A first Mbombela Open title for red-hot Corné Olivier
On a perfect Lowveld winter’s day, golfers from all over converged on Mbombela Golf Club for the annual Mbombela Open, which was won by Corné Olivier, who is on a hot run of form in 2024.
Local golfer Corné Olivier is enjoying a fine run of success in 2024, winning the recent Mbombela Open to add to other significant tournament wins this year.
The Mbombela Open was held at Mbombela Golf Club on Sunday August 4 and the weather played its part to a tee. The morning round of 18 holes was played under some chilly conditions as the cool winter air floated around the course.
However, the golfers initially struggled in the cooler morning conditions as no one broke par in the first round. At the halfway mark through the day, Neville Meyer held a solo lead at four over par. There were three golfers tied for second place on four over par; Olivier, Austin Mashego and Eddie Wilken. One shot further back were Thabo Dube and Canzius Erwee, tied for fifth place.
But as the temperatures began to rise and heat up, so did the golf. Olivier was in red-hot form on the fairways and greens at Mbombela, holing three birdies on the first nine of the second round. This saw him quickly rise to only one over par for the day and handed him a solo lead.
While he did suffer to bogeys on the second nine of the final round, he also carded three birdies. This meant Olivier scored a brilliant four-under-par 67 over the second 18 holes, leaving him level par for the tournament and the winner of the 2024 Mbombela Open by five shots.
In second was fellow Mbombela member Ruan van Blerk, who rebounded well from an opening round of 78 to shoot a two-under 69 in the second round and finish on five over par. While he drifted out of the lead, Meyer remained consistent in his golf and carded another 74 in the second round to finish in second place on six over par.
The victory for Olivier is merely the latest in a series of significant tournament triumphs this year. The Mbombela local has been in incredible form in 2024. This year alone he has won the Lydenburg Open, Highland Gate Open, Jock Open, Lowveld Open, Mbombela Winter Champs and now the Mbombela Open. This is a collection of wins that most local golfers would never dream of winning over the course of their entire golf career, let alone all in one year.
The top 10 for the Mbombela Open were:
