber at Euphoria Golf Club to seal his second consecutive victory at the tournament.

Ritchie, who had six Sunshine Tour victories going into the Limpopo Championship started the day two shots behind overnight leader Jacques Kruyswijk.

But the 25-year-old, who represents The Els Club Copperleaf, soon took control with three front nine birdies to reach the turn with a one-shot advantage.

And the Pretoria-based pro picked up two further gains over the closing stretch to finish two shots clear of Nienaber on 19-under.

JC Ritchie was bogey-free throughout the weekend and admitted he needed to play some of the best golf of his career to top the 204-player co-sanctioned field.

“It feels really awesome to win this week,” Ritchie said. “After winning last year, to come back and win it again just feels unbelievable – and I don’t think it has started to sink in yet.

“To have the Challenge Tour players coming to play the event this year definitely made defending the title harder.

“And I found myself getting rather nervous on my back nine, but I was able to keep it together well.

“I feel like I played the best golf I possibly could have played this weekend, and I don’t really feel like I could have played any better out there today.

“To play bogey-free over the weekend is crazy good golf, especially with the conditions over the last few days, which were tough.

“I’m planning to head over to Europe to play some events on the Challenge Tour this year,” revealed Ritchie who picked up a cheque for €35,957.35.

“First though, I think there is quite a party waiting for me at home,” he added.

The Limpopo Championship was co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour for the first time this season.

Nienaber came agonisingly close to securing his first professional title but was ultimately forced to settle for second place despite carding a sublime five-under 67 to match Ritchie’s Sunday score.

The 19-year-old finished two shots clear of overnight leader Kruyswijk and fellow South African Hennie du Plessis, with Louis de Jager ensuring the host country rounded out the top five places.

JC Ritchie takes an early lead on the Road to Mallorca Rankings as he looks to secure his European Tour card for the first time this season.

First-round leader Daniel van Tonder finished in ninth place – one shot ahead of Scotland’s Craig Howie, who had three top 10s in top amateur events in South Africa, in 2017, and finished T11th at the South African Amateur Strokeplay that same season.

The Peebles pro – who finished 34th at the European Tour Qualifying School, in November, missing out on a card by two shots – clearly relishes the continent’s conditions.

•To see the final results from Limpopo, click here.

The Challenge Tour now travels to Cape Town for the RAM Cape Town Open, which gets under way from February 6-9.

The post JC Ritchie clinches back to back Limpopo titles after holding off Nienaber charge appeared first on Golf North.

Daniel van Tonder, who is second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, shot a nine-under par 63 at Koro Creek, to lead the co-sanctioned European Challenge Tour event.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

DANIEL van Tonder carded a brilliant nine-under par 63 at Koro Creek Golf Club to take a two-shot lead into the second day of the Limpopo Championship.

The 28-year-old South African is looking to secure his first European Challenge Tour victory at the co-sanctioned Sunshine Tour event in the season-opener.

Van Tonder wasted little time charging to the top of the leaderboard, opening his title bid with an eagle before reeling off seven further gains on day one.

The first event of the season is played across two courses and local teenager Wilco Nienaber and Greek Sunshine Tour player Peter Karmis, who began their title challenge at Euphoria Golf Club, shot seven-under.

They share second place with South African duo Hennie du Plessis and MJ Viljoen, who tackled Koro Creek.

Van Tonder will now travel to Euphoria, where he claimed the second of his three Sunshine Tour victories in 2014.

After the field play one round at both Koro Creek and Euphoria the competitors are whittled down to the top 60 and ties who will compete for the title at Euphoria over the weekend.

“I’m delighted with that score today,” said van Tonder. “I missed a few birdie opportunities out there. But nine-under par is a great way to start.

“It’s not a long course so it is important to plot your way around and if you manage to get your tee shot away, then you give yourself a great birdie opportunity, which I managed to do really successfully.”

While the Limpopo Championship begins the 2020 Road to Mallorca, van Tonder is also targeting a maiden victory on the 2020 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, with the 28-year-old occupying second place with just four events of the Southern African’s circuit season remaining.

“I think it’s a really good thing for the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour to compete together, and it was fun to play with Spanish player Pep Angles out there who is a good friend,” added Van Tonder.

“I’ve been playing well for a while and I think my game is good enough to have a chance to win.

“So I’m going to go out and give myself a chance and we’ll see at the end of the day.”

Defending champion JC Ritchie and his fellow South Africans Anton Haig and Rourke van der Spuy share sixth place on six-under.

They were joined on the mark by Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer and Jonas Kölbing, Essex’s former English Amateur Champion Todd Clements and Sweden’s Philip Eriksson.

The 2020 Challenge Tour Road to Mallorca will offer 20 full European Tour cards for 2021 – up from 15 in 2019.

First round leader van Tonder will get his second round under way at 11.20am local time, with the action continuing at both courses at 6.30am.

•Click here for live scoring.

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Wiltshire’s Ben Stow is looking for a fast start to the 2020 European Tour Challenge Tour season when he tees it up in the new South Africa swing at the Limpopo Championship. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

WILTSHIRE’S Ben Stow is aiming for a winning start to the European Challenge Tour season at this week’s Limpopo Championship.

A Walker Cup winner five years ago, Stow is looking to put the disappointment of narrowly missing out on his 2020 European Tour card behind him.

The European Challenge Tour travels to South Africa for the first time in the Tour’s history, with the co-sanctioned event (January 30-February 2) providing an early opportunity for the Englishman to throw down the gauntlet to his fellow Challenge Tour members.

Stow, who won the Brabazon Trophy at the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship in 2014, finished 17th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings in 2019.

That was two spots outside the graduation places, having battled injury during the second half of the season.

The 28-year-old Rushmore Park member has finished in the top 30 in the Race to Mallorca Rankings for three consecutive years.

And with 20 cards available in 2020, up from 15 last year, is confident this can be the year he secures a maiden full season on the European Tour.

“I played consistency all year really,” said Stow. “I think I only missed two cuts all season and had ten top 10s – but managed to finish 17^th on the rankings at the end of the year.

“I think it’s really good the Challenge Tour has 20 cards this season – and it’s a move that’s been popular with the players.

“The Challenge Tour is a really good test of golf and you have to maintain that form over the course of the season, so it seems like a good move.”

With the last three winners of the opening event on the Road to Mallorca going on to secure their European Tour playing rights at the conclusion of the campaign, Stow recognises the importance of a fast start.

The youngest-ever Wiltshire Amateur Champion at 16 in 2008, said: “There is almost a million euros to play for over the next three weeks.

“So it is important to play well over these opening tournaments in South Africa and start to build some momentum.

“That’s something I’ve been able to do well over my career. Spending some time in the off-season with my coach and then trying to come out and hit the ground running.

“I’m very excited and I believe I can do very good things,” said Stow, the South Western Counties 2011 Amateur Champion, who pipped fellow Challenge Tour player Rhys Enoch, at Saunton, that summer.

Stow will get his opening round under way at 11.10 am local time at Euphoria, with play beginning at 6.30am at Koro Creek and Euphoria.

•Follow live scoring here.

Limpopo first leg of South African swing

THE Limpopo Championship is the first of three events in South Africa on the Challenge Tour schedule.

The RAM Cape Town Open takes place from February 6-9, and the Dimension Data Pro-Am is being staged from February 13-16 forming the first three events of the season.

This week’s action will feature 204 players from the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

They are bidding for a lion’s share of the $250,000 prize fund, with the field playing one round at both Euphoria and Koro Creek before the top 60 and ties make it through to the weekend at Euphoria.\

•Hampshire’s Harry Ellis, the 2017 Amtaeur Champion, who had limited starts on the Challenge Tour in 2019, is in the field this week and tees off on the Euphoria Course at 6.30am – which is two hours ahead of GMT.

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