16th February 2024 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Dawson leads the way at theDimension Data Ladies Pro-Am
GEORGE, Western Cape – After a day of very bad weather at Fancourt, with strong gales and torrential downpours, Ana Dawson was the only golfer to finish under-par after the first round of the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am and she had good reason to feel delighted.
Dawson, who hails from the Isle of Man, played the Outeniqua course in one-under-par 71 and so ended the opening day one stroke ahead of another three international golfers who finished on level-par: Germany’s Carolin Kauffmann, Scotland’s Kylie Henry and Englishwoman Lauren Taylor.
If the weather did not dampen Dawson’s mood then even a three-putt for bogey at the par-four last hole was not going to do it either.
“It was really hard weather and with all the delays, keeping your round going was probably the trickiest bit. It’s always a shame to three-putt the last, it leaves a bit of a sour taste, but I’m still very happy,” the 22-year-old Dawson said.
“If someone had offered me one-under today at the start of the round I would definitely have taken it. I had a nice draw because Outeniqua is a bit shorter and a bit more forgiving, but you still have to play well. I honestly hit just one bad shot today, but I struggled on the greens.”
Dawson enjoyed a fast start with a birdie on the par-four first hole, but she had to stay very patient thereafter as three pars were followed by a bogey on the par-four fifth. She birdied the sixth and eighth holes, but then dropped a shot at the ninth to turn in one-under.
The back nine was more grind with birdies on the 10thand 14th holes, but another bogey on the par-three 12th.
Dawson said the tough conditions actually suited her because it allowed her to take her time.
“It was quite slow out there, but in a way that was nice because it meant I didn’t have to try and rush, which has happened to me in the past. I felt I didn’t need to hurry at all today and that helped me. I really took my time and made sure everything was ready and right before I played,” Dawson said.
Henry and Taylor both took on the Montague course that is rated as being more difficult.
Henry was excellent on the front nine, going out in two-under, but the back nine bit back as she bogeyed three of the first four holes. A birdie on the par-five 18th was a great way to end though, restoring her to level-par.
Taylor recovered brilliantly from a disastrous front nine. After three pars, a double-bogey seven at the fourth would have knocked the wind out of her sails. She also dropped shots on the sixth and ninth holes, partially offset by a birdie on the par-three eighth, but the 29-year-old was three-over at the turn.
But Taylor stormed to three birdies in the first five holes of the back nine, not dropping any more shots on her way back to the clubhouse.
Kiera Floyd and Lejan Lewthwaite are the leading South Africans, tied in fifth place on one-over-par with Alexandra Swayne of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
SCORES:
71 – Ana Dawson (IMN)
72 – Carolin Kauffmann (GER), Kylie Henry (SCO), Lauren Taylor (ENG)
73 – Kiera Floyd, Lejan Lewthwaite, Alexandra Swayne (ISV), Corinne Viden (SWE)
74 – Lee-Anne Pace, Tandi McCallum, Jane Turner (SCO), Sideri Vanova (CZE), Harang Lee (ESP), Emily Penttila (FIN), Cara Gorlei
75 – Tara Griebenow, Stacy Bregman, Helen Kreuzer (GER), Elena Hualde (ESP)
76 – Anna Magnusson (SWE), Pasqualle Coffa (NED), Romy Meekers (NED), Nadia van der Westhuizen, Amy Taylor (ENG), Zethu Myeki, Gabrielle Venter
77 – Maiken Bing Paulsen (NOR), Julie Boysen Hillestad (NOR), Verena Gimmy (GER)
78 – Isabella van Rooyen, Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Clara Young (SCO), Tvesa Malik (IND)
79 – Kaleigh Telfer, Louise Duncan (SCO), Michelle Forsland (NOR)
80 – Brittney-Fay Berger, Bonita Bredenhann (NAM), Michele Thomson (SCO), Lora Assad, Ivanna Samu
82 – Vanessa Knecht (SUI), Danielle du Toit
84 – Emie Peronnin (FRA)
4th December 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Sunshine Ladies Tour unveils a season of opportunity
South African golf will have one of its most inclusive seasons in history with the 2024 Sunshine Ladies Tour set to feature a strong schedule of its own as well as representation on the men’s Sunshine Tour.
The upcoming Sunshine Ladies Tour season will consist of nine tournaments running from February to April 2024, two of which will be co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour and with live coverage on SuperSport.
Added to this, the winners of each of these events as well as the overall Order of Merit champion will earn a place with the men in the Sunshine Tour’s new Waterfall City Tournament of Champions powered by Attacq where they will compete for a first prize of R1 million at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club’s East Championship Course from 2-5 May 2024.
It’s another significant step in the ongoing drive towards equal opportunity within South African professional golf and builds on the 2023 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series on the Sunshine Tour where the leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals competed in the same tournament as the Sunshine Tour professionals for the same prize money.
“The strength of South African professional golf lies in our collective strength to create a product that showcases our diversity as a country capable of producing champions in the men’s and women’s game,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour and speaking on behalf of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
“We are privileged to have sponsors and partners who share this vision with us and which allows us to not only put together a strong independent Sunshine Ladies Tour schedule, but also to incorporate the strength of both our tours into a unified product that offers greater value to the professionals, the fans and to our sponsors.”
The 2024 Sunshine Ladies Tour will be anchored by two co-sanctioned tournaments with the Ladies European Tour – the Joburg Ladies Open at Modderfontein Golf Club from 18-21 April and the season-ending Investec South African Women’s Open at Erinvale Golf Estate from 25-28 April.
The schedule will tee off with the Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am at Fancourt from 16-18 February and will also include the SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International at the Lost City Golf Course from 21-23 February, the Sunshine Ladies Tour Invitational from 6-8 March at a venue still to be confirmed, the Cape Town Ladies Open at Royal Cape Golf Club from 13-15 March, and the Jabra Ladies Classic at Glendower Golf Club from 10-12 April.
There are also two new events on the schedule in March and April which will be announced at a later date.
2024 SUNSHINE LADIES TOUR SCHEDULE
16-18 February: Dimension Data Ladies Pro-Am – Fancourt
21-23 February: SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International – Lost City Golf Course
6-8 March: Sunshine Ladies Tour Invitational – Venue TBC
13-15 March: Cape Town Ladies Open – Royal Cape Golf Club
23 March: New Tournament TBA – Venue TBC
4-6 April: New Tournament TBA – Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate
10-12 April: Jabra Ladies Classic – Glendower Golf Club
18-21 April: Joburg Ladies Open – Modderfontein Golf Club (co-sanctioned with LET)
25-28 April: Investec South African Women’s Open – Erinvale Golf Estate (co-sanctioned with LET)
| Sunshine Ladies Tour
Buhai doubles up Aussie Open crowns
South African Ashleigh Buhai successfully defended her ISPS Handa Australian Open title on Sunday, securing a one-stroke win over Aussie crowd favourite, Minjee Lee.
Buhai carried a three-stroke lead into the final round, but the lead was only a single stroke over Lee by the time they arrived on the 18th tee.
In breezy conditions at The Australian in Sydney’s east, Buhai was shaky throughout her fourth round. She didn’t make a single birdie on her way to a three-over 75, and had to sweat over a tricky three-footer for par on the 18th to seal the win.
Lee carded a three-under 69 on her way to second place.
“To be honest, I wasn’t feeling the pressure,” Buhai said. “I knew Minjee would come at me today, but the conditions were so tough. I just kind of said, ‘hit it to your spaces, play par golf, make them catch you’.”
Buhai gave Lee a big sniff when she hit her second shot on the 17th hole into the water., but Lee was unable to fully capitalise and only made par to the South African’s bogey.
“It was just crazy how (that shot) got stuck up in the wind, I really couldn’t believe it,” Buhai said.
But the tension didn’t end there. Buhai had about six metres on the 18th green, but left herself a tricky downhill three-foot putt to save par and seal the win.
Written by Mike Green | SA Tour Golf
Photo courtesy of Australian Open Golf.
27th July 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Reto in pole position at Evian Champs
27 July 2023 – South African Paula Reto fired an opening round of seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to hold a two-shot advantage at the end of the first day of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
The 33-year-old began her day from the 10th tee and made a bogey on hole 11 but immediately bounced back with a birdie on 12. Reto then rolled in a birdie on 15 before she really got into a rhythm with birdies on 18 and the first before three on the trot on holes five through seven.
The LPGA Tour winner finished with a flourish, rolling in a birdie on her last hole for a back nine of 30 (-5) and to lead with a total of seven-under-par.
“I had so much fun,” said Reto, who won the 2022 Canadian Women’s Open. “The views and everything, it’s just awesome to be here. I hit some good quality shots beginning of the round and just gave myself opportunities.
“One birdie dropped, and you try to do the same thing over and over and just put yourself in good spots on this golf course. On my second hole, I hit a good shot off the tee, it was just in the bunker. I hit a good shot again, it was just the ball came back and I three-putted.
“I said it’s okay, the next hole is pretty tough and just to get myself in the fairway and give myself an opportunity. When the birdie dropped and the next couple of par saves as well, so sometimes you just stay in it, and you just don’t give up.
“You know, you never know out here with this golf course. Anything is possible. You just got to give yourself the best opportunity to make par and birdie.”
Four players sit in a share of second place with France’s Celine Boutier, American Alison Lee, Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko all on five-under-par.
Ashleigh Buhai opened with a one-over-par 72 to be in a share of 64th.
South African Paula Reto fired an opening round of seven-under-par 64 on Thursday to hold a two-shot advantage at the end of the first day of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
The 33-year-old began her day from the 10th tee and made a bogey on hole 11 but immediately bounced back with a birdie on 12. Reto then rolled in a birdie on 15 before she really got into a rhythm with birdies on 18 and the first before three on the trot on holes five through seven.
The LPGA Tour winner finished with a flourish, rolling in a birdie on her last hole for a back nine of 30 (-5) and to lead with a total of seven-under-par.
“I had so much fun,” said Reto, who won the 2022 Canadian Women’s Open. “The views and everything, it’s just awesome to be here. I hit some good quality shots beginning of the round and just gave myself opportunities.
“One birdie dropped, and you try to do the same thing over and over and just put yourself in good spots on this golf course. On my second hole, I hit a good shot off the tee, it was just in the bunker. I hit a good shot again, it was just the ball came back and I three-putted.
“I said it’s okay, the next hole is pretty tough and just to get myself in the fairway and give myself an opportunity. When the birdie dropped and the next couple of par saves as well, so sometimes you just stay in it, and you just don’t give up.
“You know, you never know out here with this golf course. Anything is possible. You just got to give yourself the best opportunity to make par and birdie.”
Four players sit in a share of second place with France’s Celine Boutier, American Alison Lee, Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko all on five-under-par.
Ashleigh Buhai opened with a one-over-par 72 to be in a share of 64th.
15th June 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Buhai lifts Shoprite LPGA Classic title
12 June 2023 – As she entered her 30s, Ashleigh Buhai was frustrated with consistently contending but never winning on the LPGA Tour. There was nothing wrong with her swing, so she began working with a mental coach.
Now at the cusp of 35 on a tour dominated by players a decade or more younger, the reigning AIG British Women’s Open champion is playing the best golf of her career.
Buhai seized the lead early with four birdies in her first five holes, got up and down for one last birdie for a six-under 65 and held off Hyo Joo Kim for a one-shot victory in the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Sunday.
“I had a really good amateur career and was going to be the next best thing out of South Africa, but that’s golf; it’s just not like that all the time,” Buhai said. “I kept plugging away. I have a good support system around me, which I think is the most important thing.”
It was the fourth win worldwide over the past 10 months for Buhai, who finished at 14-under 199 in the 54-hole event on the Bay Course at Seaview. Buhai won her first Major last August, added the Australian Women’s Open in December 2022 and won her fourth Investec South African Women’s Open title in March. She entered the week ranked 16th in the world and by Wednesday, she had risen to a career-high 12th.
At 34 years, 11 months, Buhai is the oldest winner this year on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s huge. I won a Major, which counts as a LPGA Tour win, but one of my big goals this year was to win here on US soil. I hadn’t won here yet, and I’m very proud of myself for ticking it off my bucket list,” Buhai said.
Buhai recalled a visit from long-time swing coach Doug Wood in October 2021 as the start of her turnaround. Wood couldn’t find any issues with her mechanics and put her in touch with mental coach Duncan McCarthy.
“I think I’ve also got to a point where I’m older in my career. Felt I should have achieved more by then and the pressure I was putting on myself. Again, I’m 34, so wanting to have a family,” Buhai said. “These things sit in the back of our minds that nobody really knows about and you don’t realize what havoc it plays back there. COVID, not being able to go back to South Africa, see my friends and family was also really tough.
“So we kind of tapped into all that, really got Ashleigh, the person, feeling better again.”
Playing in the penultimate pairing, Buhai began the day three shots behind leader Dani Holmqvist. By the time she rolled in a long birdie from off the back of the green on the par-four fifth hole, she led by one over Kim.
“Obviously I got off to such a good start, and the putt on five was a hallelujah,” Buhai said. “Those things need to happen for you to win, obviously.”
Kim, in the final pairing, birdied the par-three 17th to give herself a chance, but she needed to eagle the par-five 18th to match Buhai and could only manage birdie. She shot 68.
Behind Buhai, Paula Reto closed with a 69 for a share of 22nd and Lee-Anne Pace had a 71 to finish in a share of 30th.
NOTES
– third turn in the winner’s circle for Ash Buhai since becoming a Rolex First Time winner and major champion at the 2022 AIG Women’s Open. Other wins include the Australian Women’s Open in December 2022 and the Investec South African Women’s Open in March 2023.
– only player to have won on both the LPGA Tour and the LET this season
– second South African with multiple LPGA Tour wins, following Sally Little (15)
– oldest winner of the 2023 LPGA Tour season at 34 years and 11 months old
– earned 19 top-10 finishes in her career and 6 this season
– first South African to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
– represented South Africa at the 2016 Olympics, finishing 50th
VICTORIES
LPGA: 2
Ladies European Tour: 5
Sunshine Ladies Tour: 12
Women’s PGA Tour of Australasia: 1
RANKINGS
With her win, Buhai earns 500 points and climbed from 13th to fourth in the Race to the CME Globe and reached a career-high 12th in the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings. She has earned $740,919 this season and $4,352,359 in her career.
2023 LPGA TOUR PERFORMANCE
Eight cuts made in 10 events played with one victory and five top-10 finishes
Written by AP and edited by Lali Stander | Issued by the LPGA Tour and the Sunshine Ladies Tour
23rd May 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Top 10 for Alexander in Aramco Series Florida
22 May 2023 – Sunshine Ladies Tour winner Casandra Alexander carded her second successive three-over-par 75 on Sunday to finish in a share of 10th in the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series-Florida at Trump International in West Palm Beach.
Alexander overcame two double-bogeys on the front nine on her way to her final-round score, also making four birdies and a bogey in a roller-coaster start to the day. She had two more bogeys on the homeward nine as she moved to four-over-par for the tournament.
In the end, she was six shots behind the winner, Carlota Ciganda of Spain, who closed with a one-over 73 to hold off Klara Davidson Spilkova of the Czech Republic by one.
Lee-Anne Pace also had a closing 75, and she finished in a share of 28th on seven-over-par. Nicole Garcia had her second successive 78 to finish, and she was on 14-over in a share of 58th.
Written by Mike Green | satourgolf.co.za
| Sunshine Ladies Tour
Buhai takes 3rd in Founders Cup on LPGA Tour
Ashleigh Buhai’s closing two-under-par 70 on Sunday saw her finish just outside the play-off in third place in the LPGA Tour’s Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey.
Buhai’s performance came with four bogeys too, as she made six birdies to move to 10-under-par for the tournament. That was three strokes out of the play-off between Minjee Lee of Australia and Korea’s Jin Young Ko, which was won by Ko. Buhai finished two shots clear of Hae Ran Ryo of Korea in fourth place, with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, Aditi Ashok of India and American Angel Yin in a share of fifth on seven-under.
“I hit it so well today,” said Buhai. “You know, it’s hard to say, but I guess I’m disappointed with third place. I hit a lot of good putts that just didn’t drop, so I can’t really say that it was a cold putter. But I think very proud of still the way I played. To make six birdies in the conditions today when I look back is pretty good.”
It was Buhai’s fourth top-10 of the season as she seeks to build on a stellar 2022. “I know that when it all comes together, I’m going to have a chance to win again,” she said. “I’ve got to stay patient and not reinvent the wheel, and I know what I am doing is right and I just need to trust the process.”
Written by Mike Green | http://satourgolf.co.za/
29th April 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Play-off in Standard Bank Ladies Open gives Bregman long-awaited win
JOHANNESBURG, 29 April 2023 – Stacy Bregman sank a curling 20-footer for birdie on the first play-off hole on Saturday to celebrate her first win in over five years as she took the inaugural Standard Bank Ladies Open at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s West Course.
Bregman narrowly missed a birdie putt to win it from Lee-Anne Pace from a nearly identical position in regulation play, but it was a perfectly judged effort in the play-off as she beat Pace to break a victory drought which had lasted five years and three months.
“I’m ecstatic,” she said. “It’s been a while, and I’ve had a couple of tough years, and that makes this really special.”
The play-off happened when Pace pulled off a trademark birdie-birdie finish in regulation play to close out a final round of three-under-par 69. Bregman had to fight off the nerves after holding the 36-hole lead. She made bogeys on the fourth and again, crucially, on the 13th, as she signed for a closing level-par 72.
“I had said to Neal Herman, my caddie, that we were just going to go out there and have a bit of fun,” said Bregman. “That’s because I haven’t been the best on the golf course attitude-wise. I just tried to change my attitude a bit, which has obviously helped. Everyone has said for a long time that I need to do that, and I think it eventually clicked.
“I also just backed myself a little bit more than I have been. Sometimes when you’re struggling, you forget that you can play this game. I know I can, and I proved it to myself this weekend. I came out with the victory and I’m very proud of myself.”
It wasn’t just that personal pressure and the knowledge that Pace was in pursuit that she had to deal with.
Rookie Kiera Floyd put up a doughty challenge and her power off the tee putting her in positions that gave her plenty of opportunities. She got it to five-under through 11 holes, and, with enough holes ahead of her, including the par-five 18th, she had every right to expect to push for a win.
But a bogey on 12, and pressing just a little too hard, left her one-stroke out of the play-off in third place on four-under. Bonita Bredenhann from Namibia and Cara Gorlei finished a further stroke back in joint fourth.
For Bregman, all the doubts about choices made and missed putts in that final round were dispelled as her putt went in on the play-off hole, and Pace’s narrowly missed. “It just shows that my game is in good shape,” she said. “I held up under pressure there, and to make a birdie on the play-off hole shows that I’ve still got it. I wasn’t thinking much standing over the putt, actually. I just stuck to my processes. You can’t really think of the outcome. I just tried to read it as best I could, put the best speed on it, and let nature take its course. In the end, it worked in my favour.”
Bregman was really pleased with the opportunity Standard Bank presented with the new tournament on the Sunshine Ladies Tour schedule. “Without sponsors like Standard Bank, women’s golf in South Africa wouldn’t be where it is today,” she said. “There are so many up-and-coming amateurs, young pros that have been given a real chance to compete when they didn’t have anything outside the six tournaments at the beginning of the year. I think you’re going to see the level of women’s golf in South Africa really rise.”
Reigning SA Women’s Amateur Stroke Play champion Samantha Whateley took the amateur honours on four-over-par 220. The Country Club Johannesburg golfer finished in a tie for 11th with Lora Assad after posting rounds of 75, 71 and 74.
SA Women’s Amateur Championship finalist Ellandri van Heerden, who plays out of Bloemfontein Golf Club, was next best. Rounds of 74, 75 and 74 saw the 15-year-old finish in 16th place on her own on a score of seven-over 223.
28th April 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Bogey-free Bregman leads Standard Bank Ladies Open
JOHANNESBURG, 28 April 2023 – Stacy Bregman didn’t drop a shot on Friday on her way to a four-under-par 68 in the second round of the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s R1.1-million Standard Bank Ladies Open at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s West Course.
She started her second round steadily from the 10th, picking up just a single birdie on her front nine on the par-five 11th, but she got going properly on her back nine as she picked up birdies on four, seven and nine. She reached five-under for the tournament, giving her a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Cara Gorlei heading into Saturday’s final round.
“I’m very happy. It’s good to have a bogey-free round,” said Bregman. “I’ve been doing a lot of good work with my coach, John Dixon, and it’s slowly starting to take shape.”
Her four-under-par was the best score of the day, with the next-best performance coming from Nadia van der Westhuizen, whose three-under-par 69 lifted her to two-under for the tournament and a share of fifth with Lee-Anne Pace. They were one shot back from rookie Kiera Floyd and veteran Tandi McCallum, who shared third on three-under after rounds of two-under and one-over respectively.
For Bregman, it was her work on the greens on the revamped course which led to her good score.
“I putted really well today,” she said. “I felt I rolled it really well. The greens haven’t been perfect, because they are still so new. But I also hit it really well, and I converted putts when I needed to.”
Bregman is a five-time winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, including three wins in 2015. Her last win on the circuit came in 2018 in the Canon Tshwane Ladies Open, so a performance like her 68 was very encouraging. “It was one of those rounds where it felt easy,” she said. “It wasn’t really a grind which was quite nice for a change. I felt great for it to feel as if it was just coming naturally. I felt comfortable out there today.”
Gorlei who led the first round at five-under struggled with five bogeys on her card in the second round, but she was able to limit the damage with four birdies and stay in the fray, just one back.
Bregman is well aware of the challenge which lies ahead of her should she wish to step back into the winner’s circle. “Going into the final round, I’ve just got to carry on doing the same processes,” she said. “I can’t get ahead of myself, and that should be enough. It has been a while since I won, and there has been so much progress that a lot of people don’t see unfortunately. But things have been so close, so it would be really cool tomorrow to pull it off.”
Reigning SA Women’s Stroke Play champion Sam Whateley set the pace in the amateur challenge.
The 18-year-old Country Club Johannesburg junior fired a one-under 71 to finish on two-under in a tie for 10th with Brittney-Fay Berger, Kelsey Nicholas and Casandra Alexander, who won the Jabra Ladies Classic and the SuperSport Ladies Challenge earlier this season. SA Women’s Amateur finalist Ellandri van Heerden is two strokes further back.
Tune in to SuperSport channel 213 from 09h00 for live coverage of the final round.
27th April 2023 | Sunshine Ladies Tour
Off-season work helps Gorlei to lead in Standard Bank Ladies Open
JOHANNESBURG, 27 April 2023 – Cara Gorlei took advantage of work she has done in a short off season to card a five-under-par 67 on Thursday in the opening round of the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s R1.1-million Standard Bank Ladies Open at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s revamped West Course.
Gorlei made six birdies and dropped just a single shot as she took a one-stroke lead over former SA Women’s Open Tandi McCallum.
Big-hitting Bonita Bredenhann of Namibia is a further two shots back in a share of third on two-under-par with a trio of former Sunshine Ladies Tour champions including Lee-Anne Pace, Nicole Garcia and Casandra Alexander, already a two-time winner this season.
“We’ve had quite a break since the Investec South African Women’s Open in March, and to come back with a round like this just shows what I’ve been doing in this little off season has been working,” said Gorlei.
“It’s incredible to have the addition of this event, something like this stature, after the summer wrapped and we’re really thankful to Standard Bank for putting this together. It’s a really cool event and I hope that we can keep it up for the next couple of years.”
For Gorlei, the round came together around some changes she made at each end of her game, from the driver off the tee to the putter on the green.
“We’ve worked hard on being able to use my driver,” she said. “It sounds strange, but I used to pretty much play with just 13 clubs in my bag because I couldn’t get my driver right. So, we kind of fiddled with shafts and stuff and we found a match. I hit a lot more fairways and I am able to try and be more consistent.
“I also changed my conventional putting grip to a claw grip, and the ball has just been coming out of the middle of the putter so much better. I putted well today.”
The Milnerton golfer started her round with a birdie on the first and made two more ahead of the turn on the seventh and ninth. With gains on the 11th and 13th, a really low round looked possible, but she dropped a shot on the 15th. “I hit a really bad tee ball on eight with my three-wood, flared it out right and made a good save,” she said. “I did the same thing on 15. Found my ball, but I was well in the bush and I punched it out. I actually hit a good approach, but my par-putt just lipped out. I did well to come out of there with a five.”
She followed that dropped shot with pars on 16 and 17 and then she picked up a final birdie on the last hole.
Behind the players in third, rookie Kiera Floyd and five-time Sunshine Ladies Tour champion Stacy Bregman were on one-under in a share of seventh, with local favourite Kelsey Nicholas on level-par in ninth.
Driving women’s golf development in South Africa is a primary objective of the Sunshine Ladies Tour and the Standard Bank Ladies Open, and no less than seven amateurs took advantage of the opportunity to build experience playing alongside the professionals this week.
Free State junior Ellandri van Heerden was impressive in her first Sunshine Ladies Tour start.
The 2023 SA Women’s Amateur finalist opened with a two-over 74 to grab a share of 13th with rookie Bronwyn Doeg and Francesca Cuturi,.
She is one shot better than reigning SA Women’s Stroke Play champion Sam Whateley from Central Gauteng, who tied for 16th with Zethu Myeki, Lenanda van der Watt and Brittney-Fay Berger.
Mpumalanga’s Nicola Schoeman signed for 77, Cara Ford shot 78, and Zane Kleynhans from Gauteng North and Charlotte Millard from Central Gauteng posted a pair of 79s. The youngest campaigner this week, 13-year-old Lourenda Steyn from Gauteng North, carded 93.
The 54-hole event wraps up on Saturday, with live coverage of the final round televised on SuperSport channel 213 between 09h00 and 13h30.