JC Ritchie is the hottest player on the Challenge Tour right now, and chasing a third straight win. Picture: Carl Fourie/Gallo Images
This week’s Mangaung Open could be the scene of Challenge Tour history if JC Ritchie continues his winning streak when the $250,000 tournament tees off at Bloemfontein Golf Club and Schoeman Park Golf Club on Thursday.
Ritchie has arrived in Bloemfontein as the hottest golfer on tour with back-to-back wins in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open and last week’s Jonsson Workwear Open.
A third consecutive victory would be a first in Challenge Tour history and would also earn him automatic promotion to the DP World Tour.
“I thought about taking a week off this week to get a rest, but while I’m hot I’ll keep playing and see if I’ll be blessed to get another win,” said Ritchie.
“I’ll take this week as calmly as I can and get my energy levels back up because there are still a lot of events coming up. These Challenge Tour events on the Sunshine Tour are life-changing for us. Previously, the chances were quite limited for South Africans to get onto the DP World Tour.
“You had the big co-sanctioned tournaments and then qualifying school. For us to have another foot in the door and a few more stepping stones we can climb with this Challenge Tour series is life-changing for us.”
Ritchie is currently first on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings. If he doesn’t claim another victory this week, a place inside the top 20 on the rankings at the end of the season will also secure him DP World Tour playing privileges.
That’s a goal Wilco Nienaber is also chasing after narrowly missing out last season. Nienaber is back in his hometown and will have plenty of local support as he seeks a second Challenge Tour title after winning last year’s Dimension Data Pro-Am. He narrowly missed out on a place inside the top 20 last year, finishing 21st.
Keenan Davidse will also be looking to push on from his fourth-place finish in last week’s Jonsson Workwear Open in Durban, and which has lifted him to inside the top 10 on the Road to Mallorca rankings.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.