Rookie Deyzel boosted by Vodacom Origins pro-am win

Sunshine Tour rookie professional Werner Deyzel sounded a warning ahead of Friday’s first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament at Sishen Golf Club when he won the pro-am in what has been a promising season for him at the moment.

Deyzel is currently in second place on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings, chasing leader Kyle de Beer.

The Woodhill Country Club professional has had some solid performances this year already, including tied 15th in the SunBet Challenge at Sun City, tied seventh in the SunBet Challenge Time Square at Wingate Park Country Club, and most recently tied 15th in the Bain’s Whisky Ubunye Championship team tournament at Silver Lakes.

So while you might not read too much into his victory in the Vodacom Origins pro-am alongside his amateur partner Hennie Muller, it is a shot of confidence for the 24-year-old.

“I played well but it was thanks to my amateur partner Hennie that we won. He was very solid, played very well and he made a lot of points,” said Deyzel. The format had a slight change to the traditional pro-am in that the amateurs played with a different professional on each day.

So it was Scotland’s Craig Ross who partnered Muller on day one, before Deyzel helped guide the 16 handicapper to the title on day two.

For Deyzel, the two-day pro-am set the tone for what he hopes will be a good week in Kathu.

“My game is not bad at the moment. I just need some putts to drop and then I will be making the good scores. But it’s been fun playing with the amateurs and Vodacom’s clients and it also allows us to get a practice round in before the tournament proper.

It’s my second time playing at Sishen Golf Club. I’ve played in an amateur event here before, so I feel like I know the course quite well,” Deyzel said.

They weren’t the only winners in Kathu.

The pro-am also featured a Vodacom Origins golf clinic with nearly 35 children from the Kuruman chapter of the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) where they received coaching from Sunshine Tour professionals. And 10-year-old Delrico Agterdam certainly caught the eyes of the pros as a talent for the future.

Already playing off a seven, he is ranked the No 2 junior in the Northern Cape and has for the last two years received his provincial colours for the U13 team.

“Delrico thinks about golf all the time. He eats and sleeps for the game and he really wants to become a professional golfer when he is big. He puts in a lot of work. These clinics are really excellent and it was so amazing to see how much the kids enjoyed it. It’s just amazing what Vodacom do.

"If there weren’t these clinics then these kids would never have been coached by Sunshine Tour pros, or have met them,” said Annemarie Rabie, the SAGDB coach for the Kuruman area.