JC Ritchie has received a glowing endorsement from the very man whose 72-hole Sunshine Tour scoring record he will attempt to break in Sunday’s final round of the Jonsson Workwear Open at Durban Country Club.
“I sincerely hope he breaks it,” said Mark McNulty of his record of 29-under-par 259 in the 1987 Royal Swazi Sun Open.
Ritchie came through 54 holes of this tournament at 25 under par following what McNulty himself described as some of the finest golf he has seen and from a golfer he believes has all the attributes to compete on the biggest stages in the game.
“Records are there to be beaten and I hope he does it. I’ve been watching JC for a while now and I think he has immense talent. I love his swing and he is a very solid putter. He has it all. I think whether he is able to progress onto either the DP World Tour or on the PGA Tour, he will be very successful.”
Louis Oosthuizen came close to McNulty’s record when he won the 2008 Telkom PGA Championship with a 72-hole total of 28-under-par 260.
Ritchie has already set a new Challenge Tour 54-hole scoring record by eclipsing the previous best of 23 under par set by Kristoffer Broberg in the 2012 Rolex Trophy.
And on Sunday, Mark McNulty will be one of the many watching with delight at a golfer who has his fellow professionals in awe of the kind of form he is currently in, and excited about the heights he could potentially reach in the game.