Another Sunshine Tour golfer is ready to go to the next level after a breakthrough on the local circuit, writes MIKE GREEN in the March issue of Compleat Golfer.
So, what would you like for a birthday present? Lead the South African Open Championship? Ruan Korb managed it.
The 27-year-old is one of three left-handers who have won in recent times on the Sunshine Tour, following in the footsteps of Andre de Decker, who won the 2018 Sun Royal Swazi Spa Challenge, and Garrick Higgo, who won the 2019 Sun City Challenge, the 2020 Tour Championship and the 2020 Open de Portugal on the European Tour.
Korb burst on to the Sunshine Tour scene after a less than stellar 2019 when the Tour resumed tournaments after the Covid-19 lockdown, finishing third at the Betway Championship in mid-August, the first tournament back.
His victory came six weeks later when he took the Time Square Casino Challenge at Wingate Park Country Club.
He was suddenly a force to be reckoned with on the South African circuit and on the day he turned 27, he gave himself a share of the first-round lead of the 2020 SA Open at Randpark when he carded a bogey-free five-under-par 67.
‘I felt so proud to shoot the lowest round in the afternoon field and to have played good golf even on my birthday,’ he recalls. ‘Because of my good play in the first round I tried to put less pressure on myself for the rest of the tournament. I stayed focused on my main goal and that was to just do my best. The next day when I teed off, I was excited for the round and felt positive.’
He followed it up with a level-par 72, and, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout carding a second successive 67, Korb found himself five shots back, well inside the cut and not out of contention. Another bogey-free round followed in the third, his two birdies giving him a 70 to take him to seven under, and eight behind Bezuidenhout.
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No longer in contention, but with the pressure of performing in his national Open obviously weighing on him, he made two doubles and six bogeys on his way to a six-over 78 and a share of 25th as he collected R168 250 for the biggest payday of his fledgling career.
So where does it all come from?
Korb turned pro in 2017 and he soon got into the winner’s circle, taking the Ebotse Challenge in September that year with a yawning gap between his 12 under final score and the runner-up tallies of four under.
He won again in January 2019, taking the Race to Sunshine Tour Q-School #3 at Wingate Park by three strokes. During that time, he also racked up three runner-up finishes and three top-10s on the Big Easy Tour.
That kind of consistency is exactly what aspiring professionals look for and it’s the opportunity the IGT circuit provides for them. ‘I had a good career on the IGT and I am grateful for that,’ he says. ‘Consistency definitely helped me step up a level and get me to where I am today. The IGT Tour and Big Easy Tour are great for preparation for the Sunshine Tour.’
Then came 2019. He managed to make just three cuts on the Sunshine Tour and there were some discouraging scores.
‘I was struggling with everything in my game, especially consistency. At some point I started thinking that this game was not for me, but I am a fighter and hard worker. I put all the bad scores behind me and started working harder.’
Then came the Covid-19 break. The way he came back to tournament play after that was impressive. What made that happen?
‘This pandemic was unexpected and I think we were all shocked when we heard we were going into a lockdown,’ he recalls. ‘The question was how golfers were going to be able to practise.
‘But it seemed like I needed a long break to figure out what I want to achieve. What made me come back that strong was that I worked on my mental game during the lockdown and of course I relaxed a lot. What was there else to do?’
His third place at the Betway Championship was followed by three missed cuts, however. Did his hopes start to fade? Or did he know something that kept his head up during that tough period?
‘It was unfortunate for me to miss three cuts, but I was still hitting the ball pretty well,’ he says. ‘I wouldn’t say my hopes started to fade because my mind was in the right place. I wasn’t going to let the three missed cuts bring me down, so I looked ahead and knew I was focused on being a great golfer.’
Then came another decent finish at Huddle Park at the Vodacom Championship Reloaded, sixth behind possibly the best player in the country at that point, Daniel van Tonder.
‘That definitely made me feel more confident,’ he says. ‘Confidence in your game is very important because it will help you through every step of the way. It is the key. If there is a day where my ball striking is not on point, confidence helps me still make a decent score. It is very important to remind yourself what the reason is for you doing what you love.’
Korb followed that with a solid if unspectacular performance at the Investec Royal Swazi Championship, with its modified Stableford system of scoring. ‘You need to make a lot of birdies and eagles to get as many points as possible and I did the best I could. I would say the format helped me as I am a very aggressive player.’
Then it all fell into place at the Time Square Casino Challenge. After an opening 67 saw him three shots off the lead, he hit the front in the second round with his best round on the Sunshine Tour, and eight-under-par 64 with seven birdies, an eagle and just a single bogey.
‘Wingate is a course I know very well and, coming off a mindset of going for birdies and eagles, well, I hit the jackpot,’ he laughs.
‘My second round was great but the best round for me was the last day, even though it was quite nerve-racking, but I knew what I had to do,’ he says of his closing two-under 70. ‘I started slow on the final day but an eagle on the 15th hole helped me lift the trophy. There were good players chasing me, so I am glad I pulled it off.’
There were good players indeed: Oliver Bekker carded a closing 64, and Anton Haig, the runner-up, signed for a 66. Getting the job done was pleasing. ‘That was the best feeling ever to know I had won my first Sunshine Tour event,’ he says.
‘My first win on the Sunshine Tour was definitely a game-changer and a career-changer. My plans and goals stayed the same, but it took a lot of pressure off me going into tournaments. I have proved to myself that I can do this. To be exempt for all the upcoming tournaments helps me take each one on with a lot of confidence. It also helps me work even harder than before because I want to win.’
Like all players getting a foothold on the Sunshine Tour, he has visions which stretch beyond South Africa. ‘I think every one of us has hopes and dreams,’ he says. ‘Mine is to play on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. I also want to be one of the best golfers in the world and I know I can get there.’
It takes a small army to keep those kinds of dreams alive. ‘I have a big support structure and I appreciate everyone,’ he says. ‘My fiancee Melinda Cloete helps me every day to be the best version of myself and she motivates me through everything. Then my mom, dad, brother and sister are always there for me, and they made it possible for me to be where I am today. All my friends are also very supportive of my golfing career.
‘Lastly, the man on my bag, Stef Visage. He is the most positive person I know and definitely someone you want next to you with every single shot.’
So how does it feel to be part of a wave of lefties? ‘I love being a lefty!,’ he says. ‘I am a natural left-hander and I do everything left-handed. I would not say it makes a difference in the way I do things. It feels completely normal for me. Lefties are different in a good way.’
They also win, and Korb has started.
