The MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood has drawn an incredibly strong field with a number of rankings contenders on various tours who have gathered on the banks of Hartbeespoort Dam for this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
None more so than Daniel van Tonder, who currently holds the top spot on both the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings following his victory in last week’s SDC Open.
Van Tonder has had a clear goal to reclaim his No 1 position on the Sunshine Tour standings, and this week he wants to keep that momentum.
“I just want to extend my lead. I want to win our Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and see where that takes me, because it opens a few doors for me,” he said.
Fellow South African Shaun Norris is back on local fairways this week and playing some of the best golf of his career. He is currently second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and third on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai following an incredible run of form.
We are at Pecanwood Estate, Hartbeespoort this week. 🛥️
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 28, 2025
🔜 #MyGolfLifeOpen #GreatnessBeginsHere #SunshineTour #HotelPlannerTour pic.twitter.com/detf9JfxlF
After winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in December, Norris started 2025 in equally strong form with finishes of sixth and 16th in the DP World Tour’s last two events in the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s great to be back and spend some time at home. The first thing I did was have a braai. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. I’m very happy with the way I’m swinging the club and I’m having a lot of fun with my brother on the bag. Pecanwood has always been a good venue, and the course looks good this week,” said Norris.
This week’s field also includes Wilco Nienaber, JC Ritchie, Benjamin Follett-Smith and Nikhil Rama, who are all currently in the top 10 on the Road to Mallorca rankings.
Pecanwood Golf Estate & Spa 😍
— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) January 28, 2025
What a place.#MyGolfLifeOpen pic.twitter.com/5Az4lLduhx
And the three young stars of Jonathan Broomhead, Yurav Premlall and Dylan Naidoo will also be looking to strengthen their positions within the top five on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy.
It’s a tantalising showcase of South African golf talent, and one which Daniel Egdes, CEO of MoreCorp Membership, says they’re proud to support.
“We believe in what the Sunshine Tour is doing in terms of creating opportunities for South African professionals to compete not only here but also against international golfers from the HotelPlanner Tour and the DP World Tour. Further to this, the MyGolfLife brand is an engagement platform for golfers to reward them for participating in the sport they love.
“With their increased participation, we also gain more golfers interested in watching tournaments and attending Sunshine Tour events. In any sport, fans need heroes and the Sunshine Tour has created wonderful golf heroes.
“That also creates more people interested in the game and fuels that increased participation. So it all weaves together in the whole eco system of our game.”
📸 Pecanwood through the lens of our photographer. 🖼️#MyGolfLifeOpen #GreatnessBeginsHere #SunshineTour #HotelPlannerTour pic.twitter.com/PYbzq7jPZZ
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 28, 2025