South African amateur golf will stand proudly alongside the country’s leading sporting codes and athletes after GolfRSA earned three nominations for the 2026 South African Sports Awards.
GolfRSA has been nominated for Federation of the Year, while the history-making South African Eisenhower Trophy side of Christiaan Maas, Daniel Bennett and Charl Barnard is in contention for Sports Team of the Year. Completing a remarkable hat-trick for amateur golf, Maas has also been nominated for Sportsman of the Year.
GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn said the nominations were particularly meaningful given the calibre of South African sport represented at the awards.
“For amateur golf to earn three nominations at South Africa’s premier sports awards is an enormous honour for everyone involved in the game,” Hepburn said.
“The nominations cap an extraordinary period for South African amateur golf and recognise not only outstanding performances on the international stage, but also the structures and development pathways behind them.
“We are incredibly proud of Christiaan, Daniel and Charl, but there is a much bigger story behind these nominations. From our provincial unions and clubs to our coaches, administrators, partners and volunteers, so many people contribute to creating opportunities for talented young golfers to reach their potential.”
Federation of the Year
GolfRSA’s Federation of the Year nomination follows a year of significant achievement across virtually every level of the amateur game.
In addition to international success, the federation continued to strengthen its development and transformation programmes, including its support of the South African Golf Development Board and the South African Disabled Golf Association. GolfRSA also expanded participation through initiatives such as GolfSixes South Africa and the GolfRSA 9 Hole Challenge Series, invested in education and safeguarding, and created greater opportunities for women and girls in golf.
Sports Team of the Year
The year’s defining competitive achievement came in Singapore, where Maas, Bennett and Barnard produced one of the greatest performances in South African amateur golf history.
The trio became the first South African team to win the Eisenhower Trophy since the World Amateur Team Championship was established in 1958. Competing against the strongest amateur golfing nations in the world, South Africa finished on 29-under-par to claim an emphatic eight-stroke victory and bring home a trophy that had eluded the country for nearly seven decades.
Team manager and South African Golf Association President Peet van Schalkwyk said the Sports Team of the Year nomination underlined the magnitude of their achievement.
“What Christiaan, Daniel and Charl did in Singapore was historic, but what impressed me most was the way they did it,” Van Schalkwyk said. “They played for one another and for South Africa. There was enormous pressure going into that final round with history within reach, but they showed incredible maturity and produced their best golf when it mattered most.
“To see them nominated alongside South Africa’s finest sporting teams is a tremendous honour and thoroughly deserved recognition for three young men who represented their country with enormous pride.”
All three members of the Eisenhower Trophy-winning team progressed through GolfRSA’s structured player development pathway, representing South Africa at junior level before graduating to the GolfRSA National Squad.
Sportsman of the Year
For Maas, the team nomination has been complemented by individual recognition as a Sportsman of the Year nominee, capping an exceptional amateur career that saw him climb as high as No 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
At the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship, Maas finished on 22-under-par to claim the individual honours by 10 strokes while spearheading South Africa’s historic Eisenhower Trophy victory.
His amateur career also included victories in the 2021 South African Amateur Championship and 2022 Brabazon Trophy, as well as two Freddie Tait Cups as the leading amateur at the Investec South African Open Championship. Representing the University of Texas, Maas also established himself among the leading players in US collegiate golf and finished second in the 2026 PGA TOUR University Ranking, earning automatic status on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“It is a huge honour to be nominated for Sportsman of the Year, especially when you look at the incredible athletes South Africa produces across so many different sports,” Maas said.
“I’ve always been incredibly proud to represent South Africa and GolfRSA, and winning the Eisenhower Trophy with Daniel and Charl is something I will remember for the rest of my life. To have our team recognised and then receive an individual nomination as well is very special.
“While golf is predominantly an individual sport, none of us gets to this level alone. There are so many people who have helped me along the way, and for me, this nomination recognises my parents, coaches, my club, union, GolfRSA and every individual who has played a part in helping me reach this point in my career.”
More Than High Performance
Women’s Golf South Africa President Madeleine de Wet believes the nominations also bear witness to the breadth of GolfRSA’s work.
“We are creating pathways at every level, from participation initiatives such as GolfSixes and the Champion of Champions Series to developing our leading talent through the National Men’s and Women’s Squads and the Qalisa Development Squad,” De Wet said.
“The Tournament Support Programme, in partnership with The R&A, the National Lotteries Commission and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, is helping to remove financial barriers for talented players. At the same time, the Women in Golf Leadership Foundation Programme with CMASA and The R&A, together with our commitment to The R&A Women in Golf Charter, is creating greater opportunities for women to participate, lead and build careers throughout the golf industry.
“We also continue to invest in the education and professional development of club managers, administrators, coaches and officials. These initiatives may serve different areas of the game, but they share the same purpose: to create opportunities, develop people and build a stronger and more inclusive future for South African golf.”
Inspiring the Next Generation
Hepburn believes the three nominations also send an important message to the next generation of South African golfers.
“Our young players can look at Christiaan, Daniel and Charl and know that they came through the same junior tournaments, provincial structures and GolfRSA programmes that are available to them,” he said. “That is perhaps the most exciting part of this recognition. It shows what is possible.
“Whether or not we ultimately take home an award, to have a South African amateur golf federation, an amateur national team and an amateur golfer recognised at this level is something the entire golfing community can celebrate.”