From a South African point of view, it’s been a golf year with some successes, but rather too many disappointments. Too few birdies, too many bogeys would be a fair reflection of what transpired.
But one shining light was Lee-Anne Pace. After winning the inaugural Investec Cup for Ladies early in the year, “Pace the Ace” turned a solid season into a spectacular one during a fortnight to remember in October.
In the Cell C South African Open – which is part of the Ladies European Tour – at San Lameer Country Club she came from behind with a brilliant, final round 67 (her strong back nine included an eagle and birdies at two of her final three holes) to tie with England’s Holly Clyburn at the top of the leaderboard on five-under-par 211.
She then birdied the par-4 18th, the second hole of the sudden-death play-off, to claim her ninth victory on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Just seven days later, Pace broke a 26-year LPGA Tour title drought for South Africa when she claimed victory in China in the Blue Bay LPGA, reduced to 54 holes because of rain. She shot the lights out with rounds of 67, 66 and 67 for a 16-under aggregate of 200, three clear of Germany’s Caroline Mason, with Americans Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda sharing third place two shots further back.
“This is huge for me, and I just hope it inspires the girls back home in South Africa that they, too, can win around the world,” said Pace.
Sally Little is the only other South African to have won on the LPGA Tour, claiming 15 titles – including two Majors – between 1976 and 1988.
Also in women’s golf, Stacey-Lee Bregman, who won the Zambian Open, and Ashleigh Simon did enough to justify their presence on the overseas tours, while little Connie Chen enjoyed her finest hour in her fledgling pro career with victory on 12-under-par 276 in the LET’s Tenerife Open in the Canary Islands.
The inaugural Sunshine Ladies Tour – with eight events in all – proved a huge success, with Simon posting three wins, Monique Smit two, and Kim Williams and Tandi von Ruben one each before Pace captured the all-important finale, the Investec Cup for Ladies.
In men’s professional golf, 2014 began with a bang with three big European Tour wins on home soil by South Africans. Louis Oosthuizen posted 12-under-par 276 at the Durban Country Club to take top honours in the Volvo Golf Champions (a tournament featuring the European Tour winners from the 2013 season), with compatriot Branden Grace in second spot a stroke further back.
George Coetzee claimed his maiden European Tour win in the Joburg Open on Royal Johannesburg & Kensington’s East and West courses on 19-under 268, before Thomas Aiken triumphed in the Africa Open at East London Golf Club on 20-under-par 268.
Taken as a whole, however, the year did not match up to previous seasons.
South Africans have over the decades excelled year in and year out on the European Tour and this PGA Tour, but this year they were a little less successful. Tim Clark, the little man with a big heart whose fighting qualities have earned him a “Bull Terrier” tag, was a lone SA star on the PGA Tour, winning the Canadian Open with rounds of 67, 67, 64 and 65 – that is some golf – for 17-under 263 to edge out Jim Furyk by one and collect just over $1 million (about R11.5m).
Then in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, it took an eagle three – following a holed bunker shot – at the 72nd hole for Bubba Watson to tie with Clark at the top of the leaderboard, before the big-hitting American edged out “Umkomaaster” Clark in sudden-death play.
It was a stellar year for Clark, while Hennie Otto dipped 20-under-par in Turin to capture the Italian Open, and Grace ended the year with a stunning seven-shot victory in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek on 20-under-par 268.
Those highlights aside, our South Africans for the most part slipped down the world rankings. There was a time a few years back when we would have four or even five players in the top 30 in the rankings. Today there is not a single South African in the top 30. Charl Schwartzel at No 32 is the highest-ranked South African, with Oosthuizen 44th, former world No 1 Ernie Els 61st, Clark 62nd, Coetzee 80th, Grace 82nd, Richard Sterne 87th and Otto 99th.
With England’s Danny Willett claiming the Nedbank Golf Challenge, there has been no South African winner of “Africa’s Major” since Trevor Immelman in 2007.
This overall underperformance is something of a mystery, although golf does go in up and down cycles even for the very best.
One suggestion is that our golfers, with millions in the bank, have become complacent.
Who knows?
Back home on the Sunshine Tour, two young professionals stood out: Danie van Tonder won twice and Haydn Porteous came close on a couple of occasions.
Both look to have bright futures.
In amateur golf, the South African men and women disappointed in the biennial World Team Championships.
On an individual level, 17-year-old Thriston Lawrence from Nelspruit became the first player in 36 years to claim consecutive victories in the SA Amateur match play championship. He was also the first South African to taste victory in the prestigious Lytham Trophy in England.
In the British Amateur, Pretoria’s Zander Lombard got all the way to the final before losing 2 and 1 to Scotland’s Bradley Neil.
On a sad note, Randpark’s dynamic and extremely popular chief executive officer Doug Bain succumbed to cancer last month after a protracted battle.
He was just 42 and will be sorely missed.
Last, Gary Player is still going strong at 79.
In his own Invitational at Lost City, he beat his age by 11 shots with an astonishing four-under-par 68 to help his team take top honours.