Lee-Anne sets the pace in 2013

Pace, a former LET order of merit winner, brought her victory tally to eight since 2010.

Pace won the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open in Antalya in May, Madrid’s Open de Espana in July and the Sanya Ladies Open in China in October.

“I had a lot of fun this year and played very consistently which put me in contention many times,” said Pace about a year in which she ended 53rd in the world rankings.

“I was very happy to win again and to do it three times just turned it into an amazing and unforgettable year.”

Among her many achievements for the year, Pace was voted as the Player’s Player of the Year by her fellow professional golfers.

Despite her stellar results, which helped her amass Euro 250,000 (approximately R3.5-million) on tour, Pace did not win the moneylist as she finished second behind Suzann Pettersen of Norway – who only played three events in Europe for the season.

Pettersen, interestingly, did not win as many events as Pace, but managed two wins in bigger money tournaments to secure the moneylist honours with Euro 518 000 (approximately R7.25-million) in earnings.

Pace won her first LET tournament in 2010, and followed it with four more titles on her way to becoming the top money-earner that year.

Since then the South African number one had consistent seasons, albeit winless until this year.

“My attitude and demeanour this year was the same as in 2010. I felt very focused, relaxed and in control. My shot making ability is probably better now but, all in all, it’s very similar.”

Pace said the joy of winning has kept her motivated in the time spent playing abroad.

“Every single win is very special and some of the shots I hit to achieve them will always stand out in my memory.

“It’s a really good feeling to wake up in the morning and know you have a chance to win. And then to pull it off it feels very rewarding.”

At the LPGA Tour Qualifying-school in America, Ashleigh Simon and Paula Reto both secured their tour cards for 2014.

Simon was one of 154 players vying for 20 cards alongside compatriots Pace, Reto and Melissa Eaton.

“Pressure-wise, nothing compares to this week at Q-School,” Simon said afterwards.

“The standard is exceptionally high and you go up against players who campaign on the Symetra Tour and on the college circuit, who obviously have the benefit of experience over there.

“But I’ve been there before, so I knew what to expect and this time, all that experience paid off.”

On the men’s side, unheralded Dawie van der Walt picked up two surprise wins in co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour events.

Van der Walt’s first win came at the Tshwane Open in March in Centurion, and nine months later he tasted victory at the Nelson Mandela Championship in Durban.

Louis Oosthuizen began the year with a bang, with a win in the Volvo Golf Champions event in Durban in the second week of January. With the victory, he moved to a career high of fourth in the world.

For the 2010 Open Champion, however, it would prove the high point of his year as he steadily slipped down the rankings, battling injury to drop outside the top 30 in December.

For Ernie Els, it would prove a difficult act to follow his win at the Open Championship in 2012.

The Big Easy did manage to come out on top in Germany in the BMW International Open in June.

With the win, Els gained the accolade of being the only South African to taste victory in a European Tour event staged outside the country in 2013.

Richard Sterne (Joburg Open) and Darren Fichardt (Africa Open) both won in Sunshine and European Tour co-sanctioned events in South Africa in February.

In the majors, it was Els who produced the best finish of the South Africans for the year.

On a typical gruelling US Open set-up at Merion Golf Club in June, Els finished four shots behind eventual winner, Englishman Justin Rose.

The South Afrian finished five over par for the week, and was right in the mix on the final nine of the tournament.

– Sapa