The first event of this season’s Vodacom Origins of Golf takes us to Sishen Golf Club in the Northern Cap town of Kathu for the first of the five Vodacom events.
What’s new about the Origins of Golf?
The last tournament in the region (it was in the Free State last year) was claimed by Garth Mulroy in Parys, but before then, Hennie du Plessis defeated Ockie Strydom in 2017 in Sishen for his maiden Sunshine Tour title.
Out of five players who have won before, Jacques Blaauw, who won in 2016, and Trevor Fisher Jnr, who won in 2012, are the only former champions on the field. The other players who won the tournament at Sishen before are Du Plessis in 2017, Jaco van Zyl (2010) and Adilson da Silva (2011).
Who to watch
Michael Palmer has not missed a cut in his six starts this season with 28th being his lowest finish. He made two top 10s in the process, including a fifth-place finish at the previous event, the Royal Swazi Spa Challenge.
Ockie Strydom was denied an opportunity to claim his maiden win on Tour by Hennie du Plessis in a playoff after they finished tied on 12 under 204 in 2017. That defeat was his eighth runner-up finish in his career at that point, and he has since added three more to that list. He boasts a second-spot finish from the Sun City Challenge in June.
Still in his rookie season, Kyle Barker is the bolter. A solid ball-striker, the 21-year-old has the game to compete at the highest level and the fourth-place finish at the Sun City Challenge is but a signal of what he can produce. He has missed just one cut up to this point – at the Zanaco Masters – and has not finished lower than 46th this season.
