Joshua van der Wath produced a commanding performance to win the opening event of the 2026 Blu Label UNLTD Series at The Els Club Copperleaf, finishing at an impressive -8 (208) to claim top honours.
Van der Wath set the tone early and maintained his composure throughout the tournament, ultimately separating himself from a competitive field with consistent, clinical golf across all three rounds.
Finishing in second place was Jan-Hendrik Nieuwoudt at -6 (210), while John-George Pringle (a) and Herman van der Walt (a) shared third place at -4 (212).
A tightly packed leaderboard followed, with James Truter, Julien El Adl (a), and Matthew Rossouw (a) all finishing at -3 (213). Jandre van Niekerk (a) and Sean Paxton (a) rounded out the top 10 under par at -1 (215).
At even par (216), Henry Kyd, Liam Ross, and Keagan Crosbie secured top-12 finishes, while Max Orgovanyi and Joe Knox posted +1 (217). Amicus De Beer (a), Jonathan Ackerman, and Leon van der Walt (a) all finished at +2 (218).
Further down the leaderboard, Josh Hirsch (a), LB Boshoff, Tristan Fichardt (a), Jeré Brits (a), and Matthew Bennett tied at +3 (219), with Romano Saincic at +4 (220).
Jordan Currie (a), Grant Stofberg (a), and Wandre Snyman shared +5 (221), while Dan Magee (a) and Rikhard Koch (a) finished at +7 (223). Jaco Anderson (a) posted +8 (224), Christopher Henkel (a) +9 (225), and Christoff van den Berg (a) alongside Connor Pamphilon (a) concluded at +12 (228).
Van der Wath’s victory not only secures him early momentum in the 2026 season but also sends a strong message to the rest of the field.
“This is exactly how you want to start the season,” said van der Wath. “Everything came together this week, and I’m proud of the way I handled the course and the pressure.”
The Blu Label UNLTD Series now moves on to its next event, where players will look to challenge the early pace set by van der Wath.
SCORES:
- 8 Joshua van der Wath 208
- 6 Jan-Hendrik Nieuwoudt 210
- 4 John-George Pringle 212, Herman van der Walt 212
- 3 James Truter 213, Julien El Adl 213, Matthew Rossouw 213
- 1 Jandre van Niekerk 215, Sean Paxton 215.