In a quiet week for the top 25 South African players in the Official World Golf Ranking list, Herman Loubser was the best performing local player on that list as he was up 211 places for his win on the Sunshine Tour at the weekend.

Loubser took his second Sunshine Tour title with a play-off win over Yurav Premlall in the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Parys Golf & Country Estate, and broke a drought that had lasted since his first title in May 2022 when he won the Lombard Insurance Classic.

He leapt to 527th place on the world rankings list, up from 738th the previous week. He is now just three places lower than his career-best position of 524th, which he reached after his share of 16th in the 2022 FBC Zimbabwe Open. And it was his second-best showing ever in a world-ranking event after that maiden victory.

Only three South Africans inside the top 25 according to the official list were up: Jacques Kruyswijk climbed one spot administratively (he was not in action), Barend Botha climbed three places with his performance on the Korn Ferry Tour, and Robin Williams was up four after a share of 38th on the DP World Tour.

South Africa’s top-ranked player remains Aldrich Potgieter, who didn’t make it into the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, and who will miss this week’s Tour Championship. He was down three places to 65th.

South Africa’s top 25:

1. Aldrich Potgieter 65 (down 3)
2. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 71 (down 1)
3. Erik van Rooyen 88 (down 2)
4. Thriston Lawrence 92 (down 1)
5. Shaun Norris 112 (unchanged)
6. Christo Lamprecht 145 (unchanged)
7. Garrick Higgo 147 (down 1)
8. Jacques Kruyswijk 168 (up 1)
9. Jayden Schaper 192 (down 5)
10. Daniel van Tonder 196 (down 2)
11. Dean Burmester 247 (down 12)
12. Barend Botha 271 (up 3)
13. Robin Williams 274 (up 4)
14. Brandon Stone 279 (down 3)
15. Dylan Naidoo 306 (down 5)
16. JC Ritchie 321 (down 5)
17. Michael Hollick 378 (down 2)
18. Dylan Frittelli 381 (down 9)
19. Casey Jarvis 389 (down 3)
20. Wilco Nienaber 415 (down 5)
21. Jonathan Broomhead 424 (down 2)
22. Charl Schwartzel 440 (down 10)
23. Ryan van Velzen 450 (down 11)
24. Deon Germishuys 458 (down 14)
25. Louis Oosthuizen 480 (down 13)