Watched by Gary Player himself, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith claimed his third Sunshine Tour title when he won the Cell C Challenge in Honour of Gary Player at Killarney Country Club on Sunday.
The moment 🇿🇼 Benjamin Follett-Smith became a three-time winner on the Sunshine Tour. 🏆#CellCChallenge pic.twitter.com/Ay9BFKt9G1
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 25, 2026
Starting the final round three shots behind leader Haydn Porteous, Follett-Smith produced a magnificent charge and signed for a closing 66 to win by a single stroke on 15 under par. Matthew Crisswell, Follett-Smith’s caddie, received a Sunshine Tour medallion as the winning caddie.
Porteous had a 10-foot birdie putt on the last to force a playoff, which he missed, settling for second place on 14 under par with a final round of 70.
Kieron van Wyk finished third on 11 under par with a closing 70.
'SILLY ERRORS'
It was a remarkable victory by Follett-Smith that was built around his front nine of three birdies and an eagle, and which gave him the luxury of a bogey-bogey finish to still claim the title.
“The first nine went my way. As golf is, when it’s going your way it seems easy. I did exactly what I wanted to do for every shot on that front nine. I made a good putt for birdie on the 10th so I thought it was going to continue, but the back nine was tough towards the end.
"I made a few silly errors coming in. Hitting it right of 17 was a rookie error for sure and finishing bogey-bogey wasn’t what I wanted to do. Luckily, it was good enough so I’m very pleased,” said Follett-Smith.
This is his first victory since 2024 and following what he says was a somewhat frustrating 2025.
Benjamin Follett-Smith wins the Cell C Challenge in Honour of Gary Player. 🏆 #CellCChallenge @CellC pic.twitter.com/PnPnYETiIo
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 25, 2026
“It’s just been hard work and practice. I didn’t get too much out of my game last year. I was a bit stuck playing the HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour, but I kept coming back home to the Sunshine Tour as a great platform to play. The events here are awesome and world-class in terms of how they’re run. It’s awesome to be in the winner’s circle again and to guarantee my playing rights here.”
Follett-Smith’s rise in form is also perfect timing as the Sunshine Tour now moves into four weeks of co-sanctioned tournaments with the HotelPlanner Tour and then two weeks of co-sanctioned tournaments with the DP World Tour.
And the Zimbabwean was also delighted to win in front of Gary Player.
“It’s the second time I’ve met Mr Player and it’s an honour. He’s one of the best golfers to every live and to have a few minutes to chat to him and hear his advice is something else.”