Van Velzen inside SA’s top 20 in world rankings

Jan 30, 2024 | Featured, Features, Rankings

Ryan van Velzen’s dominating win in the Mediclinic Invitational on the Sunshine Tour saw him jump 85 places on the latest Official World Golf Ranking list issued this week.

It was a superb weekend by the 22-year-old as he carded a pair of eight-under-par 64s on his way to a four-shot victory. It was his third title on the Sunshine Tour, and his second individual one. It took him to 346^th on the world rankings, and his highest position in his fledgling career.

It also took him inside the list of the top 20 players in South Africa, according the official rankings. In 18^th position, he now has a spot inside the top 20 in his sights if he continues this good run of form, which would see him get closer to the top 250 in the world.

Outside South Africa’s top 20 – but definitely on his way back there – was Brandon Stone, who climbed 106 places to 402^nd with his share of fourth on the DP World Tour at the Ras Al Kaimah Championship in Dubai. Wilco Nienaber is the 20^th-best South African according to the rankings, and Stone’s trajectory is very much upward in contrast to Nienaber’s.

Higher up in South Africa’s top 20, Jayden Schaper and Zander Lombard climbed 10 and four places respectively to 288^th and 118^th. For Lombard, the top 100 is beckoning as he reached yet another career high in successive weeks. Louis de Jager also fared well with a nine-place climb to 256^th.

The top South African remains Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who was not in action on the PGA Tour last week, and slipped two places to 58^th. A couple of good showings starting with this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am can push him inside the world’s top 50 ahead of the beginning of April to assure him of an invitation to the Masters.

South Africa’s top 20: