Following approximately six months of no golf, it was exciting, especially for Boksburg and surrounding towns in Ekurhuleni, to have the sport return in big fashion in form of the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Championship Unlocked Rise-Up Series tournament at the ERPM Golf Club between September 23 and 25.
It was also great news for professional players and the upcoming younger guys to again get the opportunity to swing the golf club following the outbreak of the pandemic which had put an abrupt pause in many sectors of life – sport included.
Round one of the VCU was taken by storm by the Sunshine Tour’s 2017 Fish River Sun Challenge champion MJ Viljoen, who opened with an eight-under-par 64 at ERPM and made only one bogey as he mastered his way to the top of the leaderboard.
It wasn’t an easy outing for the experienced Bloemfontein Golf Club representative.
However, he was closely chased by Rise-Up champion Daniel van Tonder, Jake Redman, Neil Schietekat and Paul Boshoff. Van Tonder signed for a bogey-free 66 as he went in search of a second title of the Rise-Up Series.
But Viljoen maintained his aggression going into round two on Heritage Day. He began with a birdie on the 10th, his first hole, and was seven under through his first 12 holes thanks to a satisfying run of birdies.
It’s an outing he dedicated to the work he’s been putting to improve his technique.
“When I won in 2017 it was unexpected. I’ve grown a lot since then as a golfer. It feels like I’m doing all the right things now on and off the golf course in order to win. I started this tournament with the right mindset of going out to win and not just compete.
“I’m motivated to get better and do something with the talent I have. Time doesn’t go backwards, so that’s my biggest motivation at the moment,” said the qualified pilot.
“I’ve been working a lot on my swing and on the right techniques, but I had neglected my putting a bit. I wouldn’t say my putting was bad, but it wasn’t better than average. So I’ve been working on that aspect of my game as well.
“Working on my swing was the right thing to do. But it’s one thing to hit it close to the hole and another to make those putts. So if I can put those two together, then I feel I can be more consistent in terms of challenging for tournaments. Having won before, I know what it feels like and I know what to do. I don’t have to experiment. That helps a lot.”
He added 67 to his opening 64 and headed the field on 13 under par going into Friday’s final round of the Rise-Up Series.
The series, which featured five 54-hole tournaments across Gauteng, each had a purse of R600 000. The ERPM tournament was the fourth of five legs.
The tournament at ERPM was still ongoing with the third and final round on Friday, September 25 when the Advertiser went to print, a wrap up will be published in the next feature of the Advertiser.
Top scores at end of round 2 on Heritage Day:
131 MJ Viljoen 64 67
133 Jake Redman 66 67
134 Darren Fichardt 68 66
136 Daniel van Tonder 66 70; Neil Schietekat 66 70
137 Dylan Mostert 68 69; Paul Boshoff 66 71; Jacques Blaauw 67 70; Keith Horne 68 69; Coert Groenewald 67 70
138 Wynand Dingle 70 68; Ulrich van den Berg 69 69; Luke Jerling 69 69; Pieter Moolman 69 69
139 Jaco Ahlers\ 69 70; Rupert Kaminski 70 69; Heinrich Bruiners 72 67; Teaghan Gauche 72 67; Hennie O’Kennedy 71 68; Louis de Jager 69 70; Luca Filippi 69 70; Hayden Griffiths 69 70
140 Tristen Strydom 69 71; Jaco Prinsloo 71 69; Andrew Williamson 71 69; Marthin Scheepers 73 67; Dylan Naidoo 70 70; Malcolm Mitchell 73 67
141 Jake Roos 75 66; Jayden Schaper 72 69; Jacques P de Villiers 73 68; Byron Coetzee 71 70; Callum Mowat 71 70
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