The MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood has drawn an incredibly strong field with a number of rankings contenders on various Tours who have gathered on the banks of Hartbeespoort Dam for this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
None more so than Daniel van Tonder, who currently holds the top spot on both the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca rankings following his victory in last week’s SDC Open.
Van Tonder has had a clear goal to reclaim his No 1 position on the Sunshine Tour standings, and this week he wants to keep that momentum.
“I just want to extend my lead. I want to win our Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and see where that takes me, because it opens a few doors for me,” he said.
Fellow South African Shaun Norris is back on local fairways this week and playing some of the best golf of his career. He is currently second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and third on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai following an incredible run of form.
After winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in December, Norris started 2025 in equally strong form with finishes of sixth and 16th in the DP World Tour’s last two events in the UAE.
“It’s great to be back and spend some time at home,” said Norris. “The first thing I did was have a braai.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. I’m very happy with the way I’m swinging the club and I’m having a lot of fun with my brother on the bag. Pecanwood has always been a good venue, and the course looks good this week.”
This week’s field also includes Wilco Nienaber, JC Ritchie, Benjamin Follett-Smith and Nikhil Rama, who are all currently in the top 10 on the Road to Mallorca rankings.
And the three young stars of Jonathan Broomhead, Yurav Premlall and Dylan Naidoo will also be looking to strengthen their positions within the top five on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour
