The 48-year-old Hugo birdied the par-five 18th hole, thanks to a brilliant chip-shot, for a two-under-par 70 that left him on 13-under-par for the tournament. Broomhead’s fantastic final round of 65, which included nine birdies but a costly double-bogey on the par-four sixth hole, had lifted him to 12-under-par.

Overnight leader Louis de Jager was also on 12-under as he teed off with Hugo on the final hole, but he ended up making double bogey on 16 and then bogey on 18 to finish in a tie for third on 11-under.

Hugo clinched an astonishing 12th victory on the Vodacom Origins of Golf Series, and his 20th Sunshine Tour title overall. And he did so with a third shot on 18 that was a superb chip to a foot from the hole from the right of the green.

“Fortunately I hit a good drive and I was in two minds whether to lay up or go for the green with 216 metres to the flag. I took a chance and went over the water, hitting it on the other side of the sluit down the right with a gripped-down four-iron. I then hit a brilliant chip,” Hugo said.

“My best putt of the day was on 16 though, where we all struggled. Louis lost his ball and I had to hack out of the rough a couple of times, we were on the clock as well, and I sank a putt for bogey from more than 15 feet. And on 17 I made another clutch putt for par.

“We made it tough for ourselves with those stumbles and there was a bit of pressure. But I’ve been playing well lately, if I could just putt well then my scores would be even better. I used to be the best putter on tour, but now anything under 30 putts for a round is good. I was bogey-free the first two rounds and my first bogey today was on the ninth, so I was hitting the ball very well,” Hugo, who only had 27 putts on Sunday, said.

De Jager was in hot form on the front nine, going out in three-under, but he bogeyed the par-five 11th and dropped two shots on the 16th, before closing with another bogey, having hit his drive into the left rough.
Between 2006 and 2015, Hugo was probably the hottest golfer on the Sunshine Tour with 16 victories. But Sunday’s triumph was his first since 2019.

“To have 12 Vodacom Origins of Golf titles and 20 overall on the Sunshine Tour is what I’m most proud of. I got to 17 quite quickly, but then only won again in 2019 and then there was Covid and in 2020 I had a massive ankle operation.

“But I’ve been working hard and it’s nice to see the results. I can now aim to hit a certain shot and pull it off, it’s about technique and trust way more than just relying on talent. I’ve come close to winning these last few years, but I’m just delighted that I didn’t give it away today. As long as you fight out there, you can be happy,” Hugo said.

Luke Brown (70) and Kyle de Beer (71) shared third place with De Jager, while 20-year-old Gabrielle Venter shot an outstanding five-under-par 67 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 16th on six-under-par, leading the way for the Sunshine Ladies Tour players.

Danielle du Toit (70) finished tied-29th and Lora Assad (71) was in a share of 44thplace.

SCORES

203 – Jean Hugo 66 67 70
204 – Jonathan Broomhead 68 71 65
205 – Luke Brown 67 68 70, Kyle De Beer 64 70 71, Louis de Jager 65 67 73
206 – Lyle Rowe 69 70 67, Keenan Davidse 70 67 69, Nikhil Rama 66 70 70, Martin Rohwer 67 69 70, Jacques Blaauw 66 70 70
207 – Ryan Van Velzen 68 73 66, Rupert Kaminski 74 67 66
208 – Brandon Meads 71 71 66, Graham van der Merwe 73 68 67
209 – Daniel van Tonder 72 69 68
210 – Gabrielle Venter 71 72 67, James Hart du Preez 71 71 68, Joe Long 67 74 69, Heinrich Bruiners 73 68 69, Danie Van Niekerk 68 71 71, Ricky Hendler 69 69 72
211 – Jbe’ Kruger 73 71 67, Albert Venter 71 72 68
212 – Ruan Groenewald 70 73 69, Hennie O’Kennedy 73 69 70, Louis Albertse 65 77 70, Trevor Fisher Jnr 71 71 70, Rhys West 68 72 72
213 – Otto Van Buynder 70 74 69, MJ Viljoen 75 69 69, Christiaan Burke 69 74 70, Danielle du Toit 74 69 70, Kyle McClatchie 67 74 72, Thanda Mavundla 69 70 74
214 – Stefan Wears-Taylor 71 73 70, Quintin Wilsnach 75 69 70, Pierre Pellegrin 75 69 70, Keelan van Wyk 72 72 70, Travis Ladner 73 70 71, Conner Mackenzie 73 70 71, Ethan Smith 72 71 71, Jacques P de Villiers 69 73 72, Stuart Krog 71 71 72
215 – Adam Breen 75 69 71, Ruan de Smidt 71 73 71, Lora Assad 73 71 71, Sean Bradley 75 68 72, Werner Deyzel 74 69 72, Callum Mowat 74 69 72, Wynand Dingle 73 69 73
216 – Rourke van der Spuy 72 70 74
217 – Yurav Premlall 74 68 75, Hayden Griffiths 73 69 75, Gary Kemp 73 68 76
219 – Stephen Ferreira 70 74 75, Keegan Mclachlan 69 75 75
220 – Malcolm Mitchell 77 66 77
224 – George Coetzee 74 68 82
Missed the cut:-
145 – Fredrik From 72 73, Michael Hollick 74 71, Toto Thimba Jnr 73 72, Luke Jerling 73 72, Irvin Mazibuko 73 72, Dan Erickson 71 74, Jared Harvey 76 69, CJ du Plessis 73 72, Altin van der Merwe 74 71, Gerhard Pepler 73 72, Samuel Simpson 73 72
146 – Christopher Long 73 73, Combrinck Smit 75 71, Matthew Spacey 75 71, Keagan Thomas 75 71, Jastice Mashego 72 74, Therion Nel 74 72, Dylan O’Leary 76 70, Robson Chinhoi 75 71, Warwick Purchase 74 72
147 – Gerard du Plooy 70 77, James Mack 77 70, Christian Kriek 73 74, Jaco Van Zyl 74 73, Brandon Gildenhuys 79 68, Trevor Mahoney 71 76
148 – Kyle Barker 77 71, Neil Schietekat 77 71, Leon Vorster 75 73, Jacob Oakley 75 73, Gregory Mckay 75 73, LB Boshoff 75 73, Jovan Rebula 69 79
149 – Steven Le Roux 73 76
150 – Sentanio Minnie 80 70, Estiaan Conradie 74 76, Merrick Bremner 75 75, Dayne Moore 72 78, Bronwyn Doeg 77 73, Jason Roets 73 77, Craig Ross 79 71
152 – Allister de Kock 73 79, Jake Redman 72 80, Ruan Conradie 79 73, Haydn Porteous 75 77, Nick Cunningham 81 71, Stals Swart 76 76
153 – Christiaan Basson 78 75, Slenda Sithebe 75 78, Kelsey Nicholas 78 75
155 – Ruan Korb 81 74, Lindi Coetzee 79 76
156 – Cara Gorlei 77 79
157 – Jordan Duminy 82 75
158 – Tara Griebenow 80 78
159 – Johan Theron 83 76
160 – Jabulane Mabilane 79 81
162 – Lyle Pedro 78 84
164 – Brittney-Fay Berger 87 77
165 – Thabang Simon 82 83
WDN – Thabiso Ngcobo 80 WDN WDN, Franklin Manchest 76 RTD RTD

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

The post Hugo claims record 12th Vodacom Origins title appeared first on SportsClub.

The Vodacom’s Origins of Golf series is the longest running pro-am series on the Sunshine Tour. Wherever it is played in the country, Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour invite young golfers from the nearest South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) chapter to a golf clinic.

Twenty-two youngsters between the ages of eight and 17 – many of them from Pilgrim’s Rest Primary School – took to the driving range at Highland Gate on Thursday 15 August to receive coaching from the Sunshine Tour professionals. And it was an experience they’ll never forget.

“I love sport, having played netball, volleyball and soccer, and I love seeing these children do it as well. To take them out of their location and allow them to see nature as beautiful as this – for some of them it is the first time – is wonderful. This is like a dream come true for them, because they have never been to a place like this before, they mostly don’t see things like this,” said Joyce Mabuye, a teacher at the Pilgrim’s Rest Primary School.

“This motivates them to do something good. I am constantly fighting for children to do something in sports because it keeps them away from the streets. So their parents are very supportive of them playing golf.”

The children were also fortunate to have two professionals from their hometown coaching them.

The Mashego brothers, Jastice and Austin, are both busy trying to further their own professional golf careers on the Sunshine Tour but were more than happy to give back to youngsters growing up where they did.

“Our father, Obed, was a keen golfer and a member at Pilgrim’s Rest Golf Club, so we took up the game. I was caddying for Jastice in the Vodacom Origins of Golf this week,” said Austin.

“I love assisting Jastice with the coaching. Being out here hitting balls helps to clear the minds of these youngsters.”

For Jastice, it is about providing an opportunity to dream. “Coming from a small town like Pilgrim’s Rest, there is not much opportunity for these kids and they don’t have role models. So now we can let them see what golf is all about. I hope to inspire them, to give them hope. Just travelling here will open their minds a bit.”

Monde Ngcukana, the Managing Executive for Vodacom Mpumalanga Region, was an appreciative onlooker at the coaching clinic, before enthusiastically hitting a few balls himself.

“It’s very important that these children are stimulated and given the chance to be active. This exclusive venue gives them something to aspire to, but making golf instruction more accessible for them is also a big plus. Vodacom wants to support the youth however we can, with a focus on education, which is why our data is zero-rated for those in Grade R to Grade 12.

“These clinics are part of an holistic approach to the growth of children in South Africa. With our Mum-and-Baby programme, we really do support children from the cradle. And it’s good to see them here.”

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

The post Young Mpumalanga golfers treated to pro tournament experience appeared first on SportsClub.

There will be nine Sunshine Ladies Tour professionals who will also tackle this Ernie Els-designed course this week as they compete for the same prizemoney. But this year Vodacom and the Sunshine Tour have introduced an Order of Merit solely for the women professionals, the winner of which at the end of the series qualifies for a place in the Joburg Ladies Open and three Access Tour events on the Ladies European Tour.

The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series is held every year at some of South Africa’s finest golf clubs, grouping amateurs, leading business figures and Vodacom customers with some of the top players on the Sunshine Tour. Once the pro-am finishes on Thursday, the professional tournament will be held over three rounds from Friday, and the leading contenders are united in their belief that Highland Gate will pose a stern challenge, especially if the wind gets up.

“It’s a great course and hopefully the weather stays good because it is really tough here in the wind,” Neil Schietekat said on Thursday. “The greens are slopey and quick, and if you add strong winds to them then it becomes really tricky.”

“There are no giveaway birdies here, which is what I like on a course. You have to map your way around here, you can’t just hit-and-hope and then make an easy birdie. But I feel good about my game. I’ve found a bit of form and you know what they say, ‘be careful of the sleeping dog’,” Schietekat, who is coming off top-10 finishes in his last two Sunshine Tour events, said.

The Vodacom Origins of Golf Series also marks the return to action of one of the great gentlemen of the Sunshine Tour in George Coetzee, who last played competitively in May 2023 at the Italian Open on the
DP World Tour.

Coetzee underwent wrist surgery and, on a happier note, became a first-time father in the interim. He was his usual smiling self on the putting green on Thursday, although he acknowledged some daunting golf was ahead of him.

“It’s good to be back and the wrist is rustig [calm]. I’m just going to go out and try and enjoy myself, but if the wind is up again like Wednesday then I could be in for some torture,” Coetzee said.

Daniel van Tonder, the winner of the previous event on the Sunshine Tour, the FNB Eswatini Challenge at Nkonyeni Golf Estate, says the Highland Gate layout suits him well.

“It’s a great course in excellent condition, the greens are very quick and tricky. But I haven’t yet found a course where if I take driver and hit it long, far and straight, I won’t do well,” Van Tonder said.

Cara Gorlei, the winner of the Jabra Ladies Classic at Glendower in April, and Gabrielle Venter, who claimed the Standard Bank Ladies Open title at Royal Cape Golf Club in March, will lead the women’s charge.

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

The post Vodacom Origins series tees off with new incentives appeared first on SportsClub.