Bezuidenhout closer to top 50 on latest world golf rankings list

Mar 26, 2024 | Featured, Features, Rankings

Christiaan Bezuidenhout took a step closer to pulling off a last-minute invitation to the Masters when he climbed to 55^th on the latest list released this week by the Official World Golf Ranking.

South Africa’s top-ranked golfer finished in a share of ninth at the weekend on the PGA Tour in the Valspar Championship, and, with two more tournaments on the PGA Tour ahead of the Masters, his four-place climb puts him in touching distance of the top 50 place needed to get into the year’s first major championship at Augusta National.

But he won’t be in action in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, so he may have to rely on a good showing in the Valero Texas Open to be able to join past champion Charl Schwartzel and Erik van Rooyen in the field.

Further down on list of top 25 South Africans, Jaco Ahlers benefitted from his runner-up finish in the Sunshine Tour’s Stella Artois Championship, climbing 13 places to reach 330^th. That’s a long way off his career-high of 139^th, but it was his best points haul since his victory in the Asian Tour’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters last year.

The winner of the local tournament at Dainfern last week, Heinrich Bruiners, had a 271-place jump up the rankings to 758^th place. That’s close to his career-best of 736^th, achieved soon after his maiden Sunshine Tour victory 11 years ago in the Vodacom Origins of golf event in Limpopo.

South Africa’s top 25: