By John Huggan
The way things are going, the world of golf is going to have to get used to spelling Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Seven days on from winning last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, the 26-year-old South African added his national title to an already burgeoning resume with victory in the South African Open at Sun City. In what was the 110th playing of golf’s second-oldest championship, Bezuidenhout strolled home, his 18-under-par 270, a comfortable five shots clear of runner-up Jamie Donaldson. Another South African, the increasingly impressive Dylan Frittelli, was third, two shots further away from the new champion.

There were few moments of real anxiety for Bezuidenhout, but his closing 69 wasn’t quite devoid of stress. The 18-foot putt he holed for bogey on the par-4 eighth on the Gary Player County Club, after his approach had found the water fronting the putting surface, was clearly a vital thrust. Having started five shots ahead of Donaldson, Bezuidenhout had already seen his lead shrink by one before what he later acknowledged was the turning point of his day.

The same could be said of the trio of birdies with which he welcomed the back nine, a run that restored his original edge and afforded him the luxury of a wobble on the penultimate hole. A fortunate ricochet off a cart path saved his errant drive from almost certain oblivion in the African bush. But there were shots to spare as pars on the closing two holes clinched the victory for the now three-time winner on the European Tour.

“It’s unbelievable to stand here with an Open win,” said Bezuidenhout, who earned €160,889 and moved to fifth on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai points list, the year-long competition wrapping up at next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. “It’s any South African golfer’s dream to win a national tournament. It’s unreal. I fought hard today. The front nine, things didn’t really go my way and I just dug deep to come out with a win today. The birdies at 10, 11 and 12 were massive. I have to say, the second putt on 11 was huge and obviously the putt on 12 was a bonus, I just tried to get it close inside a couple of feet and made it. I knew I had to make pars coming in, and I did it. I’m really, really chuffed to stand here as a winner.”

Warren Little
After a comeback win a week ago, Christian Bezuidenhout claimed his second straight European Tour title in a runaway on Sunday at the South African Open.

There was pleasure, too, for Donaldson. Plagued by injury over the last couple of years, this was the 45-year-old’s highest finish on the European Tour since he won the 2014 Czech Masters. But this return to something approaching former glories wasn’t a complete surprise. A tie for third at the recent Cyprus Open hinted at better things to come for the Welshman, whose 4-and-3 victory over former PGA champion Keegan Bradley at the 2014 Ryder Cup clinched victory for the European side.

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The casual golf fan may not know much about Dean Burmester, but it will only take the following clip to know the 31-year-old South African is an absolute savage. After laying up(?) off the tee with a 2-iron on the 569-yard, par-5 11th at Gary Player Country Club, Burmy belted another trusty 2-iron to near gimme range to set up one of the most unusual eagles you’ll ever see. Check it out:

2 iron + 2 iron = 569 yards@BurmyGolf eagles the 11th.#SAOpen pic.twitter.com/iDKd2QjE5F

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 4, 2020

Two irons. Five hundred and sixty-nine yards. Granted, it was two 2-irons, but still. We’re guessing that’s not what Gary Player envisioned when he designed that long par 5.

Of course, this will likely cause the latest cries of “THE BALL GOES TOO FAR!” from golf purists. And maybe it does, but do you know how hard it is to hit a 2-iron?! And aren’t golf purists always complaining the modern tour pro not having to hit clubs like 2-irons?

Anyway, well played, Burmy. You’re a beast.

Ed’s Note: For the record, here’s Pepperell’s tweet after Shinkwin posted a 68 int he first round of the Golf in Dubai Championship at JGE with two drivers:

He was out driving me by 30 yards with the short one and 50 yards with the long one.

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) December 2, 2020

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By Ryan Herrington
Branden Grace carried plenty of motivation with him at this week’s South African Open. Coming off a 113th place showing a year ago in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, after finishing in the top 10 four times in the previous seven seasons, the 31-year-old wanted to prove 2019 was an outlier rather than a sign of things to come. Meanwhile, he was competing in the tournament that outside of the majors has the most significance to the South African native.

The combination—along with some timely putting—propelled Grace to an impressive Sunday 62 at Randpark Golf Club in Johannesburg and a three-stroke victory over countryman Louis Oosthuizen.

?️ Highlights of Branden Grace’s tournament-winning round of 62.@BrandenGrace #SAOpen pic.twitter.com/tqSiSCBPNe

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 12, 2020

“That was remarkable,” Grace said after securing his ninth career European Tour victory but his first since 2017. “I played flawless golf, and I can’t remember the last time the putter was that hot.”

Indeed, Grace needed just 22 putts on his closing round, one in which he played a stretch of 12 holes in 10 under par. After a bogey on the third hole, Grace made eight birdies and an eagle.

Early in that stretch, Grace took the lead over Oosthuizen after starting the round three behind in fourth place. But Oosthuizen took it back when, after seven straight pars to start his round, the 2010 Open champ made a hole in one on the eighth hole.

Oosthuizen’s fireworks notwithstanding, Grace continued to make every makeable birdie putt he saw, and a few that didn’t seem likely. After four straight birdies on Nos. 11-14, Grace was ahead by three, and while Oosthuizen finished the day with a three-under 68, it wasn’t going to be enough.

Warren Little/Getty Images
Grace celebrates with his son, Roger, after getting the trophy for winning the 2020 South African Open.

The victory capped a unique milestone for Grace. Previously in his career, he had won every significant tournament in South Africa golf: Joburg Open (2012), Alfred Dunhill Championship (2014), the Dimension Data Pro-Am (2015) and the Nedback Golf Challenge (2017). The national Open was the only one missing.

“This is the one I really wanted,” Grace said. “This means so much to any South African, winning on home soil, the guys get so behind you and it’s such an emotional feeling.”

Grace’s victory was also significant on two other fronts. It secured him a spot in this summer’s Open Championship (along with Scotland’s Marcus Armitage and fellow South African Jaco Ahlers, the top three finishers in the event that were not already qualified for Royal St. George’s). And it was the first victory for Grace since the birth of his son, Roger, in April 2018.

“He’s going to have a photo with the trophy, and then it’s a good birthday wish to my [wife Nieke] today, she’s a birthday girl today so it’s a good birthday present.”

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“I wish the family was here,” said a tearful Oosthuizen, ending a nearly three-year winless drought. “The crowd was great this whole week, it was nice to do it for them.”

It was Oosthuizen’s eighth career European Tour triumph, four of which have come in events in South Africa. But this was the first time he’s won his country’s Open after playing in the event for the first time since a third-place finish in 2010.

? Louis Oosthuizen’s final round in 3 minutes.#SAOpen pic.twitter.com/yw5Zc5HSLP

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 9, 2018

With the victory at home, combined with his British Open triumph at St. Andrews in 2010, Oosthuizen became the sixth golfer to win both titles in their career, joining Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Bob Charles, Ernie Els and Henrik Stenson.

“I knew today was either going to be very special or heartbreaking. I know there’s only a few that have won the Open and the S.A. Open, so I’m very chuffed to have my name on this.”

Oosthuizen put himself in prime position for victory after an opening-round 62, his best score in a European Tour event in more than four years. While countryman Charl Schwartzel passed him after 36 holes, Oosthuizen’s Saturday 67 allowed him to re-claim a three-stroke lead entering Sunday’s final round. Bogeys on the second and third holes saw the lead shrink to one stroke, wayward tee shots looking like they might be Oosthuizen’s undoing. But he regrouped with birdies on the fifth, sixth and seventh holes. Another birdie after driving the green on the par-4 ninth hole let him make the turn with a comfortable five-stroke edge.

“We had a tough start today and my caddie just told me, ‘You’re swinging it well, just go for it.’ I just got back to basics, to try and hit fairways and greens. I know I’m putting well, I just needed to give myself putting opportunities for birdie.”

Watch Oosthuizen’s post-round interview and we bet you’ll wind up getting a little choked up yourself.

“Great family and friends, they’re always with me.”

An emotional @Louis57TM reflects on his win pic.twitter.com/RsBj0Tvdij

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 9, 2018

Told you.

While Oosthuizen walked off with the title, runner-up Langasque earned a spot in next year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush with his finish, as did Schwartzel and Oliver Wilson, who tied for third.

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The Northern Irishman has withdrawn from next week’s European Tour event at Emirates Golf Club to continue his rehabilitation from the stress fracture discovered after he lost a playoff to Englishman Graeme Storm at the South African Open earlier this month.

“Obviously, we would have loved to see a fully-fit Rory compete in the tournament, but we fully understand the situation and wish him a quick recovery,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of tournament organisers, ‘golf in DUBAi.’

“As we understand, he is progressing very well with his rehabilitation and may soon return to golf which is a great news.”

McIlroy’s scratching focuses even more attention on Tiger Woods eighth Desert Classic appearance, if that was possible. Woods will tee it up on the Majlis with 10 of Europe’s 12 Ryder Cup team members, after making his 2017 bow at the Farmers’ Insurance Open at Torrey Pines from Thursday.

McIlroy enjoys an impressive record in the ‘Major of the Middle East,’ going 96-under-par for his last seven appearances which resulted in first in 2009, sixth in 2010, tenth in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014, first in 2015 and sixth in 2016.

He made the cut for the first time in a European Tour event as a 17-year-old amateur in 2007 on the Majlis and also famously secured his first professional win two years later.

“Rory is a much-loved and familiar face to fans in Dubai, having competed in the event for 10 times, the most the most number of times he has played anywhere in the world. We all will miss him and look forward to welcoming him next year,” Buamaim said. 

For ticket information, visit dubaidesertclassic.com

Photograph by Getty Images

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A rib injury, enflamed during last week’s South African Open has forced the world No.2 out of the 12th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship starting on The National Thursday.

It’s a bitter blow for the first leg of the European Tour’s annual three-tournament Desert Swing and threatens to impact the finale as well with the 27-year-old Northern Irishman offering no indication of whether he will be fit to tee it up at the Tiger Woods-headlined Desert Classic from February 2-5 as planned.

“In situations like this you simply have to listen to the experts and the team I have consulted have all advised me to rest until my rib has fully recovered,” said McIlroy, a four-time runner-up in Abu Dhabi.

“It’s bitterly disappointing to have to withdraw from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. I think everyone knows how much I love playing this tournament. To be forced to miss this week through injury is really quite annoying to be perfectly honest, but I am sure the tournament will be a huge success and I hope everyone involved has a great week.”

McIlroy initially pinned his problem to fatigue after an off-season hitting a lot of balls, many of them in Dubai, as he tested new equipment.

He complained of a sore back in Johannesburg, where he lost in a playoff to Englishman Graeme Storm, and played with it taped and on inflammatory tablets. However a test revealed a stress fracture which will require time as much as a careful rehabilitation program.

Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson, the reigning U.S. Masters, U.S. Open and Open champions, join Falcon Trophy holder Rickie Fowler in what remains a top-class field for Abu Dhabi.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Vice Chairman and CEO of Desert Classic promoters ‘golf in DUBAi’, has his fingers crossed McIlroy makes it to Emirates Golf Club next month but understands the bigger picture for world golf.

“The team at ‘golf in DUBAi’ wish Rory a speedy recovery. The most important thing is that he takes whatever time is necessary to fully recover from his injury,” said Buamaim.

“We truly hope he will be fit for the 28th edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic but that decision lays fully in the capable hands of Rory and his team.”

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KwaZulu-Natal police confirmed to numerous news outlets that the two-time European Tour winner shot himself after a hostage situation involving Westner’s wife and children, who allegedly locked themselves in a bathroom of the family home. No one else was injured in the incident on January 4.

Westner, who won the Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in 1993, was 55.

Wayne Westner beat countryman Retief Goosen by two shots to claim the Dubai Desert Classic’s silver Coffee Pot in 1993 – Getty Images

“He allegedly wanted to see his wife and thereafter he allegedly shot himself,” KwaZulu-Natal police Lieutenant-Colonel Thulane Zwane told Eyewitness News.

“The firearm used in the commission of the crime was seized by the police. The motive for the killing is still unknown at this stage and we are investigating.”

Zwane later told the Mail & Guardian: “It is alleged that Westner and his wife were busy in the process of relocating to Johannesburg. Westner arrived at the residential unit on the estate [in KwaZulu-Natal South Coast] and forced his way in.

“He was armed with a handgun and allegedly shot himself through the head in front of his wife.”

Westner’s other European Tour title came at the 1996 FNB Players Championship. He also had two South African Open victories (1988 and 1991, both at Durban Country Club) among his 11 Sunshine Tour titles.

In 1996, he partnered fellow South African Ernie Els at the World Cup of Golf, where the duo won by a record 18 shots over a U.S. team of Tom Lehman and Steve Jones.

Els tweeted this on Wednesday:

Sad day, our friend Wayne Westner passed today. Great memories thank you my friend.

— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) January 4, 2017

And there was this from Sam Torrance, whose father, Bob, coached Westner:

So sad about an old troubled friend Wayne Westner #RIPWesty

— Sam Torrance (@torrancesam) January 4, 2017

Westner returned to the 25^th anniversary edition of the Dubai Desert Classic in 2014 with all former past champions, save for the late, great Seve Ballesteros who was represented by his son Javier. He missed the cut following rounds of 77-76, unsurprising given he had played little competitive golf in the proceeding 16 years.

Westner in action doing the 25th anniversary edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2014 – Getty Images

A spokesman for ‘golfinDUBAi’, promoters of the Desert Classic, said he was “saddened by the tragic news” but could not comment further due to the on-going police investigation.

According to Golfweek’s Alistair Tait, Westner “was also one of the most eccentric characters on the European Tour. Westner would often go off by himself into the South African bush and live rough for up to two weeks at a time. Asked what he did in the bush, Westner said he ‘communes with nature, living off the land wherever and whenever possible.'”

Westner climbed as high as No. 40 in the Official World Golf Ranking before his playing career was cut short by a leg injury in 1988. According to the South Coast Herald, Westner had been running the nearby Wayne Westner Golf College, where he coached aspiring pros. – With addition reporting from Alex Meyers, GolfDigest.com

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