Jonathan Broomhead claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates on Sunday.
In the final tournament of a thrilling 2023/2024 Sunshine Tour season that has opened doors for a new generation of South African stars, Broomhead closed with a 69 to win by two strokes on 16 under par over Louis Albertse and Rupert Kaminski.
The tournament also finalised the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
Ryan van Velzen finished first in a breakthrough season where he won twice.
His triumph saw him secure a DP World Tour card, a place in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and Major exemptions into The Open and the US PGA Championship.
“I just played so consistently and had some good finishes in big events, said Van Velzen, who also earned a R500,000 bonus for his first-place finish on the Order of Merit.
“I’m really excited for my DP World Tour season to start later this year and to play in my first Major.
“I’m also very excited about playing in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which I’ve been watching since I was a kid, and now I can compete alongside the players I watched on TV.”
Robin Williams finished second on the Order of Merit and also earned himself a DP World Tour card as well as a R200,000 bonus.
Williams was also crowned the Fortress Rookie of the Year, earning a R200,000 bonus.
“It’s amazing. It was one of my goals at the start of the year.
“It opens a lot of doors for me and I’m looking forward to that,” Williams said.
Louis Albertse finished the season in third place on the Order of Merit, claiming the last DP World Tour card on offer and a R100,000 bonus.
It was a Sunday of incredible rewards for the Sunshine Tour professionals, with Broomhead leading the celebrations.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and there were going to be so many players around me giving it a go, a delighted Broomhead said.
“I knew I just had to stick to my game, and my caddie and I worked really hard on not getting ahead of ourselves and staying in the moment.
“I was on edge coming down the last few holes but it all worked out.”
Earlier in the round, Stefan Wears-Taylor decided to put the fact that he was drawn alone as the last player in the field to good use.
Wears-Taylor raced around the Serengeti layout in one hour and 27 minutes, breaking the PGA Tour record for 18 completed holes in a professional tournament set by Wesley Bryan in 2017 of one hour and 29 minutes.
Wears-Taylor shot a 79 in the process.
“When I saw I was playing alone the thought came to mind to play some speed golf.
“I sent my caddie a message to unload the bag with all the heavy stuff and come to the golf course with his running shoes on. It worked out well,” he said.
“I’m not sure if it’s an official world record, but we just pipped Wesley Bryan’s record.
“Perhaps the biggest challenge was putting with the faster greens and Sunday flags.” — Sunshine Tour
Broomhead sweeps to victory in Tour Championship
Image: TYRONE WINFIELD/SUNSHINE TOUR
Jonathan Broomhead claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates on Sunday.
In the final tournament of a thrilling 2023/2024 Sunshine Tour season that has opened doors for a new generation of South African stars, Broomhead closed with a 69 to win by two strokes on 16 under par over Louis Albertse and Rupert Kaminski.
The tournament also finalised the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
Ryan van Velzen finished first in a breakthrough season where he won twice.
His triumph saw him secure a DP World Tour card, a place in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and Major exemptions into The Open and the US PGA Championship.
“I just played so consistently and had some good finishes in big events, said Van Velzen, who also earned a R500,000 bonus for his first-place finish on the Order of Merit.
“I’m really excited for my DP World Tour season to start later this year and to play in my first Major.
“I’m also very excited about playing in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which I’ve been watching since I was a kid, and now I can compete alongside the players I watched on TV.”
Robin Williams finished second on the Order of Merit and also earned himself a DP World Tour card as well as a R200,000 bonus.
Williams was also crowned the Fortress Rookie of the Year, earning a R200,000 bonus.
“It’s amazing. It was one of my goals at the start of the year.
“It opens a lot of doors for me and I’m looking forward to that,” Williams said.
Louis Albertse finished the season in third place on the Order of Merit, claiming the last DP World Tour card on offer and a R100,000 bonus.
It was a Sunday of incredible rewards for the Sunshine Tour professionals, with Broomhead leading the celebrations.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and there were going to be so many players around me giving it a go, a delighted Broomhead said.
“I knew I just had to stick to my game, and my caddie and I worked really hard on not getting ahead of ourselves and staying in the moment.
“I was on edge coming down the last few holes but it all worked out.”
Earlier in the round, Stefan Wears-Taylor decided to put the fact that he was drawn alone as the last player in the field to good use.
Wears-Taylor raced around the Serengeti layout in one hour and 27 minutes, breaking the PGA Tour record for 18 completed holes in a professional tournament set by Wesley Bryan in 2017 of one hour and 29 minutes.
Wears-Taylor shot a 79 in the process.
“When I saw I was playing alone the thought came to mind to play some speed golf.
“I sent my caddie a message to unload the bag with all the heavy stuff and come to the golf course with his running shoes on. It worked out well,” he said.
“I’m not sure if it’s an official world record, but we just pipped Wesley Bryan’s record.
“Perhaps the biggest challenge was putting with the faster greens and Sunday flags.” — Sunshine Tour
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