GolfRSA has announced the five rising stars selected for the GolfRSA National Squad – Class of 2025|2026, as the organisation continues its mission to identify, support, and develop South Africa’s most promising young amateur golfers.
The newest inductees are Logan Leisher, Judd Sundelson and Stefan Jacobs from Central Gauteng, Southern Cape’s Jordan Groenewald, and Alex Frankel from Boland – an exciting group of emerging talents already making their mark on the amateur circuit.
Leisher has enjoyed a meteoric rise since taking up golf during the Covid-19 pandemic, capturing titles at the MCB Indian Ocean Open and Northern Cape Open and finishing runner-up in both the SA Stroke Play Championship and Gauteng North Silver Salver to climb to fifth in the GolfRSA Open Amateur Rankings.
Sundelson, a 23-year-old University of St Andrews Masters student, produced a career highlight when he won the prestigious European Order of Merit at St Andrews, Scotland, earlier this year as part of the 2024-2025 R&A Student Tour Series, while former Southland Conference Championship champion Jacobs, entering his third season at Augusta University, continues to shine on the US collegiate circuit, highlighted by his victory at the and selection to the Southland All-Conference First Team in 2025.
Groenewald, currently leading the GolfRSA U15 Rankings, has also impressed, winning the Nomads Gowrie Farm U15 Challenge, finishing runner-up in the Sun City U15 Challenge, and taking third place at the Nomads SA U15 Championship. Frankel, who completes the quintet, etched his name into the history books by becoming just the second player ever to win both the U13 and U15 divisions of the Sun City U13 & U15 Challenge.
WORLD-CLASS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Launched in 2015, the GolfRSA National Squad provides financial assistance, performance support, and world-class player development to South Africa’s top emerging talent.
Over the past decade, the programme has successfully guided players from promising amateurs to professional champions, producing 51 professionals and multiple winners on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Challenge Tour, Sunshine Tour, and Big Easy Tour — including former Amateur champions Aldrich Potgieter, who captured his first PGA Tour victory in 2025, and Christo Lamprecht, who celebrated his maiden Korn Ferry Tour title in 2025.
In recent years, GolfRSA National Squad graduates have made headlines both locally and internationally, including Garrick Higgo (2019|21), Jayden Schaper (2021|22), Casey Jarvis (2022|23), and Altin van der Merwe (2024|25), all of whom went on to secure the Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year title.
“The GolfRSA National Squad continues to be a pathway for our country’s most talented golfers to develop into world-class competitors,” said GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn.
“The Class of 2025 | 2026 represents a group of highly skilled, committed, and ambitious young players who have shown they have both the ability and the temperament to succeed at the highest level. We are excited to work closely with them and their coaching teams as we help shape the next generation of South African champions.”
SUSTAINABLE PIPELINE OF FUTURE CHAMPS
The new squad members will benefit from specialist guidance, access to tailored training programmes, participation in international tournaments and tours, and expert support across fitness, psychology, and technical development.
In addition to the men’s programme, the GolfRSA National Squad also includes a strong and growing women’s section, structured across three tiers to support players at different stages of their development.
The Elite Squad focuses on South Africa’s top-ranked amateurs competing at the highest level locally and internationally, while the B-Squad provides targeted support for players transitioning from junior to elite amateur competition.
The C-Squad nurtures emerging juniors showing exceptional potential, including rising talent identified through the grassroots Qalisa National Programme.
Together, these tiers reflect GolfRSA’s continued commitment to developing world-class female golfers, growing the women’s game, and ensuring a sustainable pipeline of future champions from across South Africa.
“This is a special opportunity for these players to learn, compete, and grow alongside the best in the country,” added Hepburn.
“We are confident that, with the right structures and support in place, they will follow in the footsteps of the squad members who have gone before them.”