It remained that way through the wind and rain and late finish and incomplete first round of this popular tournament.

Until he hit the weekend just five shots off the lead.

So what exactly is the man who finished tied eighth in this year’s PGA Championship and won the Barracuda Championship on the PGA TOUR doing in Mauritius?

“The kind people at the OWGR sent me some end-of-year projections. I’m just outside the top 50. I figured I’d have one more crack at that and give it my best shot. Then I could hang my hat on giving it my all for the season, and the top 50 by the end of the year to get into The Masters. So that’s kind of a kick in the pants to come 10 000 miles from Florida and tee it up,” he said.

“It wasn’t on the Bingo card at the start of the season for sure, but I’m excited to be here. It’s a really cool place, and hopefully two more solid rounds will make it a nice trip that was worth it.”

He’d most likely need a win to carry him into the top 50. Should it not happen this week, then there is the opportunity of the 2026 Investec South African Open which for the first time in South African golf history is offering an exemption to The Masters for the champion.

“Potentially, it’s something I might consider. I’ve heard good things about the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, and all those events. I have a couple of friends from South Africa who’ve been urging me to get down there. It just depends on the schedule. My focus is playing well on the PGA TOUR and fitting in other cool things along the way if possible. Aldrich Potgieter is a pretty good buddy of mine. I’ve played a few rounds with him this year alone. He’s been telling me I’ve got to come and play in South Africa. Nick Price told me a couple of years ago that Leopard Creek is one of his favourite golf courses. So when you hear them say things like that, it makes you want to at least look at going there. It’s a long trip from where I live and it has to fit in the schedule properly. But if it does, it’s something that I’d love to do at some point. This one just fitted in the schedule.”

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On a tricky day at the Royal Cape Golf Club where a swirling wind certainly caught the attention of the leading campaigners, Easton produced a composed 67 to share the lead on 11 under par.

Italy’s Filippo Celli, who has led from the first round, joined him with a level-par 72. And American Matt Oshrine (66), England’s Jamie Rutherford (67) and Spain’s Borja Virto (71) all took their place on 11 under par as well.

They are two strokes clear of England’s George Bloor, South Africa’s Justin Walters and Lyle Rowe, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith and Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli.

Daniel van Tonder’s dreams of a hat-trick of victories on this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour stretch are also still a likelihood as he starts the final round three shots off the lead.

There is plenty at stake for so many of the leaders, and none more so than Easton who is hunting his first victory on the Sunshine Tour since 2018.

“I’m looking to get back into the winner’s circle, for sure, and to get my card back on the DP World Tour again. I’ve had a couple of quiet years with a baby boy being born, but I feel like a lot of that has settled down now and I’m able to shift back into golf mode fulltime and chase trying to get back to where I was a couple of years ago,” he said.

His love of this golf course show through in 2022 when he finished third in this tournament, and Easton believes his understanding of this venerable layout was key to him working his way into contention.

“As we got out there in the third round, and the wind was swirling a bit all over the place, I knew it was going to be tricky. I said to my caddie that if we’re finding it tough to get this wind right then everybody else will be doing the same. It’s just a matter of hanging in there, hitting it in the right places and trying not to give shots away.

“But this golf course rewards good shots, especially if the wind is blowing. That suits me. I’m also quite good at reading these greens. For some reason here I seem to pick a couple of the subtle breaks. I seem to be very comfortable with my reads here. So we’ll see what direction the wind blows on the final day. But that’s what’s great about this golf course – it changes every day with the wind.”

SCORES

205 – Matt Oshrine 69 70 66, Bryce Easton 72 66 67, Jamie Rutherford 69 69 67, Borja Virto 67 67 71, Filippo Celli 66 67 72
207 – George Bloor 71 71 65, Lyle Rowe 71 68 68, Benjamin Follett-Smith 72 66 69, Justin Walters 68 70 69, Stefano Mazzoli 71 66 70
208 – Baard Skogen 72 69 67, JC Ritchie 70 71 67, Danie Van Niekerk 71 69 68, Adri Arnaus 75 65 68, Sam Jones 70 69 69, David Law 71 67 70, Christoffer Bring 70 68 70, Daniel van Tonder 69 67 72
209 – Daniel Young 73 69 67, Lars van Meijel 70 72 67, Sam Hutsby 72 70 67, Keenan Davidse 70 71 68, Pieter Moolman 73 68 68, Ethan Smith 74 66 69, Christiaan Burke 73 67 69, Lucas Vacarisas 71 68 70, Calum Fyfe 69 70 70, Michael Hollick 71 68 70, Jean Hugo 71 66 72
210 – Kyle McClatchie 71 71 68, Hayden Hopewell 72 69 69, Jovan Rebula 74 66 70, Felix Mory 71 68 71, Jonathan Broomhead 72 66 72, Vince van Veen 71 67 72, JJ Senekal 71 66 73
211 – Martin Vorster 71 71 69, Nikhil Rama 72 70 69, Michael Feuerstein 76 65 70, Nick Carlson 72 67 72, Rhys West 70 68 73
212 – Quim Vidal 75 66 71, CJ du Plessis 72 69 71, Lukas Nemecz 73 67 72, Hennie Otto 73 67 72, Ricky Hendler 70 69 73, Chris Paisley 70 69 73
213 – Jonathan Caldwell 72 70 71, Palmer Jackson 73 69 71, Sebastian Friedrichsen 75 67 71, Jack Hawksby 73 69 71
214 – Daan Huizing 72 70 72, Luke Jerling 74 68 72, Rhys Enoch 69 72 73, Fredrik From 71 70 73, Malcolm Mitchell 67 69 78
215 – Jacques Blaauw 70 72 73, Lorenzo Scalise 76 66 73, Matthis Besard 75 66 74, Euan Walker 72 68 75, Sebastien Gros 80 60 75
216 – Brandon Gildenhuys 72 70 74, Maxence Giboudot 70 72 74
Missed the cut:-
143 – Combrinck Smit 71 72, Hennie O’Kennedy 74 69, Soren Broholt Lind 72 71, Ryan Lumsden 73 70, Luke Brown 77 66, Samuel Simpson 72 71, Rourke van der Spuy 78 65, Jason Roets 75 68, Sebastian Garcia 71 72, Maximilian Steinlechner 69 74
144 – Jordan Duminy 77 67, Renato Paratore 77 67, Robin Sciot-Siegrist 75 69, Anthony Michael 73 71, Stuart Krog 72 72, Louis Albertse 72 72, Anton Karlsson 75 69, Freddy Schott 72 72, Liam Nolan 69 75, Neil Schietekat 74 70, Per Langfors 75 69, Robson Chinhoi 76 68, MJ Viljoen 70 74
145 – Stefan Wears-Taylor 73 72, Rupert Kaminski 78 67, Heinrich Bruiners 74 71, Tadeas Tetak 74 71, Kyle Barker 75 70, Dylan Naidoo 72 73, Joe Long 73 72, Tomas Gouveia 73 72, Gerhard Pepler 75 70, Kyle De Beer 70 75, Sentanio Minnie 72 73
146 – Cedric Gugler 77 69, Wynand Dingle 74 72, Oihan Guillamoundeguy 74 72, Gregor Graham 74 72, Frank Kennedy 79 67, Lee Slattery 75 71, Nathan Legendre 76 70, Ben Sigel 73 73, Graham van der Merwe 75 71, Tyran Snyders 73 73, Jaco Ahlers 74 72, Ben Stow 77 69
147 – Bradley Bawden 75 72, Robin Petersson 82 65, Jens Fahrbring 75 72, Joachim B. Hansen 76 71, Santiago Tarrio 79 68, Jaco Prinsloo 77 70, James Morrison 71 76, Haydn Barron 77 70
148 – Callan Barrow 78 70, Keegan Mclachlan 80 68, Aron Zemmer 77 71, Dermot Mcelroy 78 70, Ruan Korb 78 70, Christofer Blomstrand 77 71, Jaco Van Zyl 74 74, Christofer Rahm 76 72, Victor Pastor 74 74, Sam Locke 77 71, Werner Deyzel 75 73, Ilirian Zalli 72 76, Matthew Spacey 75 73, Keelan van Wyk 74 74
149 – James Kamte 73 76, Max Kennedy 78 71, Dayne Moore 77 72, Altin van der Merwe 75 74, Dylan Mostert 80 69, Thabiso Ngcobo 76 73
150 – Jeremy Freiburghaus 81 69, Jacques P de Villiers 77 73, Alexander Settemsdal 74 76, Jiri Zuska 78 72, Oliver Wilson 77 73
151 – Herman Loubser 79 72, Martin Rohwer 76 75
152 – Thanda Mavundla 79 73, Quintin Wilsnach 77 75, Peter Karmis 79 73, John Axelsen 75 77
153 – Callum Mowat 78 75, Albert Venter 76 77
154 – Nick Cunningham 81 73, Umar Davids 78 76
155 – Taylor Funk 81 74, Conner Mackenzie 79 76
156 – Jastice Mashego 74 82
157 – Tristin Galant 78 79

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

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Hatton, who joined LIV Golf last year, earned his eighth career win as his final round, a 3-under-par 69, vaulted him to 15 under for the event, while overnight leader Hillier could only manage a 71 on Sunday and took second place at 14-under.

The 33-year-old Hatton, who was No. 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking entering the week and unable to earn ranking points in LIV events, is projected to jump into the top 10 thanks to the victory.

“This event and the four majors this year are massive for me to try and earn as many points as I can to try and be an automatic qualifier for the European Ryder Cup team,” Hatton said. “This is a big step in the right direction. So happy with that, and looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot his best round of the week, a 6-under 66, for a late charge up the leaderboard. He finished in a tie for fourth at 12 under with Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard (also 66 Sunday), one behind third-place Englishman Laurie Canter (68).

It was McIlroy’s 12th consecutive top-10 finish at the event.

South African Shaun Norris was tied for sixth at 11-under after a final round 69 for a €284,221.96 pay day with Dylan Fritelli in a share for ninth place on 9-under.

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In announcing the five-tournament Opening Swing, the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour confirmed that the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will be the final two events of the Swing, which is another powerful example of the global pathway of opportunity that exists on the Sunshine Tour.

The Opening Swing is one of five Global Swings on the 2025 Race to Dubai, with each Swing rewarding its individual champion with exemptions into some of the biggest tournaments on the Tour as well as extra prize money incentives.

The Sunshine Tour has confirmed that the €1.5 million Alfred Dunhill Championship will be played from 12-15 December at its traditional home of Leopard Creek Country Club on the border of the Kruger National Park, and where Louis Oosthuizen claimed a dramatic two-stroke victory over Charl Schwartzel last season.

This will be followed by the $1.5 million AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open from 19-22 December at Mont Choisy Le Golf in Mauritius. Oosthuizen is also the defending champion of this title following impressive back-to-back victories last season.

The Sunshine Tour will announce the remainder of its summer co-sanctioned tournaments in due course.

“We are extremely proud of and grateful for our longstanding strategic alliance with the DP World Tour and look forward to being part of an Opening Swing that will culminate on Sunshine Tour fairways,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

“The strength of the alliance we have with the DP World Tour is showcased through these Global Swings, which create a pathway for our South African professionals to compete successfully on home fairways and possibly open up doors to even greater opportunities globally.”

Ben Cowen, the DP World Tour’s Chief Tournament & Operations Officer, said: “We look forward to the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open concluding the Opening Swing of our 2025 season this December. Both events exemplify the strength of our longstanding strategic alliance with the Sunshine Tour, and we will announce details of further co-sanctioned tournaments on our 2025 global schedule in due course.”

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Rugumayo is well known to the Sunshine Tour and its fans, having played on the Tour before. But he became a global golf sensation when he became the first Ugandan golfer to make the cut in a DP World Tour event – the Magical Kenya Open – in February.

It was a moment that even drew headlines in the United States on the PGA Tour, was reported on by Sky News and celebrated by some of the top professionals in the game.

In September last year Rugumayo made his first cut on the Sunshine Tour in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Western Cape where he finished tied 42nd. He also achieved a runner-up finish on the Blue Label Development Tour last year.

This week’s field includes both the previous champions of the Stella Artois Players Championship in Jaco Ahlers and Kyle Barker.

They add to a quality field that will tee off in Thursday’s first round.

Ryan van Velzen, the leader on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy, is also in the field alongside Robin Williams, the leader on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings.

The field includes eight of the top 10 players on the current Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

Photo by Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour

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The Italian signed for a third round of 67 that was briefly interrupted by a weather delay and heads the field on 20 under par.

His nearest challengers are South Africa’s Shaun Norris and England’s Jordan Smith on 19 under par following their respective rounds of 65 in this Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned tournament.

And the leaderboard remains tight thereafter with South Africa’s Oliver Bekker and Spain’s Angel Hidalgo just two shots behind Manassero.

Manassero did a superb job of keeping his emotions in check following his stunning 61 on Friday, and even after a bogey at the third he showed the hard mental work he has done to go from golf prodigy early in his career and then battle through a long slump to get to this moment again.

“It was good today. I hit a bad shot on three but it’s never easy in the beginning of the round. This course requires a lot of precision off the tee. After that bogey I did my things right and it was one of those days I allowed myself to get into the rhythm and started playing better as the round went on,” he said.

Manassero is of course keenly aware of what a story his victory on Sunday would represent in golf, but is doing his utmost to focus on the present.

“It would mean a lot to win. But it is already a nice journey up to today. We’ll think about tomorrow tomorrow. It’s really difficult to close tournaments out and win. I’m in a position I’m really happy to be in and all I can do is not force anything or feel like I must do something tomorrow. I’ll just be myself and play golf. I’m sure of the things I do, and you never know what golf will bring you. There are a lot of things not under my control that will happen tomorrow so I’ll just play my game,” he said.

Just one shot behind him, Norris leads the South African challenge. He had a putt on the final green when the siren sounded for the weather delay. Unfortunately he returned to make bogey, but he isn’t letting that distract him from the challenge of Sunday.

“A delay will always have an impact, but it happens. Overall I’m pleased with the day and where I am. I’m hitting the ball well and putting well. Patience will be key on Sunday. If I can go out there and give myself maybe 15-20 foot chances on every hole I’ve got a good opportunity,” said Norris. – Michael Vlismas.

SCORES:

196 – Matteo Manassero 68 61 67
197 – Jordan Smith 66 66 65, Shaun Norris 66 66 65
198 – Angel Hidalgo 67 64 67, Oliver Bekker 65 65 68
199 – Ivan Cantero 64 67 68
200 – Jacques Kruyswijk 66 68 66, Tom McKibbin 67 64 69
201 – Guxin Chen 71 64 66, Connor Syme 68 67 66
202 – Andrea Pavan 68 67 67, Thriston Lawrence 65 70 67, Casey Jarvis 67 66 69
203 – Clement Sordet 69 68 66, Thomas Aiken 69 67 67
204 – Andy Sullivan 70 67 67, JC Ritchie 69 68 67, Matthias Schwab 69 68 67, Paul Waring 67 70 67, Alexander Levy 67 69 68, Ewen Ferguson 70 65 69, Louis de Jager 65 69 70, Jason Scrivener 68 66 70, Niklas Norgaard 67 66 71
205 – Hennie du Plessis 69 70 66, Matthew Baldwin 70 69 66, Julien Guerrier 68 71 66, Lorenzo Scalise 70 67 68, Oliver Wilson 69 68 68, Romain Langasque 67 69 69, Daniel van Tonder 68 68 69, Freddy Schott 71 64 70, Sam Bairstow 67 67 71, Benjamin Follett-Smith 68 66 71, Ugo Coussaud 68 65 72
206 – Jean Hugo 71 69 66, Ashun Wu 70 68 68, Jaco Ahlers 70 66 70, Hurly Long 68 66 72
207 – Aaron Cockerill 69 70 68, Joost Luiten 70 68 69, Ryan Van Velzen 68 70 69, Jovan Rebula 70 68 69, Albert Venter 71 67 69, Nacho Elvira 69 69 69, Santiago Tarrio 67 70 70, Sebastian Friedrichsen 69 68 70, Jeong Weon Ko 68 68 71, Keenan Davidse 64 71 72
208 – Jamie Donaldson 68 71 69, Luca Filippi 72 65 71, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 70 66 72
209 – Matthew Spacey 72 68 69, Daniel Brown 70 70 69, Jordan Gumberg 69 70 70
210 – MJ Viljoen 69 71 70, Kyle McClatchie 69 71 70, Dylan Frittelli 71 68 71, Callum Mowat 70 68 72, Johannes Veerman 68 70 72, Robin Williams 66 70 74, Joel Girrbach 70 66 74
211 – Jesper Svensson 71 69 71, Hennie Otto 72 68 71, Oliver Hundeboll 71 69 71
212 – Will Enefer 69 71 72, Deon Germishuys 72 68 72, Lyle Rowe 68 71 73, Wynand Dingle 70 69 73, Gunner Wiebe 68 70 74, Jaco Van Zyl 69 69 74, Darius van Driel 68 69 75
213 – Karabo Mokoena 69 71 73, Ricardo Gouveia 68 71 74
214 – Rupert Kaminski 75 65 74, Francesco Laporta 72 67 75
216 – JJ Senekal 70 70 76
Missed the cut:-
141 – Dylan Mostert 72 69, Jens Dantorp 72 69, Rafa Cabrera Bello 71 70, Louis Albertse 70 71, Adrien Saddier 71 70, Yurav Premlall 72 69, Marcus Armitage 73 68, CJ du Plessis 72 69, Martin Vorster 72 69, Ross Fisher 72 69, Marco Penge 70 71
142 – Manuel Elvira 74 68, Bjorn Akesson 70 72, David Ravetto 73 69, Wilco Nienaber 75 67, Jacques P de Villiers 73 69, James Nicholas 72 70, Jayden Schaper 71 71, Dan Bradbury 69 73, Pieter Moolman 67 75, Brandon Stone 72 70
143 – Adri Arnaus 70 73, Anton Karlsson 73 70, Peter Karmis 74 69, Jeff Winther 70 73, Tristen Strydom 70 73, Zander Lombard 70 73, Jaco Prinsloo 71 72, Chase Hanna 73 70, Stuart Manley 68 75, Espen Kofstad 74 69
144 – Combrinck Smit 72 72, Darren Fichardt 72 72, Om Prakash Chouhan 72 72, James Mack 73 71, Kyle Barker 71 73, Justin Walters 70 74, David Law 69 75, Ruan Korb 72 72, Merrick Bremner 71 73, James Morrison 71 73, Danie Van Niekerk 71 73, Franklin Manchest 72 72
145 – Jonas Blixt 74 71, Jake Redman 73 72, Todd Clements 71 74, Rikuya Hoshino 70 75, Julien Brun 73 72, Dale Whitnell 73 72
146 – Keith Horne 74 72, Willie Olivier 72 74, Dan Erickson 73 73, Keagan Thomas 72 74, Ruan de Smidt 74 72
147 – Gerhard Pepler 72 75, Nick Bachem 74 73, Malcolm Mitchell 77 70, Ockie Strydom 75 72, Dylan Naidoo 79 68, Rourke van der Spuy 75 72, Hennie O’Kennedy 72 75, Adam Blomme 76 71, Richie Ramsay 77 70, Robson Chinhoi 74 73, Max Rottluff 74 73
148 – Jacques Blaauw 72 76
149 – Neil Schietekat 76 73, Gavin Green 77 72, Trevor Fisher Jnr 73 76, Herman Loubser 74 75, Jastice Mashego 76 73
150 – Martin Rohwer 76 74, Anthony Michael 73 77, Soren Kjeldsen 75 75
152 – Heinrich Bruiners 74 78
153 – Tristin Galant 72 81, Wade Jacobs 79 74
WDN – Stefan Wears-Taylor 77 WDN, DK Kim 77 WDN

Photo by Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

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A career low round for the 30-year-old over the Johannesburg course included two eagles and seven birdies and took him to a 15-under-par two round total of 129.

He is one shot ahead of South Africa’s Oliver Bekker and two up Tom McKibbin from Northern Ireland, Angel Hidalgo of Spain and his compatriot Ivan Cantero, the joint first round leader.

“I never even came close (previously) to touching 11-under so it’s the best round I’ve had in my life. I couldn’t be happier,” Manassero said.

“It’s a target golf course and if you put yourself in position and hit some good irons then (low) scoring is really possible,” he added.

Manassero, who won his first European Tour event aged 17 and still holds the record for the youngest victor, is back on the tour after a five year absence having qualified again through last year’s Challenge Tour.

Bekker hit a second successive 65, which included 10 birdies and three bogeys.

Hidalgo and McKibbin both hit eight-under 64 while Cantero hit two eagles in his 67, but bogeyed the second last hole.

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Germany’s Nick Bachem returns as the defending champion after making his DP World Tour breakthrough with victory in this event last year, when it was played at Steyn City.

“I’m super excited to be back even if it’s a different golf course. But having had a look at Glendower it looks pretty nice. It feels good to come back to a tournament where you have a positive feeling and I’ll be trying to repeat it,” said Bachem.

He comes into this week in good form after finishing tied fourth in last week’s SDC Championship.

“I’ve had a great season with so many good things to learn. I played nice last week so I’ve got a lot of confidence coming into this week. But my focus is still the same as it was last year when I won – play golf and have fun,” he said.

South Africa’s Robin Williams also had good memories as he drove through the Glendower Golf Club gates, having won his first Sunshine Tour title here in the Fortress Invitational last October.

“You have to play well around this course. There is no hiding here. It’s definitely a driver golf course – if you drive the ball well you can score. That’s what worked for me when I won here last year – my driving was good,” said Williams.

He returns to Glendower having narrowly lost a playoff for a maiden DP World Tour title in last week’s SDC Championship, but still confident about the week to come.

“There are a lot of positives from last week. Yes it was a shame I couldn’t get the job done, but my time will come. I’m playing good consistent golf and I’m happy to be back at a golf course that suits me and where I’ve had success.”

And England’s Jordan Smith is back at a golf course where he finished third in the 2017 BMW South African Open, missing out by only one shot on a spot in the playoff between Rory McIlroy and Graeme Storm.

“That was back in 2017 but it only feels like yesterday. It’s great being back and enjoying those good memories. This is a challenging golf course off the tee. You hit a lot of driver here and it can get pretty narrow in places. The wind that blew in the pro-am could be interesting, especially for us Europeans getting used to the altitude here in Johannesburg.”

This is the third edition of a tournament that has travelled to some of South Africa’s leading golf courses, starting with Durban Country Club then Steyn City and now Glendower Golf Club.

“We are delighted to bring the third edition of the tournament to the highly rated Glendower Golf Club and look forward to building on the success of our two previous events. We’re grateful for the opportunity to welcome world-class golf talent and spectators to another showcase of fantastic golf set against the backdrop of the beautiful Glendower Golf Club. And of course, an opportunity for us to promote peak performance on and off the course. As always, we value the time we get to spend here in Gauteng where we operate nine of our stores and our state-of-the-art Distribution Centre,” said the Chairman and CEO of Jonsson Workwear, Nick Jonsson.

“The Jonsson Workwear Open has been an immensely valuable addition to our schedule of DP World Tour co-sanctioned events. This year signifies another important milestone for this tournament as it will be played at a championship layout such as Glendower that holds an illustrious place in South African golf, having witnessed some of the finest moments in Sunshine Tour history. It’s a privilege for us as the Sunshine Tour to work with a brand that is equally forward-thinking and focused on the kind of excellence that golf in this country represents, and which helps us in taking the message that #GreatnessBeginsHere to the world,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.

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This week’s SDC Championship, which tees off at St Francis Links on Thursday, and next week’s Jonsson Workwear Open, both co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, will complete the DP World Tour’s eight-tournament International Swing and with it the cash bonuses for the winner and exemptions into premier events on the tour.

The incredibly consistent Lombard is currently ranked ninth on the International Swing, with countryman Dylan Frittelli – also in the SDC Championship field this week – ranked seventh. McIlroy holds a strong position at the top of the standings with just two events to play, but Lombard in particular says he’s looking forward to making a run at it over these next two weeks.

“The International Swing is in the back of my mind. I’ve got a lot to do to catch Rory (McIlroy) who is way up there with points. It will have to be two good weeks in South Africa, but I’m ready for that,” Lombard said.

Lombard’s consistency this year has been astounding and he hasn’t finished worse than tied 16th in his last five tournaments.

While Frittelli has an equally good chance of making a strong push up the International Swing standings over these next two weeks, the recent DP World Tour winner said he’s trying not to make it his sole focus.

“I’m just trying to stay focused and play well through these next events. Everybody’s in town this week, including the top Sunshine Tour players. I know there are some cherries at the end of this stretch to get into other events, but I’m just going to keep my head down and not worry too much about that.”

The focus for this field right now will indeed be on managing a St Francis Links course that was already being buffeted by strong winds in Wednesday’s pro-am.

“It will be tricky in the wind this week. The course is playing a bit soft which makes it tricky in the breeze because you don’t get the run on those low shots. It will be a great test of distance control in the wind,” said Lombard.

Defending champion Matthew Baldwin dealt with the wind superbly last year and said it will key to victory again this week.

“It’s going to be a unique experience for me defending a title for the first time. You dream of winning on the DP World Tour and to achieve that at such a beautiful venue was special. But the golf course is just as beautiful as I remember it. You’ve got to keep it in play here. This course is visually intimidating so good ball striking is important.”

Photo Credit: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour

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The $1.5-million tournament has drawn a strong South African challenge including Zander Lombard, Thriston Lawrence, Darren Fichardt, Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis.

All five golfers are currently ranked within the top 50 on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings and will relish the opportunity to drive home their advantage on local fairways.

Lombard and Lawrence in particular have both been pushing for a victory early in this year already.

Lombard returns to home fairways with recent finishes of tied second in the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies and tied sixth in the Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour.

Lawrence has been in equally good form this year and came close to adding a fifth DP World Tour when he finished second in the Dubai Invitational. He also finished in a share of 14th place in last year’s SDC Championship.

The SDC Championship forms a large part of Lawrence’s goals for this year as he looks to break into the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking and secure himself a place in every Major in 2024, as well as push for a place in
The Presidents Cup and South Africa’s Olympic golf team.

Jarvis, one of South Africa’s rising young stars on the DP World Tour, is looking forward to returning to a golf course he rates highly and where he finished second in the 2022 South African PGA Championship.

“I think it’s one of the best golf courses in the country. It’s just a really good golf course, and a challenging one in the wind. It’s quite soft around the greens so doesn’t play like a true links, but the overall layout is just really really good.”

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