While there were significant jumps amongst South Africa’s top players on the Official World Golf Ranking list, Warwick Purchase continued his climb to show how significant good form is on a tour like the Sunshine Tour for up-and-coming players.

Purchase finished third in the Hyundai Open at Ebotse Links, and he was up 44 places to 537th on the official rankings. It’s a career-high for the Sunshine Tour rookie, and it puts him in a position that he barely could have dreamed off when he started the year ranked 1,731st.

He won his maiden Sunshine Tour title in the Fortress Invitational just three weeks earlier – and that gave him a multi-win bonus after he won the Betway Big Easy Tour Final in the second week in March this year.

He is the 30th-best South African player according to the official rankings, and he’s currently placed second behind Luis Carrera of Mexico in the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings. Carrera also leads the Sunshine Tour’s delivery Guy Order of Merit and is currently ranked 436th on the OWGR.

Casey Jarvis was also an example of how important goof performances on the Sunshine Tour can be: After an unexceptional season on the DP World Tour, he pulled off his maiden win on the Sunshine Tour in the Hyundai Open. He promptly rose 66 places to 312th, but he as some way to go to match his career-high of 237th.

Garrick Higgo’s continued return to top form on the PGA Tour means he could soon be ranked South Africa’s best golfer. His share of fourth in the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico saw him jump 10 places to 67th, just four behind Thriston Lawrence, who was up one to 63rd and remains South Africa’s top-ranked player.

Richard Sterne’s season on the DP World Tour came to an end with his share of 12th in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but his climb up the world rankings continued as he was up 34 places to 206th.

Those players who climbed in the latest world rankings are noted in bold below.

South Africa’s top 25:

1. Thriston Lawrence 63 (up 1)
2. Garrick Higgo 67 (up 10)
3. Aldrich Potgieter 72 (down 2)
4. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 82 (down 4)
5. Erik van Rooyen 106 (down 2)
6. Shaun Norris 119 (down 2)
7. Christo Lamprecht 141 (down 3)
8. Jayden Schaper 154 (up 1)
9. JC Ritchie 158 (down 2)
10. Jacques Kruyswijk 176 (down 13)
11. Richard Sterne 206 (up 34)
12. Barend Botha 211 (down 6)
13. Daniel van Tonder 227 (down 1)
14. Brandon Stone 306 (down 4)
15. Casey Jarvis 312 (up 66)
16. Jonathan Broomhead 323 (down 11)
17. Darren Fichardt 340 (down 5)
18. Dylan Naidoo 352 (down 4)
19. Dean Burmester 354 (down 10)
20. Robin Williams 365 (down 10)
21. Michael Hollick 390 (down 2)
22. Louis Oosthuizen 420 (down 11)
23. Pieter Moolman 457 (up 3)
24. Charl Schwartzel 477 (down 1)
25. Dylan Frittelli 480 (down 5)