26th April 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Standard Bank drives womens golf development with Sunshine Ladies Tour event
Johannesburg, 26 April 2023 – As part of its commitment to driving the development of women’s golf, Standard Bank has joined forces with the Sunshine Ladies Tour to add a new event to the 2023 schedule: the Standard Bank Ladies Open, which will be played at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington on the West Course from April 27 to 29.
Headlined by the 14-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner and 11-time Ladies European Tour winner, Lee-Anne Pace, as well as the winner of two tournaments on this year’s Sunshine Ladies Tour, Casandra Alexander, the 54-hole Standard Bank Ladies Open is a welcome addition as Africa’s leading women’s professional circuit celebrates its 10th season in 2023.
“The addition of the Standard Bank Ladies Open extends what has already been a successful 10th season of the Sunshine Ladies Tour. With another competitive event, the season extends beyond March, thereby strengthening preparation for the Ladies European Tour,” said Sanah Gumede, Head: Wealth and Investment, Standard Bank SA.
“At Standard Bank, guided by our firm belief in the potential of Africa, we continue to take bold steps that enable Africa’s people to unleash their potential. This investment is yet another practical expression of our commitment to unlocking potential in women’s professional golf. Such initiatives continue to drive global momentum of women’s sport and secure South Africa’s rightful place in the arena.”
Gumede adds that Standard Bank’s partnership with the Sunshine Ladies Tour goes beyond just monetary investment, “it demonstrates our investment in equality and meaningful change within the sporting arena”.
In recognition of the fundamental role that sport plays in driving social and economic development, Standard Bank has supported various sporting initiatives over the years aimed at growing sports in the country, at grassroots, amateur and professional levels.
The new event – boasting prize money of R1.1 million – extends the 2023 schedule, giving South Africa’s local professionals, as well as those who ply their trade on the Ladies European Tour, an extra opportunity at home as the Sunshine Ladies Tour grows from its solid base.
In addition to the presence of Pace and Alexander, seasoned veterans and winners like Nicole Garcia, Stacy Bregman and Tandi McCallum will make the tournament a mouth-watering prospect when they tee it up alongside exciting rookies Kiera Floyd and Gabi Venter, young professionals Zethu Myeki and Cara Gorlei and a group of the country’s top-ranked amateurs.
“It is vital for the expansion of the Sunshine Ladies Tour that partners like Standard Bank join us as we work on creating more playing opportunities for our women professionals,” said Sunshine Tour Commissioner Thomas Abt. “Without the support of industry giants like Standard Bank, growing the Sunshine Ladies Tour beyond the six events at the start of the season would be so much more difficult to achieve. We are grateful for all they bring to the table. This is an important step in the growth of the Tour, and we believe it’s the first of many such steps.”
Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club has hosted several events since the Sunshine Ladies Tour launched in 2014, and the revamped West Course promises a good test for the field.
“On behalf of the board, members and staff, it gives us great pleasure to host the Standard Bank Ladies Open on our ‘new’ West Course,” said Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club CEO Christopher Bentley. “During our 131 years of its existence, Royal has played an integral role in the development of golf in our country, and we are proud to be at the forefront once again in supporting the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
“The Club is preparing to ensure conditions of play provide a fair test, so that good golf will be rewarded with good scores and great memories. We look forward to welcoming the players, officials and all golf enthusiasts to another memorable event”
The 54-hole tournament will be preceded by a pro-am at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington West on April 26 and the final round will be broadcast live on SuperSport Channel 213 from 9 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday April 29.
19th March 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
South Africans shine in Sunshine Ladies Tour’s season yet
19 March 2023 – While England’s Lily May Humphreys won the 2023 Investec Order of Merit in the 10th season of the Sunshine Ladies Tour, three South Africans finished in the top five, underscoring the importance of the burgeoning circuit for local players.
Humphreys played all six tournaments, won one, had four other top 10s, and her worst finish was in the Investec South African Women’s Open Championship at Steenberg Golf Club when she shared 24th.
South Africa’s Casandra Alexander played four, won two – the SuperSport Ladies Challenge and Jabra Ladies Classic – and a share of seventh at Steenberg saw her finish second in the rankings, within striking distance of Humphreys at the end.
The other South Africans who rounded out the top five were Sunshine Ladies Tour rookie Kaleigh Telfer, who had three top-10s as she successfully mixed it up with the best players from Europe, and veteran Lee-Anne Pace, who did everything but win with four top-10s.
In a nice little bit of symmetry, the two other South Africans inside the top 10 of the Order of Merit were rookie Kiera Floyd in ninth with two top-10s, and the more experienced Nicole Garcia in 10th place, who also had two top-10s.
“It’s pretty cool to win the Investec Order of Merit,” said Humphreys. “I’m pretty happy about it. It’s been as good as I’ve played. It’s been a lot of golf, a lot of different golf courses, and different weather pretty much every week. I’ve really enjoyed it out here.
“I ran out of steam a little towards the end. It wasn’t my best golf over the last few days at Steenberg, but I’ll just reset and get ready for what lies ahead. I’ll definitely come back and play these events again. I’ll have to see how the schedule looks because I’m a winner now. I’ll have a full schedule on the Ladies European Tour, which is pretty exciting.”
And this is exactly the pathway which makes the Sunshine Ladies Tour such an important route for budding professionals.
Humphreys got her win in the Joburg Open, co-sanctioned between Africa’s premier women’s professional circuit and the Ladies European Tour. It was the fifth event of the 10th season and she had played her way into a position to win and leapfrog her way into the big time.
And while it was AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai who won the other co-sanctioned tournament, Telfer was able to convert her top-five finish in the Investec South African Women’s Open into a start on the main Ladies European Tour circuit with a place in the Aramco Team Series-Singapore the following week.
That is a stepping stone which could be decisive in her budding professional career.
Buhai talked about the importance of the local tour ahead of her victory at Steenberg: “Obviously it’s fantastic to see how it’s grown, how the sponsors are starting to support women’s golf in South Africa. And you can see it in the trends in women’s golf around the world. All prize purses are starting to increase.
“I think it’s so important to have these events for the local girls to be able to compete in, so they play on better courses, with a stricter set up that compares well with the international circuits, and in stronger fields so that they know when they’re ready to take that next step and where they really need to be.
“With six events on the tour now, I think there’s space for growth. I think if we could get it to double figures at least would be great. And also not just to have the circuit from February through April, but to extend it. They need to play all year-round to prepare better for the next level. Maybe two a month at least. We understand that the purses might not be what it is in these big events, but it’s more just about being able to play, getting that game time.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you’re playing for, or how big or small the tournament is. When you’re in that moment, it doesn’t matter. It’s the same pressure of you trying to win a golf tournament.”
The groundwork for growth has been laid. The women played for R1.075-million 10 years ago, and for over R16-million this year on the Sunshine Ladies Tour. The six tournaments are all big in their own right, and the way forward is clear. Roll on 2024!
2nd April 2022 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Gutsy Pace prevails to lift 5th SA Women’s Open title
If there is a virtue in holding on for dear life, then Lee-Anne Pace displayed it in spades as she came back from the dead and triumphed in a gruelling six-hole play-off to win her record fifth Investec South African Women’s Open Championship title at Steenberg Golf Club on Saturday.
“I can’t believe it, I honestly can’t believe it, I’m in shock,” said Pace after she eventually dispatched the challenge of the Argentine Magdalena Simmermacher after the duo was tied on level-par after 72 holes of regulation play.
That was after overnight leader Becky Brewerton of Wales heartbreakingly slipped out of contention after a final round six-over 78 to miss out on a play-off spot by one.
In addition to her fifth South African Women’s Open title, it was also Pace’s 11th Ladies European Tour victory and her 15th Sunshine Ladies Tour title – and she also earned herself a place at the US Women’s Open later in the year.
“I was a little down at the beginning of the week, because I just missed out on the majors – by 20 points on last year’s ranking, or something like that,” she said. “So, it’s great to earn a place in the majors!”
She started the day seven shots behind Brewerton, but the Mossel Bay native played the conditions superbly throughout the day.
Pace kept things cool for the first part of her round, but a terrific burst after the turn saw her put herself back in contention. She had pars all through the front nine, before birdies on 10, 12 and 16 put her back among the conversation, albeit with a dropped shot on the 11th.
“I needed that birdie on 10,” Pace said. “I was getting a bit frustrated with my putts not going in, I missed the shot off the green and got a bit lucky, but I got it on the green and holed the putt, so that gave me some confidence coming in.
“The 11th was always going to be a tough hole, whether you go in with a wedge or go for the green. I decided to go for it and had a terrible lie, I had to hit it, but I backed off it a bit unfortunately.
“I’d been struggling on the greens all week. I’d been hitting so many greens all week, and everything came together except the putter, and nothing wanted to drop, but when it really counted it did on the last hole.”
Meanwhile, Simmermacher had led after the first round in Cape Town, but found herself alongside Pace on two-over heading into the final day, with a third round 77 seeing her drop down the standings in the breezy conditions. Birdies on five and nine put the Argentinian in contention, before two bogeys and two birdies on the back nine saw her complete the day in 70 shots and set up the nail-biting finale.
And with the sun starting to set over Cape Town, both players pulled out a number of spectacular shots to keep the contest alive.
The par-five 18th had been causing issues for players all week, with the tight green and water on the right-hand side meaning there was all sorts of trouble to be avoided. Both players kept things fairly routine for their opening three journeys down the last, with pars apiece every time.
Then, with the tee box moved forward 75 metres, things started to get interesting as both players started chasing the green in two. A miraculous bunker escape from Simmermacher then forced a fifth play-off hole, before two fantastic approaches and putts saw the duo head back to the tee for a sixth time.
And that’s when the pressure eventually told, as Simmermacher hit her second into the water, paving the way for Pace to two-putt her way to victory, and she made no mistake
Further down the rankings, Casandra Alexander of South Africa and England’s Felicity Johnson finished in a tie for fourth on three-over, as Alexander went round in level-par for the day, while Johnson shot 74 for her final 18 holes.
France’s Agathe Sauzon also shot level-par to take sixth on her own at five-over, while four players shared seventh on six-over.
Linn Grant from Sweden, who claimed her maiden Ladies European Tour title in the co-sanctioned Joburg Ladies Open, backed up last week’s victory with another strong performance, finishing in a tie for seventh with fellow Scandinavians Madelene Stavnar and Tiia Koivisto and France’s Emma Grechi.
Seventh place for Grant was also enough for her to seal the Investec Order of Merit title, with three victories in South Africa to start the year, with the win in Johannesburg adding to successes at the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge and Jabra Ladies Classic in February.
“I just had the best couple of weeks here, I’m glad that I decided to come for eight weeks and start my season over here,” Grant said. “I’ve met some great people, including Lee-Anne, I’ve had the best time and played some great golf as well.”
Reigning South African Women’s Amateur Stroke Play champion Kiera Floyd held her in the gusting wind to keep pace with the professionals and a joint 26th place on 10-over saw the 17-year-old GolfRSA National Squad member lift the prestigious Jackie Mercer Trophy as the leading amateur in the 132-strong field.
The fifth Investec South African Women’s Open trophy came with a R 728 550 pay-day in the City of Cape Town and a bank of points that rocketed Pace to the top of the 2022 Race to Costa del Sol rankings. She sits on 681.67 points, with Grant in second-place on 586.25.
For Pace, all of this means it’s time to believe it.
She will board a plane to Thailand on Monday night brimming with confidence ahead of her next two events and basking in the knowledge that she is comfortably the most successful player in the history of the South African Women’s Open Championship.
2nd June 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace will need her experience in US Women’s Open
2 June 2021 – Major championship golf, by and large, demands experience as a contributor to success, and Lee-Anne Pace has played in 33 majors ahead of the US Women’s Open which tees off on Thursday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
The reigning Investec South African Women’s Open champion played her way into her seventh US Women’s Open with her victory on May 16 at Westlake Golf Club, and will be drawing on her experience in those six previous visits to the tournament to try and improve on her best finish of 43rd in 2017.
Her victory at Westlake came under trying circumstances, mostly as a result of the weather, but those would have prepared her to hang in there when the going will get tough as it inevitably does in any major championship. In the last three US Women’s Opens, of the 59 players who have played eight rounds or more, only five have cumulative scores of under par.
Lee-Anne Pace (credit Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Ladies Tour)
Pace will know that hanging in is making sure the simple things are done right, and that hitting fairways and greens will give her the best chance of making whatever few birdies are on offer.
The past 15 champions have shown well-rounded games en route to victory, but they have shone most brightly around the green. While they ranked 20th in the field on average in driving distance (249.6 yards) and about 25th in fairways hit (73.4 percent), they truly separated themselves by hitting 69.1 percent of the greens in regulation. They were on average third in the field with 3.96 birdies/eagles per round and had 29.3 putts per round.
The South African has a good record over a long Ladies European Tour career in terms of greens in regulation, hitting 62.8 percent of them over 183 tournaments, but she will be aware that she will have to make very sure of her accuracy throughout the week at the Olympic Club. And her putting over those many tournaments in Europe averages out at 30.04 per round.
She has the tools to go with her experience, but she is not the most experienced of the three South Africans in the field.
Ashleigh Buhai has 36 majors behind her, and will be playing in her eighth US Women’s Open with a best finish of 27th in 2017. With her experience in the United States – she plays on the LPGA Tour – she may well have a sense of comfort during a difficult week.
The third South African in the field is Nicole Garcia, who first qualified for the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst in 2014 through the European qualifier in England. Like Pace, she got in to this year’s tournament at the Olympic Club with her performance in the Investec SA Women’s Open at Westlake.
The tournament gets full coverage on SuperSport channel 201 from 11pm on Thursday.
Written by Mike Green for satourgolf.co.za
16th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Historic 4th Investec South African Women’s Open title for Perfect Pace
16 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace was the home heroine once again as she clinched a record fourth Investec South African Women’s Open title, carding a final round of 72 for a one-shot win over Germany’s Leonie Harm.
In the Ladies European Tour (LET) curtain-raiser Pace’s victory, where she finished the tournament on two-over-par, at Westlake Golf Club also ensures she leads the 2021 Race to Costa del Sol.
“I’m so happy to win again. My last win on the LET was in 2014 and to get number 10 is just incredible,” said Pace, who was also the first Sunshine Ladies Tour golfer to win the flagship event three successive years in 2014, 2015 and 2017 (no event in 2016).
“It’s always nice to play to end the Sunshine Ladies Tour season and start the LET season here at home, and this year is it extra special. Thank you to all the golfers who made the effort to travel to South Africa to compete in this year’s Investec South African Women’s Open. Also, a big thank you to Investec and the City of Cape Town for your incredible support of women’s golf.”
After play was suspended with the leaders only midway through the third round, Pace – playing in the final group with Harm and compatriot Nicole Garcia – had plenty of golf left as they completed the third round before heading back out onto the course again.
But there was a surprise leader when the third round wrap up.
The LET’s youngest member, 17-year-old Pia Babnik, had carded 69 in the sunny conditions to see her level par for the tournament. The Slovenian teenager started the final round two shots ahead of Pace, who carded 73 and three clear of Harm and Garcia.
Babnik had a mixed final round and a pair of double bogeys at 16 and 18 saw her slip out of contention.
Lee-Anne Pace not only lifted her record 4th Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club on Sunday, but also banked the Investec Order of Merit title and became the first South African winner of the brand-new Investec Homegrown Award.; credit Roger Sedres.
Pace, who has dominated the Sunshine Ladies Tour since its inception in 2014 with 13 victories, knocked on the door all summer and she finally got the job done over the last 18 holes.
The 40-year-old offset a lone bogey with two birdies on the front nine and made another birdie on the par-4 12th. “I don’t know what happened on the last two holes; I think I realised I had it in the bag and just lost my focus,” said the South African, who held on to seal her 10th LET title despite finishing with successive bogeys.
“I’m actually quite glad I played out of the trees on the 18th and that I didn’t go for it, I thought I had to go for it, because the last scoreboard I had seen still had me at +1 and in second-place. My short game has been so good, so I thought if I play out on the green I would have a chance and the worst case was a play-off.
“I hit the ball on the right side of the hole for the whole day. There were a couple of putts that could easily have dropped that didn’t. I was very happy with my game, I hit a lot of the greens and I did it!”
There was a lot on the line for Pace, who not only walked away with the lion share of the €200 000 purse and the Investec Order of Merit title, worth R100 000. She also pocketed another R100 000 as the first South African winner of the brand-new Investec Homegrown Trophy.
US Women’s Open qualifiers at the Investec South African Women’s Open – Karolin Lampert & Leonie Harm from Germany and SA pair Lee-Anne Pace & Nicole Garcia; credit Roger Sedres
On top of this, Pace’s triumph at Westlake shot her to the top of the 2021 LET Race to Costa del Sol and earned her the first of four spots into the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open.
“The incentives to win this week was incredible. We really had so much to play for and I can’t be more excited. I am going for my US visa next week – Olympic Club, here I come,” said a jubilant Pace.
The 76th US Women’s Open takes place in June and the other three players who earned a ride into the second Major of the year was Harm, who recorded her best-ever finish on the LET at this tournament, as well as Germany’s Karolin Lampert and South Africa’s Nicole Garcia, who tied for third.
Garcia said: “That last putt for par on 18 was the most nerve-wracking putt I ever had to sink; I really wanted that US Women’s Open spot and the relief to see it drop was indescribable. I am absolutely over the moon that I nailed it. And I am so grateful to everyone that made this year’s Investec South African Women ‘s Open happen so we could get those spots.”
It was also a good news day for reigning South African Women’s Amateur champion Caitlyn Macnab, who lifted the Jackie Mercer Trophy as the leading amateur.
2021 Investec South African Women’s Open leading amateur Caitlyn Macnab; credit Roger Sedres
The GolfRSA No. 1 won the Jabra Ladies Classic three weeks ago and became the first amateur to win on the local professional circuit since Ashleigh Buhai’s SA Women’s Open win in 2007. The 19-year-old Glendower amateur improved every day, carding rounds of 77, 75, 74 and 73 to tie for 16th on 299.
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
15th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace, Babnik weather Cape storms to lead SA Women’s Open
15 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace and Pia Babnik will take a one-shot lead into the final day of the Investec South African Women’s Open after tying on two-over in battling the conditions during the weather-affected third round at Westlake Golf Club on Saturday.
Pace was walking down the ninth fairway and Babnik about to tee off on the 10th tee when the hooter sounded for the second time in 90 minutes.
“We had only been out for 30 minutes after the previous suspension when they called us off again,” said Pace, who is hunting a record fourth title in the Sunshine Tour’s season-finale. “The wind and the driving rain were relentless; we had come off when the course became unplayable and had to suspend again, so they made a decision was made to call it a day.”
The nine-time European Ladies Tour champion began the day on one-over and a shot behind overnight leader Nicole Garcia, while the 17-year-old Slovenian rising star was three off the pace.
“I’m glad I hung in there,” said Pace, who started with four straight pars before she sandwiched a birdie between bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes.
“It’s one thing playing in wind, but the playing this course in wind and rain is extremely hard. I nearly blew away on six, and on seven. It was just a disaster and I think they’ve made a good call. I am not complaining, because I was looking at a really long second shot on the ninth. It will still be a long shot on Sunday morning, but at least I’m not having to hit it into the wind. It’s quite tight at the top, but I think it’s going to be an exciting final day.”
Pia Babnik during round three of the 2021 Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club; Credit Petri Oeschger/Sunshine Ladies Tour
Babnik, who is starting her second Ladies European Tour season in South Africa, showed great maturity in the tough conditions. She threaded together a string of pars and turned with a clean card that sported a birdie on the par-5 seventh.
Garcia, meanwhile, started with a pair of bogeys and let another shot slip on the par-4 fifth. She will resume her campaign on Sunday morning on three-over.
“I had a few bogeys, but overall, I stuck in there. I holed some crucial putts from six to eight to keep the momentum,” said the Serengeti golfer.
“It was more Scotland than South Africa out there, and I must admit I was relieved when called us off, because the balls began moving on the greens. I was pleased with my game, though. I stayed calm, kept the clubs dry and tried to hit as many good shots as possible.
“I’m not out of it by a long shot, but even if I don’t win, I’m still fighting for a top four finish to earn that spot to the U.S. Women’s Open.”
Leonie Harm got off with a great birdie start, but the German golfer dropped three shots mid-round.
She moved to four-over with a fourth bogey on the seventh and was tied for fourth with Agathe Sauzon from France when play was called. Sauzon had just birdied the par-4 10th.
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
13th May 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace eyes record fourth at Investec SA Women’s Open
13 May 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace’s bid for an unprecedented fourth victory in the Investec South African Women’s Open got off to the ideal start with an opening round of 70, which earned the South African a share of the lead on two-under.
The Sunshine Ladies Tour’s most prolific winner was level through 15 holes at Westlake Golf Club she soared to summit with a timely eagle on the par-5 seventh.
Lydia Hall – another early morning starter – managed to get to three-under with a birdie on the par-3 15th, but a bogey on the next and two pars to finish for 70 left the Welsh golfer tied for the lead.
A number of players in the afternoon field tied to beat the clubhouse target and failed.
South African pair Nicole Garcia and former champion Tandi McCallum finished one shot adrift in joint third. Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson was four deep after nine holes, but slipped from contention with a double bogey at the 10th. A birdie finish for a round of 72 earned her a share of fifth with India’s Tvesa Malik.
Nine players tied for seventh on one-over, including Germany’s Karolin Lampert, the runner-up in 2018, and former Ladies European Tour winner Christine Wolf from Austria.
Pace closed out a record three successive victories in the flagship event at San Lameer in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
The nine-time Ladies European Tour winner has enjoyed 13 victories on home soil, winning every season since the Sunshine Ladies Tour launched in 2014. However, the winner’s circle has eluded the 40-year-old so far this year.
She certainly does appear to be trending towards a win after runner-up finishes in her last two starts and the veteran rolled back the years with a vintage display in perfect conditions in City of Cape Town.
Pace reversed an early bogey at the 12th with birdie at the next, followed by a string of pars until she eagled the 456m (499y), par five seventh.
“It was three great shots,” said Pace. “I went with the driver so I could push it a little further down the fairway. I had 220 to the pin, 194 front, which is the perfect 3-wood for me. It bounced straight, which was nice, and I rolled in a six-foot putt.”
The Investec Order of Merit leader has a slew of goals this week – a fourth Investec SA Women’s Open title, a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open, a fourth Investec Order of Merit win, a fast start to the Ladies European Tour season, the Investec Homegrown Award and building form for the Olympic Games.
“I have a lot on my mind, for sure, but you just try to push it back and play one shot at a time. I am just trying to hit the fairways and the greens, because it’s so important here. The greens are smaller this week, so if you hit them, you always have a birdie chance.
“I wanted a fast start, but I knew it was playing tough. I thought anything around level-par or a bit under would be good enough. So I am breaking the big goals into small goals, and I reached one of them today.”
Lydia Hall from Wales fired an opening two-under-par 70 to finish in a two-way share of the lead in the Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club.
Hall certainly didn’t regret her last minute decision to make the trip to South Africa.
“I was still undecided 30 minutes before the entries closed, but I decided to do it because I have done well here in the past,” said Hall, who offset a pair of bogeys with four birdies.
“The course is so much greener that we are used to seeing it in March. And it was a little wetter than normal. It’s playing quite a bit longer, off the back tips this year, but the set-up is good. It’s a good test.”
Hall tied for ninth in 2018 and fifth a year later – another reason she was keen to start the 2021 Race to Costa Del Sol in South Africa.
“I just really like this course. It’s tight off the tee and you have to shape a lot of shots off the tees and into the greens; that’s something I like doing,” Hall said. “And the greens here are so pure. Where you start it is where it goes. It stays on line.
“I hit a lot of fairways and greens, which is key to scoring well on this course. I had one or two errant tee shots and two bad iron shots, but I’ll head to the range to work out the kinks. With an afternoon start on Friday, I expect the course will be a lot drier and the greens will firm up, so I am pretty happy to start the week on two under.”
SOCIAL MEDIA THIS WEEK
#InvestecSAWomensOpen
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#levelup (Sunshine Ladies Tour)
#RaiseOurGame (Ladies European Tour)
Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
28th April 2021 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace targets fabulous 14th in Soweto
28 April 2021 – Lee-Anne Pace’s bid for an unprecedented 14th Sunshine Ladies Tour victory got off to the ideal start with an opening round of 68, which shot the LPGA Tour champion to the summit at Soweto Country Club.
Pace made three birdies on the bounce on the challenging par-72 layout to set the clubhouse target and finished the day three shots clear of chasing pack, led by Maiken Bing Paulsen.
Nobuhle Dlamini, who lifted the trophy in 2019, carded 72 to tie for third. The eSwatini golfer finished alongside French debutant Justine Dreher and her compatriot Emie Peronin, as well as well as Casandra Hall, who enjoyed a third place finish in her rookie start in 2019.
Pace has won in every season since the tour launched eight years ago and she picked up her last trophy in the 2020 Cape Town Ladies Open last year.
Fittingly, was the champion of the first Joburg Ladies Open held at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington in 2016.
The circuit’s most prolific winner rolled back the years with a vintage display in the near perfect conditions, gaining shots on the field with birdies on the par four fourth and short seventh hole. She was five-under with three holes to play when her momentum was checked with a bogey on the 16th, but she put an early marker down with pars at the closing holes.
Pace said: “That was a really nice round. I’ve been in contention every week since the start of the season, but my swing is getting to where I want it now. I am striking the ball really well and shaping the shots the way I want. I holed some very nice putts and I hit it steady all the way through, so I was pleased with that. There is a lot of golf left to play, but I’m feeling positive about my game.”
Considering that Pace had never played the course before, it was a solid performance and one that sounded a loud warning to her opponents.
“I’m nursing a toe injury, so I wanted to limit the playing to the three tournament rounds,” said Pace, who roped in Ladies European Tour campaigner Anne-Lise Caudal to do bag-duty this week.
“Anne-Lise injured her wrist playing out of a plugged lie in last week’s SuperSport Ladies Challenge and she withdrew this week to rest her wrist. She offered to take the bag, so she walked the course in the practice round. And off we went this morning. We combined her insights and my game pretty well. It’s a challenging layout. You have to play strategically and position yourself well to give yourself a chance to score.”
Paulsen, who made her Ladies European Tour debut last year, is playing in her first season on Africa’s premier women’s professional circuit.
The Norwegian was also in the mix at the Gary Player Country Club last week in her first start and finished sixth overall, courtesy of the low round of the day – a 68 that featured two eagles and three birdies. She got within two shots Pace’s target, but let herself down with a closing bogey.
Paulsen described her astonishment at how far the ball travels in Johannesburg on her blog, but she seems to have adjusted quickly to extra yardage. She was the only other player on the first day to finish in red numbers after offsetting a trio of bogeys with four birdies.
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31st January 2020 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace seals Cape Town Ladies Open hat-trick in style
31 January 2020 – Lee-Anne Pace hopes her Cape Town Ladies Open hat-trick is a good omen as she begins to resuscitate her career on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in 2020.
Pace successfully wrapped up her 25th career victory with a five-shot victory on eight under par after closing with a five-under 67 on a blustery final day at King David Mowbray Golf Club on Friday.
Her last visit to the winner’s circle was in the same event two years ago at Royal Cape Golf Club and her first success was also at Royal Cape in 2016.
“I’m super, super happy,” said Pace as she hugged the trophy and flashed a big, white toothy smile at the applauding crowd during prize giving.
”I didn’t expect it this week. Last year was a write-off; I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. I missed two cuts and decided to take a total break from the game. The break did me the world of good, but I didn’t expect I played two events in the last six months and missed the cut in both, so I didn’t really expect to start this well. But time away from the game was really good for me. I am in a good place in my life and I felt very comfortable out there. I am enjoying it again. This is the perfect to start building form for the Ladies European Tour.”
Pace opened with an even-par 72 and dipped three shots below par in the second round to start the final day one shot behind Dlamini on four-under.
She reeled in three birdies over the first six holes, and managed to come through the second and fourth holes relatively unscathed. “I doubled the second hole and bogeyed the fourth in the first two rounds, so that cost me four shots,” Pace said. “I don’t know what it is about that second hole, but I bogeyed it again in the final round. Luckily the birdies on one, three and six gave me a boost.”
Lee-Anne Pace credited her young caddie, Jere Brits from Paarl, for her 13th Sunshine Ladies Tour title. The 16-year-old Bridge Fund Managers Junior Series finalist guided the former LPGA and Ladies European Tour winner to a hat-trick of wins in the Cape Town Ladies Open at King David Mowbray Golf Club.
Pace lauded her caddie, 16-year-old Bridge Fund Manager Junior Series finalist Jere Brits from Paarl, for guiding her to the winner’s circle.
“Jere had been absolutely brilliant all week and he deserves a lot of credit. He gave me all the right clubs, the lines and the pace and even an eagle at the 14th. I wanted to hit an 8-iron and he talked me into a seven, and we got the eagle.”
Two perfectly-timed shots on the ultimate hole set her up for a birdie finish and she nailed it.
With a record setting start to the 2020 season, how much would Pace like to finish it off with a record fourth triumph in the Investec South African Women’s Open in middle-March?
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind, as is winning the Investec Order of Merit,” she said. “I got so close last year, and I would love to get the win. That trophy comes with spots in the British Women’s Open and the Evian Championship and LET membership until the end of 2021. More than anything, it would be great to be the first four-time winner.
“It was a really great week with the putter and I was driving it better every day, so I am looking forward to the rest of the season, and to keep on building form. And hopefully Jere’s mom and dad will let me borrow him again for Westlake.”
While Pace was in blistering form, Dlamini struggled to recreate the magic of her second round 67.
The 2019 Investec Order of Merit winner paid the penalty of an errant drive at the par four second with a double bogey and had to settle for second on three-under.
Durbanville rookie Tara Griebenow played the final round with Pace and Dlamini and finished an impressive third on level par after rounds of 73, 71 and 72.
Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member Larissa du Preez bagged the Leading Amateur honour.
The Silver Lakes golfer carded rounds of 73, 75 and 73 to tie American Jordy LaBarbera for eighth overall on five-over 221.
The Sunshine Ladies Tour travels to Sun City next for the R400 000 SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International at the Gary Player and Lost City Courses from 4-6 February.
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.
30th January 2020 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Dlamini edges ahead in Cape Town Ladies Open
30 January 2020 – A well-rested Nobuhle Dlamini took advantage of a breeze caressing the King David Mowbray Golf Club fairways to edge into the 36-hole lead on day two of the Cape Town Ladies Open.
The big-hitting eSwatini golfer fired a bogey-free five-under-par 67 on Thursday to move to four-under, one shot clear of 12-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Lee-Anne Pace, who posted 69.
Given Dlamini’s form and Pace’s extensive competitive experience, the smart money would be on the pair to go-head-to-head to bank the first winner’s cheque of the 2020 season, but Durbanville rookie Tara Griebenow and seasoned French campaigner Astrid Vayson De Pradenne are still both firmly in contention.
The pair returned rounds of 71 to stay in touch, finishing in a tie for third on level par.
Lejan Lewthwaite and last season’s SuperSport Ladies Challenge winner Jane Turner are not completely out of the running. Reigning SA Women’s Masters champion Lewthwaite carded 71 to finish on one-over, and a 72 left Scotland’s Turner sitting on two-over.
Dlamini had to hit the ground running after she only landed back in South Africa on the eve of the season-opening event, having secured her Ladies European Tour card with a top 8 finish at the Q-School in Spain at the weekend.
She made an impressive start and led the field by two shots after nine holes, but when fatigue set in on the inward loop, a number of bogeys saw her slip to one-over 73 and she started the second round one shot behind Pace.
“I slept really well and felt like a new person this morning,” said Dlamini, who racked up four birdies before the turn. “I felt really comfortable out there. I played the course for the first time during the first round and with the wind gusting so strong, it was pretty daunting.
“I liked the layout, but I wasn’t sharp. It’s not a course where you can pull driver out of the bag on every hole. Today I hit a lot of long irons and I drove the ball really well. I made some very good putts on the front, but the putter fell asleep on the back nine. I was happy to make two putts for pars until one finally dropped for birdie on 17.
“Playing with Lee-Anne in the final round will be interesting. She may not have played for a while, but she is so experienced. You can never underestimate her.”
Lee-Anne Pace; credit Sunshine Ladies Tour
Pace sandwiched a double bogey between birdies at the first and third holes. The former LPGA Tour champion erased another dropped shot at the fourth with gains on seven and nine and reeled in two more birdies coming home.
“Another up-and-down start for me,” laughed Pace. “I hit a much better drive today on the second, and doubled it again. Tomorrow I’m hitting 6-iron, 6-iron and hopefully a chip-and-putt will get me a par. I dropped the fourth again, too. Luckily I had a couple of early birdies to help me out.
“I made quite a lot of birdies when I struck the ball well and found the fairways, and I was happy to finish with a birdie at the last. At least it warmed up nicely. It’s a tough course. It’s really tight, especially when the wind blows.
“Overall, I’m happy that I can see my game improving in every round and I look forward to going toe-to-toe with Nobby in the final round.”
Dlamini and Pace will be playing in the final group with Griebenow, who held her own in the heady company of Dlamini and fellow Ladies European Tour campaigner Lewthwaite.
“It’s her Sunshine Ladies Tour debut and she properly being tested, but I was so impressed with how focussed and calm she was out there. She has a great attitude. Nothing beats experience and it’s great for her to be playing with us in the leading group on Friday,” Dlamini said.
Tara Griebenow; credit Sunshine Ladies Tour
Griebenow completed her PGA Diploma at The Golf School of Excellence at the Paul McKenzie Academy last year and the Western Province rookie tested the waters in a few Vodacom Origins of Golf series events last year.
“I won the Humewood event, which was a great experience but competing on the Sunshine Ladies Tour is a different league. The atmosphere on the Origins series is more relaxed because you are playing with amateurs, but this is the big time,” said the 23-year-old. “It was great to watch the way Nobby and Lejan managed their games and stay in the moment. Playing with Nobby and Lee-Anne in the final round will be another big learning opportunity for me and I can’t wait.”
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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.