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

The post South African Swing pushed back to spring by Challenge and Sunshine Tours appeared first on Golf North.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout stormed into the first round lead at the Dimension Data Pro Am with a superb 11-under par 61, at Fancourt’s Outeniqua Course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

CHRISTIAAN Bezuidenhout took full advantage of benign early conditions at Fancourt Golf Estate to post an 11-under par round of 61 on the opening day of the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

The South African, who lost a play-off against Australian Lucas Herbert at last month’s Dubai Desert Classic, recorded a blemish-free round on the Outeniqua Course.

Bezuidenhout will take a two-stroke lead into the second day ahead of Spain’s Santiago Tarrio Ben, who recorded a nine-under par 63 on the Montagu Course.

Meanwhile four-time Major Champion Ernie Els and Portuguese 20-year-old Stephen Ferreira were a shot further back at eight-under.

The World No. 60 made the turn in 31 strokes and required one fewer on the way in to take full advantage of the generous Outeniqua Course, recording the lowest round of his career in the process.

“I got off to a good start today with birdies on the first couple of holes,” said Bezuidenhout, who won the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama, in June.

“It was crucial to get off to a good start because, over the years, the Outeniqua has been the scoreable course so I’m obviously very happy with my 61.

“I was especially happy with my start – I was four-under after five holes, so that also helps,” added 25-year-old Bezuidenhout, whose sole Sunshine Tour win came in the 2016 Sun Fish River Challenge.

“It’s a bit shorter than the other courses and there’s a bit of space to miss here and there.

“All the par fives are reachable, so you want to make birdies on them and there are also four or five short-ish par fours where you’re only going into the green with a wedge, so you need to take advantage of those.

“I know I’m close to breaking into the world’s top 50, but I set myself a goal to finish the year inside the top 50,” said the Johannesburg pro who also won twice on the Big Easy Tour, in 2015.

“If it doesn’t happen this week, then I’m just going to keep going and see if I can achieve my goal by the end of the year.”

The Dimension Data Pro-Am celebrates its 25th anniversary this year – and with the European Challenge Tour co-sanctioning the event with the Sunshine Tour for the first time in 2020 – Bezuidenhout hopes to see it go from strength-to-strength in the future.

“This tournament just seems to get bigger and better every year, with better players,” Bezuidenhout added.

“It’s great to see the partnership with the Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour,so hopefully it can keep growing for the next few years as well.

“This is an unbelievable place, one of my favourite places in South Africa. I normally come here during our summer breaks and it’s just beautiful.

“All three courses are in great condition, the weather is perfect, so I can’t complain.”

The majority of low scores were carded on the Outeniqua Course on day one, with only six of the top 17 playing the Montagu or The Links first off.

A shot behind Els and Ferreira is a group of seven players on seven-under, including Limpopo Championship winner JC Ritchie and multiple European Tour winners George Coetzee, Haydn Porteous and Germany’s Marcel Siem.

Every player will tee it up on each of three courses at Fancourt Golf Estate this week, with leader Bezuidenhout taking to The Links at 9.20am local time for his second round on Friday.

•For live scoring from the Fancourt Golf Estate, click here.

The post Bezuidenhout’s in different Dimension with superb 61 at ‘easiest’ of Fancourt courses appeared first on Golf North.

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.

The post Challenge Tour – Limpopo Championship: Stow greets five extra cards up for grabs appeared first on Golf North.

Gleneagles pro Calum Hill jumped up to the top of the leaderboad in the second round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open with a sparkling 64. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

EUROPEAN Challenge Tour graduate Calum Hill will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open after a stunning second round 64.

The Scot recorded a top 15 finish at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship to get the season off to a promising start.

And he brought that form to Heritage Golf Club, moving to 12-under as he matched the low round of the week.

Hill won twice in 2019 to secure his European Tour card, and he now leads his second event of the new season after recording nine birdies and just a single bogey on Friday.

The final gain – a 20-foot putt on the last – was enough to edge the 25-year-old ahead of South African Rolex Series winner Brandon Stone, Belgian Thomas Detry and Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, who all reached 11-under par at Bel Ombre.

Hill, who is attached to Gleneagles, said: “The last couple of days the game has been nice. Managed to get the putter going well today, which added up to a good score.

“Last week was a slow start and I played better at the weekend. I’ve just built on it from there.

“I’m happy with that, especially to make a putt on the last hole to finish off a good round. I made a lot of long range putts – 20-25 foot – probably made four of those.

It has been a case of so far, so good on the European Tour for the winner of the Euram Bank Open and the Made in Denmark Challenge.

Hill, who hails from Kirckaldy, added: “We seem to be following the sunshine so we’re always playing in warm weather and the courses are in great condition.

“I haven’t noticed a huge difference yet coming from Challenge Tour,” said the 25-year-old who graduated from Western New Mexico University

“Obviously the fields are stronger, but it’s the same as every tournament you play – you go out and do your best, see where that puts you at the end of the week, and dig in when you need to.”

Stone looks to go low over weekend while Detry’s trusting his confidence

BRANDON Stone, who is looking for a fourth European Tour win since promotion from the Challenge Tour four years ago was also pleased with his performance.

“Very happy with how things went,” said Stone. “I got off to a nice start this morning – a couple of birdies early which kind of settled the nerves a little bit. And then from there I just played great all day.

“Very low stress, always in play, gave myself a lot of opportunities and managed to convert a fair number of them and sitting 11-under par going into the weekend is exactly where you want to be.

“The target for the weekend to is go as low as we can go, actually,” said last year’s Scottish Open winner who fired a final round 60 at Gullane to land his first Rolex Series title.

“It’s going to be a challenge and at the same time, there’s a lot of really top quality players in the field, so you’re going to go out and try to shoot as low as you can and, hopefully, by Sunday evening it’s going to be enough.

Detry who is looking to join fellow Belgians Thomas Pieters and Nicholas Colsearts as winner on the European Tour is enjoying his debut in Mauritius.

Rookie Rasmum R1 leader in Mauritius Open

“It’s my first time in Mauritius,” said Detry. “The place is absolutely lovely, the course is in great condition. I love the place.

“Very happy – shot five-under yesterday, six-under today. We’ve done a few mistakes here and there, but have managed to recover them pretty well.

“Shot eight-under on my last 14 holes so that was a pretty good performance and gets it going for the next two days.

“I’ve been taking it very relaxed, haven’t really practised too much. I’ve been playing well the last few weeks.

“I made it to Dubai after playing well in Sun City and Turkey. I’ve been relying on my confidence and it’s been working.”

French pair Benjamin Hebert and Antoine Rozner, American Sihwan Kim and Scotland’s Connor Syme are one shot further back in the pack chasing Calum Hill.

Denmark rookie Rasmus Højgaard, who was one of five players to share the first-round lead, and fellow countryman Søren Kjeldsen are on nine-under with South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who is looking for his second victory in the calendar year.

The event is tri-sanctioned with the Asian and Sunshine Tours.

•For live scoring from the third round of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open click here.

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Thirty-two-year-old Louis De Jager fired an excellent 63 to lead the Portugal Masters as the South African bids to keep his European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS De Jager made a strong start to his quest to keep his European Tour card at the Portugal Masters after an eight-under par first round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The South African, who started the week in 123^rd place on the Race to Dubai rankings, went bogey-free in the Algarve with a round of 63.

That left him two strokes ahead of compatriot Justin Walters, Essex’s Oliver Fisher and Australian Jake McLeod.

Thirty-two-year-old De Jager, who has six wins on the Sunshine Tour, said: “I made a few nice putts in the beginning and then really hit it well towards the end and kept the momentum going.

“The greens are very good. They are really fast. I felt comfortable. I left myself in the right spots on the greens, on the right plateaus, which made it much easier.

“There are some tricky putts on those greens, but I kept it easy for myself. I think everyone is more conscious of where they are (on the Race to Dubai Rankings),” said De Jager, who has yet to break his duck in Europe in 75 starts.

“My back is against the wall a little bit, for me I can only go forward,” added De Jager who is in his rookie year having come through the Qualifying School last year, despite having played in European Tour events for the past decade as a member of the Sunshine Tour.

“I’m using that as extra motivation and encouragement – not that you need it, but that did help a little bit,” said Louis.

Fisher, who carded the first 59 in European Tour history at the Vilamoura venue last year, and Walters are also fighting to secure their playing rights for next season.

Fisher, the youngest player to have have appeared in the Walker Cup back in 2005, started the week in 112^th place while Walters, who saved his card with a gutsy final round display at the Victoria Course in 2013, is nine spots further down the European Tour’s Order of Merit.

Fisher, whose only win came in the Czech Masters in 2011, said: “I’m really pleased.

“I played very solid. It was nice to go around and have a lot of chances and feel as though I was in control of what I was doing.

“Last week was a tough week in France. It’s nice to get rid of the clouds which were here on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said the 31-year-old from Chingford, whose biggest win as an amateur came in the 2006 St Andrews Links Trophy.

“We have blue skies and we’re on a course we’re all familiar with and it’s a nice start to the week.”

McLeod must win or finish in solo second to move above the cut-off point, which, as things stand after the first round in Vilamoura, is the top 115 players on the Race to Dubai rankings, who, at the conclusion of the Portugal Masters, will secure their cards for 2020.

Jake McLeod said: “It’s quite wide off the tee, so you can get up there and really give it a rip.

“But it can be quite penalising around the greens if you miss in the wrong spots – they’re running quite fast this week.

“I found myself on a lot of the good sides today – hopefully I can keep doing that. This season has been pretty average, so I’ve come out here and I’ll have a bit of fun and probably go to Q-School unless I get the win.”

Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick, said: “The kind of round I needed, given where I am. I was really calm today – that’s my manta all week.

“I love coming back to Portugal, I love this golf course and love being here. To play well on top of that is a bonus, but it’s required.

“The hardest part about today was not trying too hard – I’ve been doing that regularly this year,” added Walters, who was also among the early leaders at the Alfred Dunhill Links, in Scotland, last month.

“I just stayed in every shot and stayed in the present, it was lovely to do that,” said Walters.

Benign conditions led to a day of low scoring in the Algarve, with 75 of the 126-man field beating par.

•For live scoring in the Portugal Masters, click here.

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South African George Coetzee tied for the lead in the Frenh Open with Ryan Fox after they both shot a six-under par 65. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

GEORGE Coetzee and Ryan Fox opened up a one-shot lead at the top of a congested leaderboard after the first round of the Amundi Open de France.

South African Coetzee fired his lowest opening round of the season to set the target at six-under par with his round of 65.

The four-time Euorpean Tour winner said: “It was almost perfect. Played really well. Just dropped one on 17, but I can’t complain.

“It’s nice to be in the mix again. It’s been kind of a hard, long year, but it feels like the game is coming along nicely,” added Coetzee, whose last win came in Tshwane Open, in March last year.

“ I think you find which holes you can attack when you get to the green. There’s no real aggressive game plan on this golf course.

“Just keep the ball in play and give yourself opportunities, and there’s obviously a couple of holes where you’ve got to be careful,” added Coetzee, who has won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit three times in the last four years.

Fox matched Coetzee in the afternoon as the New Zealander also carded seven birdies and a single bogey to join him at the summit.

“I’m pretty happy,” said Fox. “This is a golf course that can kick you pretty quickly. I played really solid today. Holed some putts.

“I played those tough holes, that closing stretch, really well. I could have potentially grabbed a couple more on those last four, which is always a bonus – but very happy to walk away with a 65 around here.

“You’ve got to drive it really well. For the most part I did a really good job of keeping it in play,” said Fox, whose sole Euorpean Tour win came in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth, in Feburary.

“A couple holes I hit poor tee shots and I managed to scramble and make pars from there, which is nice,” Fox added. “But yeah, you just keep yourself out of trouble.”

Benjamin Hebert – currently the leading French player on the Race to Dubai – delighted the home fans at Le Golf National with a birdie on the last to sit one shot off the lead alongside American Kurt Kitayama and Scotland’s Richie Ramsay.

Benjamin Hebert said: “I putted very well today. I’ve worked on my putting since the start of the week.

“I had a private lesson with David Orr, who is a big putting expert. We changed some stuff and it works very well. So, I’m pretty happy.

“I feel good support from the French public. We have only one tournament a year, so it’s very important for us to represent this week.”

Ramsay has been fighting issues over spending time away from his young daugher over the past couple of seasons – the 35-year-old Scot only secured his card in the last event of 2018, and has spoken about possibly retiring at 40, or at least taking a whole year out of the game.

“It’s obviously a fantastic golf course. A little bit different this year. A bit colder, a bit softer, so the course is playing quite long,” said Ramsay whose best result of the season is tied for sixth in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

“It’s a joy to play a golf course like this, because it just tests the whole part of your game and mentally, obviously there’s a lot of water out there, so you have to be very committed to your shots,” Ramsay added.

Victor Perez became the latest player from France to win on the European Tour when he took the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship title last month.

And the Dundee-based Frenchman is just two shots off the lead at four under, alongside South African trio Darren Fichardt, Jaco Van Zyl and Justin Walters, plus Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, Denmark’s Nicolai Hogaard and Kalle Samooja, from Finland.

•For live scoring in the French Open click here.

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Guido Migliozzi who was crowned the first winner of the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

GUIDO Migliozzi held his nerve to claim a maiden European Tour title after carding a closing round of 69 to win the Magical Kenya Open.

The Italian, who became a European Tour member for the first time in November after progressing through Qualifying School, started the day in a tie for the lead with fellow rookie Adri Arnaus.

And the pair exchanged blows throughout an enthralling final day in Nairobi until Migliozzi closed out in style hitting the pin with his approach shot on the 18th in front a large crowd at Kenya’s inaugural European Tour event.

Migliozzi, who claimed three victories in 2017 and 2018 playing on the Alps Tour – where Hertfordshire’s Matt Wallace proved his winning pedigree with six wins in 2016 – was beaming after his win.

The former Italian Amateur Strokeplay and Matchplay champion, who was the first player to sign for One Direction’s Nial Horan’s Modest Golf management group, said: “I like the pressure, it’s like a drug. I love pressure, I love playing with a lot of people looking at me and a lot of cameras.

“Obviously I played with Adri Arnaus and we had a beautiful match together yesterday, it was like match play and today was a great battle.

“Yesterday I went to the left at the 18th with a two iron, today a four iron to be sure to not go left, and I had the perfect distance for an eight iron, it was really nice. Easy two putts to win.

“I enjoyed the last two days very much. The pressure was a lot and I’m happy about how I’m playing under pressure, also with my putting game that I worked a lot on.

“I would like to thank every part of my team,” added the 2016 Portuguese International Amateur Champion.

It was the 22-year-old who would prevail though delivering when it mattered most by hitting the pin with his approach to the 18^th to set up a two-putt par which saw him triumph by one shot.

Finishing one behind Migliozzi was Arnaus and South Africans Louis de Jager and Justin Harding.

Following his Qatar Masters victory last week, Harding was firmly in contention right down to the wire in the Kenyan capital, thanks to a five-under final round of 66.

Harding, who needs to break into the World top 50 to earn a debut in the Masters at Augusta, next month, said: “I think I’m probably still going to have to have a decent result come the Match Play but I’ve at least given myself a decent shot at Augusta.

“I thought I played quite nicely. Didn’t get everything out of the front nine, couple of bad chips on six and seven which were naughty, but gave myself a chance coming down the stretch.

“It was another good week, pretty pleased. I battled, probably from hole one, with club selection and the wind swirling around so to have come out and posted 15-under, I’m pleased.

“I had a good week last week and another one this week so I’m sitting quite nicely first season on the European Tour.”

Having gone back-to-back with wins on the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour last year, many were thinking he could complete a remarkable treble after making an eagle on the 12th, but ultimately the bogey on 13 ended his dream of another win so soon.

Setting a new course record at Karen Country Club was Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who ended a nine-week stretch away from his native Scotland with a scintillating eight under par round of 63.

MacIntyre, who lost in the 2016 Amateur Championship final to Hampshire’s Scott Gregory, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I didn’t really expect that after the way I’ve been playing but I just went out with complete freedom and managed to get it round in eight under.

“I just can’t wait to get home and see the family, the two foster kids Dan and Tom, it’s just so relaxing back in Oban, everything about it.

“It just wasn’t feeling natural and today I went out there and made myself feel free and it just worked.

“I’ve got the game to go and shoot these numbers as I showed, it’s just playing with freedom and that’s what I did. That’s the way I’ve got to try and get my mindset for the rest of the year.”

Hampshire rookie Jack Singh-Brar, who finished 12th to move up to 86th place on the Race to Dubai. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

Hampshire rookie Jack Singh Brar, who started Sunday with a chance of his maiden European win, but a two-over 73 saw him drop from sixth to 12th leaving the winner of last year’s Cordon Golf Open on the Challenge Tour with a cheque for €17,208, pushing him up to 86th place on the Race to Dubai.

Singh Brar, who played in the same Great Britian and Ireland Walker Cup team as former Hampshire junior team-mates Harry Ellis and Scott Gregory, also signed for Horan’s Modest Group after turning pro after the defeat against the USA at Los Angeles Country Club.

He was one of 15 players to earn a full tour card on the Challenge Tour in 2018.

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South Africa’s Louis de Jager opened up a four-shot lead in the Magical Kenya Open at Karen Country Club, in Nairobi. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS de Jager opened up a commanding four-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Magical Kenya Open after carding a second round of 66 in Nairobi.

The South African shared the overnight lead with England’s Jack Singh Brar going into day two at Karen Country Club, but after bagging seven birdies today he put daylight between himself and the rest of the field.

De Jager, who triumphed on the Sunshine Tour earlier this year, will have history on his side going into the weekend because over the last five seasons a player has led by four or more shots after 36 holes on ten occasions on the European Tour – with seven going on to win.

A delighted de Jager said: “I had to find my feet a bit at the start of the season but I’m feeling comfortable out here now.

“I told the guys when we played a practice round on Tuesday, after the desert, you could feel you were in Africa, back in our continent.

“You get used to the feel of the Kikuyu grass, and the ball travels the same as back home in Pretoria, distance wise, so it really feels like we’re back home.

“My game plan over the weekend is not to be too aggressive. The most important thing is hitting the fairways and hitting the greens because the greens are quite small.  If you hit the greens you’ve always got a good birdie chance here.”

Four shots off the pace in a share of second place are Singh Brar and Spaniard Adri Arnaus. Both European Challenge Tour graduates, the pair are well poised to make a charge for a maiden European Tour title after rounds of 70 and 68 respectively today.

Hampshire-based Challenge Tour gradute Singh Brar said: “It has been a fun two days. Yesterday I played really solid and today I kept it in there again today.

“It was a bit of an up and down round today – a bit of a mixed bag. I had a couple of good opportunities early doors and then missed a good birdie chance on nine which stunted my movement a little bit – then I was a bit scruffy on the back nine.

“I’m still in a good position and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

In contention again is South African Justin Harding, who is five behind his countryman de Jager.

The World No. 52, who triumphed in Qatar last week, is looking to become the first player to win back-to-back European Tour events since Justin Rose, who achieved the feat in 2017.

Harding said: “I was a little bit more aggressive today as you have to get it in close here as it can be awkward in places.

“You have to pick and choose your moments here and I did that well out there. I have been trying to make less mistakes recently and I went over the green just once today – that wasn’t the case yesterday – so I am really happy with my performance.”

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