As a winner on the DP World Tour, Shaun Norris could have been playing in Bahrain this week, but his presence in the Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned MyGolfLife Open at Pecanwood is a boost on many levels for the local tournament.
Ranked just outside the world’s top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking lists at 105th, he will be the highest-ranked player in the field. That benefits his fellow-South Africans who ordinarily battle to get enough points from a deeply flawed allocation of points by the OWGR, as well as the other former Challenge Tour rank and file players.
Additionally, he comes in to the tournament in great form, having finished first, sixth and 16th in his last three tournaments. With a wonderful season behind him last year on what has become his ‘home’ tour, the Japan Golf Tour, and the luxury of being able to choose to come and play in his home country, he will be one to watch on the shores of the Hartbeespoort Dam this week.
He brings solid ball-striking as one of his major assets on a course that, while it is long, gives up low scores to length and accuracy. And, once he is on the greens, his abilities with the long putter are pretty effective too, and, should he have enough chances, he is going to be tough to hunt down.
He’ll be up against a rampant Daniel van Tonder heading up the local field. With three victories to his name this season on the Sunshine Tour already, Van Tonder has the bit between his teeth. In that kind of mood, he is always difficult to stop.
Last week’s runner-up at Zebula, Altin van der Merwe, will be looking to get back on the horse as quickly as possible after his implosion on the back nine saw a four-stroke lead erased while he was searching for a maiden professional victory. The 28-year-old rookie is nothing if not experienced, however, and with his wife on the bag, look for him to find some extra resilience this week.
And, finally, 2025 is probably the right time to be on Nikhil Rama watch. The 24-year-old has three top-10s this season on the Sunshine Tour in a short career highlighted by his sixth-place finish in the 2023 Joburg Open. His game recently seems to be on the verge of becoming good enough to challenge every week, and a breakthrough is surely not far off.
