Danielle du Toit will look to continue her good form when she tees it up in Thursday’s first round of the Standard Bank Ladies Open hosted by The City of Cape Town at Durbanville Golf Club looking for her second victory in as many weeks on the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Du Toit broke through with a maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour victory in last week’s NTT Data Ladies Pro-Am at Fancourt, and she’s determined to follow it up with another strong performance in Durbanville this week against a local and international field chasing an increased purse of R1 million in prize money.
“The victory was not only my victory, but a victory for the people that have supported me through thick and thin. Heading into this week, my game is in a really good place. It’s a little windy so I will have to adjust my game for those wind shots, making sure I know how much the ball is going to turn and how I want the ball to fly,” said Du Toit.
“It is a different course to last week’s courses at Fancourt. There are not as many trees, different types of grass, greens and bunkers so it’s a different test. But I’ll prepare accordingly and go guns blazing on Thursday.”
Du Toit will be joined by defending champion, Gabrielle Venter, who claimed her maiden victory in this event last year.
The 20-year-old had a strong performance on the Sunshine Ladies Tour last season with a further two top-five finishes apart from her win, and has earned herself close to half a million rand in career prize money in her short professional career.
“Being a winner on the Sunshine Ladies Tour means a lot. I feel good about my game. I think it’s in a good place. I have worked hard for the last three months so hopefully everything comes together this week. The course is very nice. I would say the back nine is a bit more difficult. I think if the wind is going to come up you’re going to have to focus, and I think the tee shots are going to be the most important aspect of your game here,” she said.
Venter said she is relishing the opportunity to play this 54-hole tournament alongside previous champions as well as a mix of international stars.
“It’s very nice having the international golfers here. It just makes the field stronger, and it prepares you for what the players are like in Europe,” she said.
Sunshine Ladies Tour stalwarts and previous champions Lee-Anne Pace and Nobuhle Dlamini together with Cara Gorlei and Casandra Alexander will be joined by a strong field of international players including Germany’s Helen Kreuzer and Kylie Henry from Scotland – who both claimed victories on last year’s Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, added: “I would like to express my gratitude to Standard Bank for their continued support as sponsor of this flagship event, and for increasing the prize purse to R1 million. This is in addition to the great work they do to grow the game at grassroots level. With committed partners like Standard Bank, women’s golf in South Africa has a bright future, and our women golfers are certainly well looked after in terms of opportunities and prize money.”