Nobuhle Dlamini is targeting a hat-trick of Sunshine Ladies Tour titles as she bids to become the second foreign champion in this week’s Dimension Data Ladies Challenge in George.
Dlamini broke through for a maiden win in the SuperSport Ladies Challenge presented by Sun International at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club last year after a run of close calls. She backed her first success with a second trophy finish in the Investec Royal Swazi Ladies Classic in her native Swaziland.
The big-hitting Swazi golfer now has the opportunity to match South Korean Carrie Park, who went wire-to-wire last year for her treble at Fancourt.
‘Hopefully it will be third time lucky for me, too,’ said Dlamini.
‘This event has always been one of my favourite stops on the annual circuit. It’s a very social week with entertainment every night and a chance for the Sunshine Ladies Tour and Sunshine Tour players to rub shoulders and to mingle with the amateur guests. We kick up our heels and have a lot of fun. When it’s time to tee it up, though, it’s hard and highly competitive.’
It’s an important week for Dlamini, though, who wants to boost her position on the Investec Property Order of Merit.
Having won the First Stage of the Ladies European Tour towards the end of last year, she earned status at Final Stage and might be travelling to Australia in the next few weeks.
‘I don’t have a full card, but I will get quite a few starts,’ she explained. ‘I am into one event in Australia already and I’ve applied for an invitation to another. If it comes through, I’ll have to jump at the chance.
‘I had a top 16 finish in the Canon Sunshine Ladies Tour Open, but a good week – or hopefully a win – will go a long way in getting me among the leaders. That way, I won’t lose too much ground if I spend two weeks in Australia.
‘If the invite doesn’t come through, I’ll play the SA Women’s Masters and defend my title at the Wild Coast. Either way, with prize money of R500 000 this week, this is a big week.’
Dlamini loved the look of George Golf Club, which will host the first two rounds of the tournament before the final day’s play moves to the Outeniqua Course at Fancourt.
‘The fairways are looking fantastic and the greens are rolling very true and they are fast. If you get the lines and pace right, there are birdies to be made,’ said Dlamini.
With South Africa’s top-ranked Ashleigh Buhai and former champions Dimension Data Ladies Challenge winners Lee-Anne Pace and Stacy Bregman all Down Under, Dlamini backs herself, but she is wary of the international field and the new rookies.
‘A couple of the rookies were really very impressive in the Serengeti Team Championship, like Catherine Lau, Chiara Contomathios, Kelsey Nicholas and Georgia Oboh from Nigeria. And Casandra Hall, who played herself into the final group at Irene, is also a dark horse.
‘The French girls who won at Serengeti (Marion Duvernay and Flora Peuch) had great form, and Maria Beautell from Spain and England’s Laura Goodall are also back on tour. Anyone who strikes it well and brings a hot putter can take it this week, so I’ll definitely try to make a fast start.’
About the Pro-Am:
Over the first two rounds, the professionals and amateurs will be paired with amateur partners.
The format is Better Ball Medal, with the lowest score on each hole to count. The top 10 teams will play the final round at Fancourt, with the professionals competing for the lion’s share of the R100 000 Pro-Am purse.
