Tag: Nedbank Golf Challenge

Will Zalatoris added 15 pounds of muscle this offseason: ‘I have worked probably the hardest I ever have’

Skinny Willy Z bulked up.

While many of the world’s best players are in the Bahamas this week for Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge, Will Zalatoris is in South Africa for the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The man affectionally known as Willy Z spoke with the DPWT about his offseason and the extensive work he’s put in to return to the form that saw him win the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2022.

“It has been a great offseason,” he said. “I have worked probably the hardest I ever have. I picked up 15 pounds of muscle this offseason. I absolutely busted my tail trying to get my speed back, really get better with the broomstick and it has been good.

“I haven’t played much but that was on purpose. I wanted to be home, be able to eat my 4,500 calories a day and 200 grams of protein and train and get better.”

HERO: Leaderboard | Photos

Zalatoris mentioned that this was his first true offseason in years, as the PGA Tour’s old wraparound season and injury rehab took up most of his time in the past.

2023 Masters
Will Zalatoris tees off on the third hole during a practice round for The Masters 2024 at Augusta National Golf Club. (Michael Madrid-USA TODAY)

The 28-year-old pulled out of the Masters in 2023 due to a back injury, and after having surgery shortly after leaving Augusta National, the fan-favorite has been working his way back to form ever since.

As for other activities he’s been up to this week, Zalatoris went on a safari to catch a glimpse of the wildlife South Africa has to offer.

“It was incredible,” he said. “We saw everything you could think of: lions, monkeys, giraffes, hippos, everything. Big five, little five, ugly five … all of it. It was just an amazing experience.”

After Thursday’s first round of the Nedbank, Zalatoris is tied for 41st in the 66-man field at 2 over, while defending champion Max Homa is alone in first at 6 under.

Max Homa earns first international win at Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa

Next week the European-based tour heads to Dubai for its season finale DP World Tour Championship.

Max Homa was a winner on Sunday, but it wasn’t on the PGA Tour.

The 32-year-old is sitting pretty in Sun City, South Africa, after picking up his first international win at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the penultimate event of the DP World Tour season.

Playing on an invitation, Homa fired a 6-under 66 at Gary Player Country Club to finish at 19 under for the tournament, four shots ahead of runner-up Nicolai Hojgaard (68). This weekend was Homa’s first appearance since his 3½-point performance in his Ryder Cup Debut last month in Italy.

“It’s kind of what you dream of, you want to be in the fight and it was just fun to kind of close it out at the end,” Homa said. “It was one of those weeks the ball wanted to go in when it needed to go in.”

Homa is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and last claimed victory at the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open. In 25 events last season, the Cal product earned two wins, one runner-up and 18 top-25 finishes. He finished ninth in the FedEx Cup standings and earned $10,761,517 in official prize money.

Thorbjorn Olesen (69) finished third at 14 under, with Justin Thomas (66) in fourth at 12 under. Dan Bradbury (71) rounded out the top five at 11 under. Two-time defending champion Tommy Fleetwood (72) finished T-12 at 7 under.

Next week the European-based tour heads to Dubai for its season finale DP World Tour Championship.

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Max Homa leads in South Africa with chance at first DP World Tour title

Max Homa has a one-shot lead in South Africa with 18 holes to play.

Max Homa has a chance to do something Sunday he has never done before.

The 32-year-old American can win his first event on the DP World Tour, as he holds the 54-hole lead at the 2023 Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. Homa shot 3-under 69 on Saturday and holds a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

Homa played the front nine in even-par, but he started the back nine with an eagle on the par-5 10th. He added another birdie on the par-5 14th to card a 33 on the back.

Ranked eighth in the world, Homa has six wins on the PGA Tour but hasn’t won on the DP World Tour. That can change Sunday, but there’s an experienced pack chasing him.

Matthieu Pavon, who was tied with Homa after 36 holes, sits solo second at 12 under after a 2-under performance. Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Oleson are tied for third at 11 under.

Justin Thomas, who went on a safari adventure with Homa last week, is T-10 at 6 under. He shot even-par in the third round.

After 20-hour flight, Max Homa says he ‘may as well play some good golf’ as he’s tied for lead at Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa

“I woke up today and felt like a golfer again, so that was nice.”

Max Homa is taking a break from the PGA Tour but not golf.

Halfway around the world, Homa is tied for the lead at the halfway mark at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour.

Homa must like what he’s seeing at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, as he’s yet to bogey a hole. He opened with a 66 and shot a second-round 68 to get to 10 under, where he shares the lead with Matthieu Pavon of France.

Homa has six wins on the PGA Tour but is seeking his first international victory.

“I’m very pleased, a little surprised, pleasantly surprised. It’s been nice, the body’s feeling better as the week’s gone on,” Homa said. “I woke up today and felt like a golfer again, so that was nice. It’s a real dream. If you fly 20-odd hours over here, you may as well play some good golf. So it’s nice that I’m doing that.”

Daniel Bradbury is solo third at 9 under. Tied for fourth at 8 under are Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen. Justin Thomas is in a group of six golfers tied for eighth at 6 under.

Tommy Fleetwood, the tournament’s two-time defending champ, is four shots back heading into the weekend.

Francesco Molinari (3 under), Justin Rose (even) and Robert MacIntyre (4 over) are also in the 66-man field.

Ahead of the tournament, Homa and JT went on a safari with their wives.

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Gary Player makes controversial comment about the Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Player is a three-time Masters champion.

During the first-round broadcast of the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, that country’s own Gary Player stopped by to take in the action and joined the broadcast.

The three-time Masters champion said he loved that Augusta National extended a membership offer to arguably the greatest women’s player of all time, Annika Sorenstam (a story first reported by Golfweek‘s Adam Schupak).

“To see Annika Sorenstam made a member of Augusta, they never allowed women, and now to see a woman be a member, I think it’s fantastic,” Player said. “She’s the best lady golfer in the world, or was, wonderful to see, isn’t it?”

Sorenstam isn’t the first woman to earn a green jacket, as she joined Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore and others.

However, when the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was mentioned as another great thing Augusta National does for the women’s game, Player quickly retorted, “I don’t agree with you on that.”

Watch the full clip below:

Player has been at odds with the famed golf club in Georgia in recent years and had said he doesn’t feel welcome when he’s back on the grounds.

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Photos: Tommy Fleetwood’s emotional, unique DP World Tour title defense three years in the making

Fleetwood won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2019 before the event was cancelled the last two years due to COVID.

Tommy Fleetwood shot just one round in the 60s this week in South Africa, and it came at the perfect time to seal the deal for a title defense three years in the making.

The 31-year-old Englishman shot a final-round 5-under 67 on Sunday at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, to win the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge and defend his 2019 title. The DP World Tour event was canceled the last two years due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 win in South Africa was Fleetwood’s last victory, and came via a playoff with Marcus Kinhult. Fleetwood won this year by just one shot at 11 under, holding off Ryan Fox, who finished runner-up at 10 under. Shubhankar Sharma finished third at 9 under, with Richie Ramsay fourth at 8 under. Sebastian Soderberg and Christiaan Bezuidenhout finished T-5 at 7 under.

The win was emotional for Fleetwood, who now has six DP World Tour victories to his name. Check out the best photos of his big win in South Africa.

Tommy Fleetwood soars like an eagle to win Nedbank

Tommy Fleetwood picked up his first win of the season. He also lifted a check for $2.5 million to move to second on the Race to Dubai.

Tommy Fleetwood reeled off three eagles in six holes to come through the field to win the $7.5 million Nedbank Golf Challenge in a playoff with Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult.

The Englishman began the final round six shots off the lead, but returned a 7-under-par 65 to live up to his billing as the highest-ranked player in the field. The world number 18 made three birdies in the first six holes before eagling the ninth, 10th and 14th holes, all par 5s. It helped him reach 12 under to tie with Kinhult. Fleetwood won at the first extra hole to earn his fifth European Tour victory.

Fleetwood picked up his first win of the season. He also lifted a check for $2.5 million to move to second on the Race to Dubai behind Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, who placed joint third. Kinhult earned $845,000 and rises 26 places to ninth on the Race to Dubai.

Nedbank Golf Challenge: Leaderboard

“The money is not that important because I guess being a golfer these days you have the chance at a young age to set your family up for life,” Fleetwood said. “It’s just really, really cool to win a tournament and I’m choking up here.”

Tommy Fleetwood plays his third shot on the 18th hole in the playoff at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player on Nov. 17, 2019 in Sun City, South Africa. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old won the Race to Dubai two years ago, but will have to play well next week to overhaul Wiesberger from the top of the pecking order after the Austrian bolstered his points total with his third-place finish.

“It’s an absolute privilege to get to the last event with a chance to win the Race to Dubai,” Fleetwood added. “It’s an amazing thing to have in your carer and it’s one of the things I’m most proud of.

“I’ll start thinking about next week at a later date. The closer it gets to the end of the season the harder it gets to stay in the present, do your thing and concentrate on what you do best. But I’m happy for the challenge and I’m very ready. I mean I might go out next week and play terrible, but that’s golf and this experience will live with me forever.”

And with Kinhult. Those who weren’t convinced he had the game to become one of Europe’s greats when he won this year’s BetFred British Masters, should be now with this finish. The 23-year-old might have come out second on this occasion, but rest assured he’ll win many European Tour titles before his time is up.

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European Tour player gets ‘best result for the worst golf shot you’ve ever seen’

Joachim Hansen hit a horrendous shot from the bunker but got an incredible bounce you have to see to believe.

Hitting out of a sand trap is no day at the beach for the normal golfer, but week in and week out, the professionals on television make it look easy.

Every now and then, however, a pro will look like an average Joe, which was the case on Saturday for Denmark’s Joachim Hansen during the third round of the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge.

On the par-4 sixth hole at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, Hansen horribly mishit his ball out of the bunker, blasting it off the hosel and into the grassy bank. What happened from there was something you have to see to believe.

Leaderboard: Nedbank Golf Challenge

“The best result for the worst golf shot you’ve ever seen,” said the broadcast.

Hansen shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday and will enter the final round T-6 at 6 under, five shots off the lead.

How come that never happens to you or me, right?

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Zander Lombard hangs on to take lead into Nedbank final round

Zander Lombard has the lead entering the final round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, but has a major champion chasing him for the title.

Zander Lombard fought back to take the lead into the final round of the $7.5 million Nedbank Golf Challenge as he seeks his first European Tour win. However, he’s got a major champion and a player just as desperate for his maiden win chasing him for the title.

The 24-year-old returned a level par 72 to stay at 11 under. He’s one shot in front of 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and former Illinois player Thomas Detry of Belgium. England’s Oliver Wilson and Swede Marcus Kinhult share fourth spot on 8 under.

Lombard took a two-shot lead into the third round and looked like he’d end the day trailing when he bogeyed the sixth after five straight pars. Worse followed two holes later when he double bogeyed the eighth.

“Just couldn’t get it going today,” Lombard said. “I was 3-over after the eighth, and I had a good fight back to get it back to level par. Then I flushed a 6-iron on the 16th and made a sloppy bogey. I thought it was going to be par, but got a bogey there. All in all, I’m still in the lead. Got to stay positive and really looking forward to tomorrow.

Leaderboard: Nedbank Golf Challenge

“I don’t want to sound cocky, but it (his current form) has been a long time coming. I’ve really made big strides in how I do things on and off the golf course. It’s nice to get some feedback and some results from the hard work.”

He’ll have to work hard in the final round to hold off Oosthuizen. The South African has won five of his nine European Tour titles on home soil but has never won the Nedbank. He has three top 10s in his previous four appearances at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.

“I need to give myself more chances on the greens, decent chances for birdies, not from 30, 40 feet away all the time,” said Oosthuizen, who returned a 71. “But probably a little bit more aiming towards the pins tomorrow and just try and put a little pressure on Zander.

“This is the tournament growing up as a kid you watched and wanting to have your name on that plaque walking up the 9th hole there. It would mean a lot. But I need to play a little better tomorrow.”

Detry posted a 3-under 69 to remain in contention for his first European Tour win. It could have been better if not for a double bogey seven at the par-5 14th hole.

“Very, very happy,” Detry said. “I pretty much missed only one shot today. I hit a cart path and went into the trees and made double bogey, but other than that, played some really good golf.

“I think it’s going to be a fun battle tomorrow. It’s fantastic to play with these two guys. Louis is great and Zander, as well. The atmosphere is fantastic out there and I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow.”

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Zander Lombard outshines golf legends to take Nedbank lead

Zander Lombard shot a 7–under-par 65 Friday alongside defending champion Lee Westwood and four-time major champion Ernie Els.

South Africa’s Zander Lombard and Tommy Fleetwood have much more in common than sitting on the first page of the $7.5 million Nedbank Golf Challenge leaderboard. They’ve both gone on to have better careers than the players they lost to in the British Amateur Championship final.

Scotland’s Robert Macintyre can also make that claim.

Lombard returned a 7–under-par 65 at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa to move to 11-under and take the 36-hole lead. He is two shots better than first round leader Louis Oosthuizen, who returned a level par 72. Illinois alum Thomas Detry scored 71 and is four shots off the pace in third place.

Fleetwood posted a second consecutive 69 to move to 6 under in a tie for fourth with Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult.

Lombard’s score is all the more remarkable considering he made it in the company of defending champion Lee Westwood and four-time major champion Ernie Els.

Leaderboard: Nedbank Golf Challenge

“Playing with two legends of the game, it was nervy, but I settled down quickly with a birdie on the second and it was just all really good vibes from there,” Lombard said. “The crowds were at their max and all into it. They were cheering and they were fantastic. They were cheering for Ernie and Lee at the start, but I won them over at the end, so it was awesome.”

Lombard reached the final of the 2014 British Amateur at Royal Portrush. He lost 2&1 to Scotland’s Bradley Neil. Yet there was a feeling then that Lombard might go on to have the better career. It was easy to reach that conclusion watching the morning round of the 36-hole final. Lombard hit 16 greens to Neil’s eight, yet went into lunch all-square.

The then 19 year old missed numerous putts that cost him the chance of taking a commanding lead into the afternoon session. His putting woes continued in the afternoon round and he had to settle for runner-up.

Lombard is currently 76th on the Race to Dubai, 234th on the Official World Golf Ranking and playing in $7.5 million tournaments. Neil spent this season on the European Challenge Tour where he ranked 62nd on the money list, he’s the world’s 1,048th best player and is at the European Tour Qualifying School this week trying to find a foothold on the European Tour.

Fleetwood had a similar experience in the 2008 final against Reinier Saxton of The Netherlands. The Englishman looked the better player but also finished runner up. Fleetwood is now world No. 18 while Saxton is 1,440th, and finished 121st on this year’s Challenge Tour.

Macintyre lost in the 2016 British Amateur final to England’s Scott Gregory. The left hander is the world’s 73rd best player, sits 14th on the Race to Dubai and has a shot at ending the season as Rookie of the Year. Gregory is with Neil this week at the European Tour Qualifying School after making just three of 18 cuts on this season’s European Tour to lose his card.

Funny old game.