Sunshine Ladies Tour | Sun International Golf

28th February 2019 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Turner cruises to victory at Wild Coast

28 February 2019 – Scot Jane Turner produced a stunning display of front running golf as she fired a closing two-under 68 to win the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, by four shots at the Wild Coast Country Club on Thursday.

The Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club player ended on a four-under 206 total, four ahead of her nearest challenger and defending champion Nobuhle Dlamini. The three-time Sunshine Tour winner carded rounds of 68 72 and 70, meaning Turner was the only player to finish under par for the week.

In third on her own was fellow Scot Gabrielle Macdonal of Craigelaw Golf Club on two-over after rounds of 72 70 70. Sunshine Ladies Tour rookie Kelsey Nicholas, who plays out of Royal Johannesburg and Kensington, finished a further shot adrift after posting scores of 78 68 67.

England’s Kiran Matharu and another Scot Hannah McCook – in her second start as a professional – tied for fifth on four-over with GolfRSA Elite Squad star Kajal Mistry.

The 18-year-old Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member, who lost in a play-off in last week’s SA Women’s Masters, won the leading amateur prize for a second week running.

Turner began her round with a birdie three on the second after chipping in for birdie when it looked like a bogey was on the cards. That was just the impetus she needed, as she picked up two more gains before the turn.

On the 10th, she holed a long putt for birdie to get to six-under and open a five-shot lead over Dlamini. Two bogeys in a final three holes ultimately mattered little, as the 29-year-old had done enough to claim an emphatic triumph.

“It feels amazing what I was able to do today,” said Turner. “I can’t even begin to describe what this feels like. I have no control of what anyone else does, so I needed to keep the ball in play and hit greens in regulation and make my birdies.

“Once the putts started dropping, it gave me confidence. I actually holed a great putt on 10 for birdie. Everything just came together.”

The bogeys on 16 and 17, made it a slightly more nervy finish for Turner – but she said her mind-set still remained the same.

“I had my first bogey of the day on 16 and just like nine yesterday, it was because of a bad drive,” she said. ‘I almost managed to save my par, but left the putt short. 17 was just a bad three-putt – my first one of the week.

“The mind-set was the same coming down 18, hit the fairway and hit the green and I almost made my birdie.”

Turner has a category 12 exemption (meaning limited status) on the Ladies European Tour (LET), but has tasted victory once before as a professional at the 2017 Bossey Ladies event on the LET Access Series.

“This is my second win and they both sit right up there. It’s a fabulous feeling to know you’re going home with a trophy – although I’m not sure how it’s going to fit on the plane!”

The win at the Wild Coast though, will give Turner a massive confidence boost as she heads to the Cape Town Ladies Open and then the Investec South African Women’s Open in two weeks, where the winner will receive full exemption on the LET for the rest of the season.

“The SA Open will be a great springboard for any player who does well there,” Turner said. “It gives me a lot of confidence knowing I put together a lot of birdies this week, and I just need to keep that going in Cape Town.”

In response to the question why the purple shirts on the final day, Turner responded.

“I was diagnosed with epilepsy almost seven years ago. I do my bit to raise awareness for the condition and I hope to make a tradition of wearing purple in the final round, because purple is the colour for all epilepsy charities. Under Armour give me my clothing, and there are quite a few purple tee shirts. So all my final days are going to be purple, just like Tiger and his red.”

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Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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27th February 2019 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Turner surges ahead at Wild Coast

27 February 2019 – Scot Jane Turner fired a second successive 69 to forge a two-shot lead on two-under at the summit of the leaderboard at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on Wednesday in the second round of the SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International.

The Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club player carded six birdies, including three in row from the 15th, to open a gap between herself and Nobuhle Dlamini.

The defending champion Nobuhle Dlamini is on level par following rounds of 68 and 72, three shots ahead of Chloe Williams from Wales, who returned rounds of 69 and 72.

GolfRSA Elite Squad member Kajal Mistry is in the mix for a third straight week going into the final round.

The 18-year-old Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation golfer registered a 72 to grab a share of fourth on two-over with Scottish rookie Gabrielle Macdonald and overnight leader Jessica Dreesbeimdieke. Macdonald carded 70, while the lanky Namibian battled to a second round 76.

Testament to her focus, the 29-year-old Turner was so engrossed in her round that she didn’t know she had surged ahead of the field.

“I didn’t even know I had a two-shot lead. I’ll just have to do the same tomorrow,” said Turner.

“It was pretty windy out there with strong crosswinds, but I managed to keep control over everything and I holed some really good putts. That helped me recover from the little double bogey on nine.

“I actually holed quite a long putt on the 17th, and the previous two were good approach shots. You could actually, if you were quite aggressive, reach the 16th in two. I did that and two-putted for my birdie.”

Lurking ominously though is three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Dlamini.

By her own admission, Dlamini admitted that she didn’t play her best golf in the second round, but she was confident about her chances going into the final round.

“It was a tough day today from the star to the finish. I hit a lot of greens in regulation,” said Dlamini. “It wasn’t great overall. The back nine played really tough with the South-East wind. I’ll take it though. I’m level par, and two behind and still within reach.

“There’s nothing to stress about really. I’m going to go work on my putting now, and hopefully I’ll be sharper for tomorrow.”

The 27-year-old holds second place on the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit, following her win in the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am two weeks ago, and a fifth place finish last week at the SA Women’s Masters.

The consistent play of Dlamini has seen her remain in line for the first title defence of her career at the scene of her breakthrough victory on tour.

“I think I’ve been quite consistent even when it’s not been going so well and holding my score together. Tomorrow I’ll have to chase a little bit harder, but I’ll also need to be cautious about what is happening around me.”

For the 23-year-old Williams, meanwhile, the chance to play in the final group will be a challenge she is relishing.

“I’m really happy with my putting at the minute; it’s come a long way actually,” said the Wrexham Golf Club player. “I’ve really struggled the last 12 months and it has taken time to come right.

“My entire game has kind of been in-and-out so I’ve had to be patient. But it seems to be coming together nicely. I’m really happy with where I am. I like being in the hunt going into the last day, rather than just trying to protect a score.

“The last time I was in the final group was over 18 months ago. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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26th February 2019 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Jessica jets to Wild Coast lead

26 February 2019 – Jessica Dreesbeimdieke scorched her way around the Wild Coast Country Club on Tuesday to open up a two-shot lead on four-under 66 in the first round of the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International.

The 22-year-old University of Denver graduate made her debut on the Sunshine Ladies Tour last week at the SA Women’s Masters, and her period of adjustment seems to be over as she carded a round including five birdies in difficult wind conditions.

Dreesbeimdieke eclipsed the performance of defending champion Nobuhle Dlamini of Swaziland, who shares second alongside Scotland’s Laura Murray on two-under 68.

The international domination of the leaderboard continued down to a share of fourth on one-under 69 with three-time winner Bertine Faber tied with France’s Emilie Piquot, Chloe Williams of Wales and the Scot Jane Turner.

Dreesbeimdieke, who had a solitary bogey at the par four fifth, said a strong start to the round helped her find her stride.

“I got off to a really hot start,” said Dreesbeimdieke. “I birdied the first two holes and narrowly missed a birdie on the third. My putting was definitely a lot better today than last week. That’s really what made the difference. My ball-striking has been really consistent lately.”

The psychology and social legal studies major who now lives in Florida, USA, carded eight pars and a birdie on the back nine as the wind began to howl.

“As soon as the wind came up I was just trying to keep my pars going. It was more about managing your game than doing anything crazy. Then I happened to make a birdie on 17, which felt like a hole-in-one with the wind. I aimed 40 metres right of the pin because it was a crosswind, and it finished just left of the hole. I probably made a seven-metre putt for birdie.”

The study of psychology will come in handy in the pressure situations Dreesbeimdieke will encounter in tournament golf.

“I like to think psychology helps me with golf, but then I’d have a tendency to over analyse,” she said. “It definitely helps me with coping techniques and keeping my mind in the right place – which was a challenge when I turned pro.”

Dlamini, meanwhile, went off the 10th and had a slow start to her round with two bogeys and a birdie to turn in one-over. Coming home, the three-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner clicked into gear with four birdies in five holes from the third, but signed off with a bogey at the par three eighth.

“I started quite solidly, I wasn’t putting great on the front nine, but the game plan was good,” said the big-hitting Swazi golfer. “The one birdie on 12 was good. One over was still okay on the front nine, but I played much better on my second nine.

“I’m happy to be playing here again. I like the course and I’m looking forward to the rest of the tournament, I’m quite solid and consistent. Hopefully I’ll make a few more putts.”

Murray had a fantastic day on the greens, and she made sure to thank the shortest club in her bag after her solid opening round.

“I hit the ball really nicely today, but I holed quite a few putts,” said Murray. “I seemed to get the speed of the greens pretty well. I had 26 putts out there, so I was happy with that. I must have holed a 35-footer for birdie at the first hole, so that was a bonus.”

In addition to her hot putter, the Kippie Lodge Sports and Country member has a secret weapon in her armoury this week – a vital factor in Lejan Lewthwaite’s play-off victory in the SA Women’s Masters last Saturday.

“I picked up Gilbert for this week, who was on Lejan’s bag at San Lameer and he helped me quite a few times with taking the right club,” Murrary said.

GolfRSA Elite Squad player Kajal Mistry, who lost to Lewthwaite at the first extra hole at San Lameer, is not out of it, either.

The 18-year-old Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation member offset three bogeys with a trio of birdies for an even-par 70 to tie for eighth with former Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Kiran Matharu from England.Ends

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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25th February 2019 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Williams wielding winning formula at Wild Coast

25 February 2019 – If recent performances are anything to go by, Kim Williams will be one of the favourites in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, which tees off at the Wild Coast Country Club on Tuesday.

Third on the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit after a fourth place finish at the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am two weeks ago, and a third place at the South African Women’s Masters last week, means Williams be hoping to ride her wave of form into the winners circle.

In fact, Sunday’s winner at San Lameer Country Club Leján Lewthwaite had finished third and second this season before breaking through for her maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour win. The Investec golfer, who shot to number one in the rankings, is not in the line-up this week, though.

Lewthwaite departed the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Monday to make her 2019 debut on the Ladies European Tour in Australia.

Williams, meanwhile, rose to fifth in the standings and hopes that its third time lucky for her this week.

“I just need to keep doing what I have been doing the last two weeks and hopefully make a few putts,” said the Centurion Country Club golfer.

Williams grabbed a share of the 36-hole lead with Sweden’s Sofie Bringner at San Lameer. She stayed ahead of the field for most of the round, despite triple bogeys at the par three fourth and 16th holes. Those two holes cost her six shots, yet Williams ended just two shots outside the play-off for the title.

“I just need to stay patient, because these things happen. It wasn’t bad shots, but I still ended up with a triple on both par threes. I just need to stick with the processes. Hopefully I keep knocking on the door, meaning the victory is around the corner,” Williams said.

With a short turnaround between tournaments of three days, Williams took time to relax between events to keep herself fresh for another title challenge.

“I just took Sunday off, went down to the beach and relaxed. Hopefully nothing has changed from last week,” she said. “The last couple weeks I’ve been hitting my irons really nicely, so if that keeps up I’ve got a really good chance this week.”

GolfRSA Elite Squad golfer Kajal Mistry, coming off a top five finish at Fancourt and a play-off loss in the SA Women’s Masters on Sunday, is looking for another hot finish in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club; Justin Klusener.

Lewthwaite beat young GolfRSA Elite Squad player Kajal Mistry on the first play-off hole by holing a monster 35-foot putt to seal victory. The play-off with the 18-year-old Ernie Els and Foundation member drew praise from Williams, who was paired with the youngster in the final round.

“She is an amazing golfer and she has a very big future,” Williams said. “Although Kajal still has a lot to learn, she already has a fantastic game, a great temperament for the big moments and her course management is coming along great.”

Although she is not eligible for earnings, Mistry’s top four finish in the Dimension Data Ladies Challenge and play-off loss in the SA Women’s Masters effectively moved her to third in the Investec Order of Merit. She hopes to take the lessons learned last week to produce another top finish.

“I learned that sometimes things don’t go your way and to exercise loads of patience,” said the Randpark Golf Club player.

“That’s just the way it is. I tried my best and had a lot of fun being in contention. I haven’t done that in a while, even on the amateur circuit so it was fun.

“At the start of the day I was three back. When I lead by three shots on the amateur circuit, I know it’s nothing. One hole can change your situation quite quickly. I stick it out for the whole 18. There was never a point where I thought I couldn’t do it at San Lameer. I kept my head high the whole time.”

Mistry last played the Wild Coast Country Club at age 10, nearly eight years ago.

“I last played here when I was 10 years old. This was the course where I put my first score into the handicap system. I think I shot about 110,” she laughed. “I have good memories from here, as I’ve also stayed here on holiday.”

Not to be discounted though this week will be defending champion Nobuhle Dlamini.

The Glendower Golf Club player broke through at this event last year for her maiden victory on tour. The 27-year-old has since won twice more and rocketed to second in the Investec Property Order of Merit after her third success at Fancourt. She has also spoken of her desire for a strong title defence, and will likely factor strongly this week.

Another good bet could be Gleneagles golfer Hannah McCook. Making her professional debut last week, the 25-year-old Scot contended strongly throughout the week before finally finishing an impressive tied third alongside Williams on one-over.

Written and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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8th March 2018 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Buhai bolts clear in Investec SA Women’s Open

South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai reeled in three birdies on the back nine of Westlake Golf Club to race into the first round lead of the R2-million Investec South African Women’s Open on Thursday.

Buhai made the most of the tranquil conditions in Cape Town to fire a three-under-par 69 and opened up a one shot lead on the three-way tie for second.

“I saw at the turn that the leaders were on two-under, so I set myself a goal of three-under,” Buhai confessed. “We were very lucky with the conditions, because the wind didn’t blow as it did during the pro-am. I knew there would be a few under out there and I was very patient.”

Buhai leads by one shot from big-hitting Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia, who set the clubhouse target alongside fellow early starter Silvia Bannon from Spain. Germany’s Karolin Lampert joined the pack at two under in the late afternoon.

Former Canon Ladies Tshwane Open champion Kiran Matharu from England finished in fifth place with a one-under-par 71, while rising star Ivanna Samu was the next best-placed South African.

Samu tied for sixth on level par with recent SA Women’s Masters winner Laura Fuenfstueck from Germany, French pair Manon Molle and Camille Chevalier, Maha Haddioui from Morocco and three-time Ladies European Tour winner Florentyna Parker.

Buhai won the Investec South African Women’s Open twice as an amateur – first as a 14-year-old at her home club, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington in 2004 and again just before she turned pro in 2007 at Durban Country Club.

She’s made no secret of her desire to capture the prestigious title a third time over the last couple of years and came into the week with a winning mind-set.

Buhai started the 2018 Sunshine Ladies Tour season with a runner-up finish in the Canon Ladies Tshwane Open and claimed her eighth trophy with a commanding wire-to-wire victory in the Joburg Ladies Open a week later.

Then she jetted off to Australia for a three-week stint on the LPGA Tour. “I was a little jetlagged coming home and caught a cold somewhere along my travels, but this morning I felt right as rain and ready to go,” said Buhai.

She cancelled a bogey at the second with a birdie at eighth to turn level, and holed a 20-footer at the par-four 12th to spark some momentum on the back nine.

“I’d been very patient up to that point, but sometimes you just need to make some good pars to keep the round going,” said the 27-year-old Edenvale native. “I put a really good stroke on the putt at 12 and that got me into red numbers.

“I nearly holed out at the 15th and I was so sorry the ball didn’t drop. They’ve put up a painting as a hole-in-one prize and Dave (Buhai) and I just bought a flat, so we could use some art. I hit a really good approach into 18 and finished pin-high left, about 20 foot from the pin.

“It was quite a tricky little putt and Dave and I both had a good look. I decided to hit it inside right and it went right in. Winning this as an amateur was huge for me, but now, with two Major starts in play, it’s really something I’d like to get done this year.”

Ethel Ruthenberg from Southern Cape led the 12-strong amateur contingent with a two-over 74, while defending champion Lee-Anne Pace finished a further two strokes adrift after an opening 76.

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Written by and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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2nd March 2018 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Dlamini shakes the bridesmaid tag at Wild Coast

Nobuhle Dlamini finally broke her duck on the Sunshine Ladies Tour with a wire-to-wire victory in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club.

The 27-year-old Swazi golfer closed with a final round two-over 72 to capture the R400 000 event, presented by Sun International, by one shot from Lora Assad on Friday.

Dlamini was challenged by a number of players, including Assad, who posted four-under with her final round 69. Port Shepstone professional Melissa Eaton was also in contention most of the way before signing off with a three-over 73 and third place on three-under.

The significance of her triumph in the extremely windy conditions at the par 70 layout was not lost on Dlamini.
“Personally this has built me a lot. I’ve learnt about being confident, trusting what you’re doing,” said Dlamini. “I won a lot as an amateur, but it had been too long since my last win. So I needed to win to know I could still do it. It’s the beginning of a good journey for me. I hope it will open many doors in terms of sponsorships and getting into other bigger tournaments.”
Dlamini had knocked on the door plenty over the last four years in the pro ranks, but particularly this season. A fourth place finish at the Joburg Ladies Open in January and joint second at the SA Women’s Masters last week suggested the watershed moment was in her near future.

On a windswept final day at the coastal oasis her hopes turned to reality.
“I played well the first two days, but I struggled a bit today because I was a bit nervous,” she said. “I held it together and I’m absolutely ecstatic. It really means a lot to me and to everyone who has supported me. It’s been a long journey with lots of hard work. Trying to win my confidence grew, so I’m really happy that I hung in there to win.”

Dlamini has come under a lot of pressure to shake the bridesmaid tag, especially her performance at Modderfontein Golf Club. To finally go out and get the job done brought a great sense of relief.
“I kept saying I was going to win and I felt that I could win, but I just couldn’t finish it off,” Dlamini admitted. “This week I wasn’t expecting much. I just believed I’m good enough to win. That belief relaxed me. I said to myself I should just forget about the results and trust the process.”

The Swazi golfer suspected scoring would be difficult in the testing conditions.

“I didn’t know what the players ahead of us were doing, because there wasn’t too many scoreboards on the course,” she said. “I knew Lora was playing well, and she was under par, but didn’t know by how much. So I just said to myself anything close to level par should get the job done today.”
Playing into the teeth of the wind at the par four 18th, Dlamini had no idea that Assad had bogeyed the closing hole.

She carved her drive out to the right, chipped back into play but was still unable to reach the putting surface in three. Coming out the greenside bunker, she missed a 10-footer for bogey, but was able to glide in a knee-knocking three-footer to get her hands on the trophy and a paycheque of R56 000.
“I was level on 17 where I saw the leaderboard, and I thought I had a two shot lead,” Dlamini said.

“I hit driver at the middle, but the wind carried it into the rough. From there I was forced to chip out and still had a tough third shot. I thought a five was good enough, but I didn’t know what Lora had done.”

“I actually asked my caddie ‘do I have to make this putt or are two putts good enough?’ He said he wasn’t also not sure. So I then tried to make the bogey putt, but hit it too far past. But I made sure of the return.”

Dlamini will take a boat-load of confidence into next week’s Investec South African Women’s Open at Westlake Golf Club and not only from lifting her first trophy.

The victory catapulted her to second in the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit and she will start the Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned event less than 400 points behind Stacy Bregman, who remained at the top of the summit and moved to 1 710 points with a joint 24th place finish.

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1st March 2018 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Determined Dlamini knocking at SuperSport Ladies Challenge

Nobuhle Dlamini moved one step closer to her maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour victory with a second round one-under 69 to lead by a shot from Melissa Eaton at the R400 000 SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, on Thursday.
Dlamini followed her brilliant opening round of six-under 64 at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club with a more subdued 18 holes on day two to get to seven-under overall, but a 69 did her quest to grab her breakthrough win no harm at all.

Sunshine Ladies Tour debutant Jessica Karlsson from Sweden carded a second round 67 to rise to five-under overall, with Lora Assad a further two strokes back after an even-par 70.
The difference in Dlamini’s scores over the two days was down to her putting.

“It was another solid round, but I just didn’t score very well,” Dlamini said. “I hit the ball really well. I didn’t putt like I did in the first round, but I’m still happy with a 69. I could have made more putts. My course management was good as well.
“I’m going to have the same approach into the final round and, if I putt better, it will be good enough. My game plan is good; my ball-striking is good. I’m still feeling confident on the greens, but I left quite a few putts short today, I had the lines right but my pace was out. In the beginning I hit them a bit hard so I tried to adjust. But the ball is running on line which is good.”
Eaton from Port Shepstone aimed to use her home-ground advantage in round three.
“I just feel at home here, with the scorers and volunteers; it’s a really good feeling. I know a lot of people are pulling for me,” said Eaton.
“In the past I’ve put too much pressure on myself and it’s been nice this year, because I haven’t been in the media as much. I’m just trying to do my thing and go about my routine like I would anywhere else. It’s been nice, though, having my family here and my twin Nicola watching me.”
Eaton had one spectacular par-save during her round at the par three 11th. She was forced to stand in the middle of a bush to take her stance and was able to take a swing at it, and proceeded to bang in the putt from around 10 feet for par.
“I misfired at the wrong target and it almost cost me a lot there,” said the Parkview assistant golf director. “I luckily found my ball and had a swing and I was fortunate to be able to chop it out and save par. That was big turning point for me in the round. I felt like things were going my way and I just needed to flow with that.”
Despite a moderate first round, Eaton said she feels she is close to recording a really good score.
“The conditions were a little easier to begin with today, but it is moving day for us on day two. You need to try and get up a bit further on the leaderboard. We started off early and I just felt good. I knew yesterday I played very well but the score didn’t quite show. I knew if I just continued with that frame of mind it would work, and it did.”
As for her approach on Friday with the title on the line, Eaton said the confidence gained from a top joint second place finish in the SA Women’s Masters would serve her well.
“Tomorrow I’m just going to keep the same mind-set and belief in myself and try to hit the right shot at the right time. I can’t control other players, just my own game.”
Investec Property Fund Order of Merit leader Stacy Bregman ground out a two-over 72 to go with her opening 73. The Canon Ladies Tshwane Open champion finished on five-over in a tie for 24th and made the cut by two.

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28th February 2018 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Dlamini sizzles at SuperSport Ladies Challenge

Nobuhle Dlamini laid down the gauntlet with a scorching six-under 64 at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club to open up a three-shot lead in the first round of the R400 000 SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, on Wednesday.

The big-hitting Swazi golfer had to recover from a triple-bogey six on the par three-sixth, but she did this in scintillating style, firing nine birdies on a hot and windy day on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
South African Lora Assad slipped into solo second place on three-under 67, while five players share third on two-under including South Africa’s Kim Williams. Sweden’s Jessica Karlsson, Norwegian Stina Resen, and English duo Rachael Goodall and Kiran Matharu.

Still searching for her a Sunshine Ladies Tour breakthrough, the 26-year-old Dlamini has battled slow starts to tournaments this season.

Her best opening day came last week at the SA Women’s Masters where she shot 71, and her next lowest first round was a 75. Starting tournaments better is something that Dlamini has been working on, and that work has clearly begun to pay dividends.
“I’ve basically adopted a more laid-back approach; a ‘don’t force it’ mentality,” said Dlamini after her round.
“I just try to relax a bit more and not stress over each shot too much. If I hit the green that’s great, but if I missed a green, I always felt I could get it up-and-down. That was my approach. I can chip, I can putt, I can hit fairways.”
Dlamini was two-under after four holes with birdies at two and four.

After dropping to one-over on the signature par-three sixth she responded with a pair of birdies at seven and eight. With just her fourth par of the loop coming at the ninth, an unremarkable one-under 34 took her through the turn.

“I made a triple on six when I hit it left in the bush,” said Dlamini. “Unfortunately it wasn’t a hazard so I had to go back to the tee box. I left it just short of the green and two-putted from there. But I still had many holes to recover.”

Coming home, Dlamini was flawless with her first gain coming at 10, before three in a row from the par five 12th.
Her ninth and final red number of the round came at the par five 16th as she opened up a gap on the field with a closing nine of five-under 30.

“I’m quite chuffed with myself for shooting the score I did,” said Dlamini. “I’ve been hitting it well for quite some time now, but not being able to make the putts. Let’s just say, the putting assisted my score a lot.

“It got tough on the back nine. There were a lot of changes in club choice, but I always missed in the right positions. I’m quite happy. I gave myself easy lines and I didn’t have many putts with big breaks in them.

“I had such a good round today. I hit the ball really well. I had such good control over my shots. I putted well tool. I was always in play as I only missed one fairway. I was just playing fairway-greens, and if the putt drops I’m happy.”

Her ball-striking was excellent, but her putting was outstanding.

“I had 25 putts today. For me that’s good because I’ve been averaging 33. My pace was good today. These greens suit me. They’re a bit slow, but I adjusted to it during the round. I hit a couple short in the beginning, but got into it as the round went on.”

Assad, meanwhile, had an even better ball striking performance which helped her rise into contention.

“I didn’t miss a green today. I struggled with the ball bouncing around a bit on the greens because they’re slow,” said the Johannesburg golfer. “I’m playing really well at the moment. I don’t normally play well at the coast, but I was good today. The wind is a bit gusty out there.”

With the SuperSport Ladies Challenge being the penultimate event on the Sunshine Ladies Tour 2018 season, Assad wished the tour would continue its growth.

“I don’t want the tour to end. It’s my first time playing a full schedule here and it’s a lovely tour. It’s just perfect. I love the people, I love being in South Africa. I haven’t been home for a long time and I really with the tour was longer.”

Dlamini – fourth on the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit – is hoping to make up ground on the points leader Stacy Bregman.

The five-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Bregman is having her best season to date, but struggled with a first round three-over 73 for a tie for 24th. Bregman has 1635 points at the summit of the Order of Merit from four events, with Dlamini a ways behind with 822 points after five tournaments.

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Written by and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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27th February 2018 | Sunshine Ladies Tour

Big target on Bregman’s back at Wild Coast

26 February 2018 – Nobuhle Dlamini, Ivanna Samu and Laura Fuenfstueck will want to reel in Stacy Bregman when the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit leader tees off in the R400 000 SuperSport Ladies Challenge, presented by Sun International, at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on Wednesday.

Bregman wants to strengthen her vice grip on the standings in the penultimate event on the Sunshine Ladies Tour before the season-finale Investec South African Women’s Open in Cape Town.

The five-time Sunshine Ladies Tour winner is enjoying her best season yet and is keen to put more daylight between herself and her nearest rivals. Bregman shot straight to the top of the standings with her victory in the season-opening Canon Ladies Tshwane Open and strung together an impressive sequence of top five finishes to anchor herself in top spot.

She leads the standings with 1 635.00 points and, with a R100 000 on the table for the point list winner, Bregman wants to consolidate her lead with another stirring performance before the final event at Westlake Golf Club from 8-10 March.

She enjoys a very handy 548.33 point advantage over Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am champion Carrie Park and is 555 points clear of Joburg Ladies Open winner Ashleigh Buhai, but Park is fulfilling her obligations on the Korean LPGA Tour, while Buhai is campaigning on the LPGA Tour.

It’s the trio behind Park and Buhai that pose a realistic threat this week.

“I have a pretty big cushion and I want to keep it that way,” said the 31-year-old Country Club Johannesburg golfer after her practice round on Tuesday.

“I’ve done the math. A win in the Investec South African Open is worth 1 100 points. That brings Ash, Nobby, Ivanna and Laura into play. I’ll need at least 2 000 going to Cape Town to win the Investec Property Fund Order of Merit. A win this week is worth 520 points; second place is 420 points. Those are two spots I’m aiming for.”

It is big ask, even for Bregman, especially since she has never set foot on the daunting par-70, Robert Trent Jones designed course before her practice round.

“I enjoyed my first look,” Bregman said. “It’s a really good course and it will play really tough when the wind is up. But I love playing new courses, so I’m looking forward to the tournament. The resort is really nice, too, and I am really keen to try the slides in the Water Park.”

Fuenstueck became the fifth alternative winner this season and third international champion on the Sunshine Ladies Tour when she annexed victory in the SA Women’s Masters by a single shot and the affable 23-year-old German rookie is a strong contender to go back-to-back at the Wild Coast Sun.

“At first it was just about making cuts, but I have definitely raised my expectations,” she said. “I only have conditional status on the Ladies European Tour, so I am hoping for another good week to take momentum to the Investec South African Women’s Open. I have to make this week count.”

Dlamini has also been making noticeable strides this season with a sequence of good results.

She let the chance of a maiden title slip with a double bogey at 14 at San Lameer, but rose to fourth spot in the standings on the back of a four-way tie for second place and feels that she is within touching distance now of a breakthrough victory. Playing a course with a layout similar to her home course, the Royal Swazi Spa Country Club, could just be what the big-hitting Swazi golfer needs to get inside the winner’s circle.

“I’m there at the door, knocking all the time,” said Dlamini. “It’s frustrating, but I am just staying really patient. If you knock long enough, the door has to open.”

The local favourite Melissa Eaton found herself neatly tucked into the runners-up cluster in the SA Women’s Masters and also feels she’s edging closer to a big payday.

“To be honest, I was ready to pack it in after a disastrous back nine in final round of the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am,” she said. “I knew the only positive I could take away was learning the tough lesson it taught me. So I didn’t allow my emotions to get the better of me. I came back strong and I am taking a lot of positive energy into the SuperSport Ladies Challenge this week.”

Written by and released by Lali Stander on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and WPGA.

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