First of all, huge congratulations to young Brandon Stone on winning this year’s South African Open. What a way to get your first European Tour win, at your national open in front of your home fans. Fantastic.
It’s true to say that all of the South African players were really up for this, to try to get a home winner in our national open, and while I know it’s not a team competition there was a definite sense of us all pulling together coming into this tournament. And the support from the crowds for all of the players, but especially the homegrown talent, was amazing.
Young guys like Brandon are part of an incredibly bright South African golf scene right now. We’re blessed with a large number of young, talented players, led by Branden Grace, who is on the fringes of the world’s top-10 now, and also Louis and Charl, both Major winners who sadly weren’t able to play at Glendower this year. They’re all pushing each other along and also inspiring so many young players coming up behind them, not least all the members of the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation (EEFF). It’s really great to see.
In fact, this year’s SA Open was a bit of a standout week for the EEFF. You’ll probably know that Branden Grace is a former member, as was Louis, but also Christiaan Bezuidenhout who finished runner-up at Glendower. Christiaan only secured his Sunshine Tour card at the end of 2015 by finishing No.1 on the feeder series, the Big Easy Sunshine Tour, and to finish second in the SA Open is big for him. We actually played a practice round today and I must say I was impressed with his game. Well done also to current EEFF members David Myers and Cameron Moralee who pre-qualified for the SA Open, with Cameron going on to win the Freddie Tait Cup as top amateur; a really fine performance from him.
For me, I now feel like I’m finding my feet as the tournament host and really enjoying the experience. Part of our ongoing mission is to attract an ever-stronger field in years to come and, in doing so, really show the world and the world’s best players what a great destination South Africa is.
Of course, as tournament host it is only right that I take this opportunity to say quite a few thank you’s: to the Sunshine Tour, European Tour, South African Open, BMW and The City of Ekurhuleni, and all the other tournament sponsors and the event staff, who joined forces to make this such a great week. And to the fans who, as I said before, were fantastic all week.
When I was asked to serve as tournament host, raising money for charity was also a factor and I thank everyone involved in the SA Open for again supporting the EEFF and The Els for Autism Foundation. We host events all around the country to raise money for autism in South Africa and we’re so grateful to the SA Open and partner Investec for the guaranteed donation of R250k to Els for Autism, which is a big boost to our team’s efforts. Also, as you’ll recall from last week’s report, we hosted another #GameON clinic at Glendower, with my old friend Gavan Levenson and his team doing a superb job there. It was clear to see that all the kids loved the experience.
Golf-wise, obviously I was disappointed to miss the cut. There were a lot of quality shots out there, but also some well-documented misses on the greens! I putted cross-handed in the second round, though, and it felt better – in fact, I burned the edge on almost every hole coming in – so I’m keen to put that to the test ‘under the gun’ at this week’s Joburg Open. I haven’t played at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club in a long, long time and I’m looking forward to going back there. All in all, I was happy to accept the invitation to tee it up in the tournament’s 10th anniversary and, as always, I relish the opportunity to compete in front of the home fans again before I fly off to the Middle East.
On that note, looking ahead I have a nice schedule this year. I feel refreshed and I aim to be in the world’s top-50 by the end of the season; that’s one of my goals right now. As I was telling the guys at Sky Sports during a spell in the commentary box last weekend, I love the game so much and still feel like I have the game to win out here. Just as importantly, I still have a passion for tournament golf and the inner drive to carry on working hard and competing.
Moving away from the golf course for a moment, we’ve had some really positive news for our Els Club brand. Firstly, at the recent Middle East Golf Awards, The Els Club Dubai was voted Best Food & Beverage outlet for the Big Easy Winebar & Grill located in the beautiful clubhouse there. Congrats to the whole team. Also, The Els Club Teluk Datai, which in 2014 was voted the ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’ at the World Golf Awards, has just become the first course in our design portfolio to be listed on Golf Digest’s prestigious World’s Top-100 Courses. Everyone on the team is really thrilled with that accolade.
Big thanks also to another of our Els Clubs, The Els Club Copperleaf, where I played a few holes last week with the team from Adams Golf. This was one of our earliest golf course design projects, which has twice played host to the European Tour’s Tshwane Open, and the course looked great. It occupies a beautiful piece of land where my late grandfather, Ernie Vermaak, grew up and that gives it a special emotional connection, not just for me but for all of our family. It is always a treat for me to go back there and it also has the best practice facilities you’ll find anywhere.
Finally, we had an early start this Monday morning but it was well worth it…paying a visit to the Emirates Golden Lions (pictured below), the team I’ve supported since I was a boy. It was a pleasure to chat to the team and to all the management…and thanks again for the signed team jersey! The Club’s CEO Rudolf Straeuli, an ex-Springbok player and coach, is doing a phenomenal job making watching the Lions a great family experience and at the same time creating a successful global brand. And honestly, to see the level and the intensity and speed of the guys during training is quite amazing. They start their campaign in Japan in February and yes, boys, don’t worry I will be watching!
Okay that’s it, I’ll sign off now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.
