Three top-10 finishes in his last four tournaments, and you could say that Neil Schietekat is primed for another good performance as he tees off tomorrow in this week’s R700,000 Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Simola Golf and Country Estate.
His most recent showing was a share of seventh in last week’s Sun Carnival City Challenge, but his best result in those last four tournaments came in the Western Cape where he shared third in the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Arabella.
So he is clearly well at home in the windy coastal conditions he’s sure to encounter in the hills outside the picturesque Garden Route town.
‘It feels good,’ said Schietekat of his form. ‘I’m playing nicely. I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s nice to see some results. I’ll keep on working hard and I hope bigger and better doors can open for me.
‘The last time I came here in 2013, I came second to Jacques Blaauw, when he hit in the hole for two on the 16th – so I like the place and I like coastal golf, so I’m definitely looking forward to the tournament.
‘And I think if the wind comes up as it’s forecast to do this week, it will be good for me. A lot of the guys start playing funny shots. But I grew up playing in the wind, so I can just go back to what I know,” he added.
With Blaauw in the field and in form, he’s going to have lots to do if he wants to walk away with the honours – and Blaauw is not the only player who can make life tough for him.
Ruan de Smidt won last week in Benoni, and that capped a great return to form for him. Christiaan Basson won the equivalent event on last year’s Vodacom Origins circuit at St Francis Links, and he finished fourth last week.
And then there is the duo of Vaughn Groenewald and Jaco Ahlers, who are close to home from nearby George, and who have both won this year on the Sunshine Tour – Ahlers twice.
Schietekat has a lone win on the Sunshine Tour, from the Platinum Classic back in 2013. He will be keen to double his tally of titles.
