By Michael Vlismas, edited: With a final round of 69, Deon Germishuys won South Africa’s second oldest professional golf tournament on 14 under par – one stroke clear of Samuel Simpson and Hennie du Plessis.
He earned the right to have his name engraved on a trophy alongside the names of Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Corey Pavin, Ernie Els, David Frost, Nick Price, Louis Oosthuizen and many others. But even more than this, he earned the right to keep doing what he does inside the ropes on the Sunshine Tour for his family, and his new baby.
The Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship changes lives. It shapes careers. It builds legends. It’s one of those enduring icons of South African professional golf. And on this Sunday at St Francis Links, Deon Germishuys became a part of this great story.
After playing his heart out on the DP World Tour but still coming short and losing his card there, he returned to home fairways with no playing privileges.
He was hoping for tournament invitations into some of the bigger tournaments. But then came this Sunday in one of South African golf’s most prestigious tournaments, and suddenly the fairways opened up before him.
“This means a lot to me. I didn’t think I was going to win at this golf course. For some reason I never knew how to play it, but it seems like I figured it out now. With all the great names on this trophy, it’s really an honour,” said Germishuys.
And with his young family looking on, he broke down in tears as he added, “It means a lot to have them here”.
Thousands of kilometres away, his father-in-law James Kingston sat in Cambodia at a Legends Tour event and was in tears. Kingston could not have wished for a better present for himself than to have his son-in-law claim such a significant victory on his 60th birthday.
Kingston knows what one week like this can mean. In 2007, after nearly 20 years of trying, he claimed his first DP World Tour title in the South African Open.
That Sunday he beat a field including Darren Clarke, Greg Norman and Ernie Els. And when the win came, he broke down in tears. Decades later, Germishuys has shownd his own character to add his name to an illustrious trophy in South African golf.
As Sundays go on the Sunshine Tour, this was indeed a memorable one for a family in golf.
The Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship is proudly supported by Stinger GC, Momentum, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cape St Francis, Telkom and the PGA of South Africa.
SCORES
274 – Deon Germishuys 70 65 70 69
275 – Samuel Simpson 64 72 70 69, Hennie du Plessis 66 72 68 69
276 – Stuart Krog 72 68 69 67
277 – Jordan Burnand 72 69 69 67, Jacques Blaauw 72 65 72 68
278 – Zander Lombard 71 70 68 69, Barend Botha 74 65 69 70
279 – Jaco Ahlers 74 69 70 66
280 – Casey Jarvis 75 66 68 71, Joe Long 67 69 69 75
281 – Tomas Gana 72 70 70 69, Keenan Davidse 71 67 72 71, Toto Thimba Jnr 71 70 69 71, CJ du Plessis 71 71 67 72, Luke Jerling 69 66 68 78
282 – Bryce Easton 67 76 72 67, Rupert Kaminski 68 70 75 69, Christiaan Burke 74 68 70 70, Louis Albertse 74 70 67 71, Pieter Moolman 70 72 67 73, Hennie O’Kennedy 73 66 69 74
283 – Rhys Enoch 73 70 69 71, Jaco Prinsloo 71 70 69 73, JJ Senekal 71 69 69 74
284 – Keagan Thomas 76 67 73 68, Karabo Mokoena 72 72 71 69, Tristen Strydom 74 70 68 72, Martin Vorster 73 69 70 72, Jason Roets 71 67 73 73
285 – Brandon Stone 74 70 70 71, Liam Grehan 74 70 69 72, Nikhil Rama 71 71 68 75
286 – Heinrich Bruiners 72 70 75 69, Benjamin Van Wyk 74 67 74 71
287 – Peter Karmis 74 68 77 68, Hayden Griffiths 67 75 73 72, Jean Hugo 71 69 70 77, Quintin Wilsnach 68 70 71 78
288 – Otto Van Buynder 73 71 72 72, Jean-Paul Strydom 72 68 75 73, Dylan Mostert 72 71 69 76, Tyran Snyders 72 69 71 76
289 – Ronald Rugumayo 70 72 78 69, George Coetzee 69 72 74 74
290 – Stephen Ferreira 73 70 77 70, Rhys West 72 70 75 73
291 – Graham van der Merwe 71 69 78 73, Pierre Viallaneix 72 72 71 76, Thomas Spreadborough 73 71 71 76
292 – Robson Chinhoi 70 74 75 73, Matthew Spacey 71 71 73 77
294 – Herman Loubser 75 67 77 75, Ruan Conradie 71 70 76 77, Franklin Manchest 70 74 71 79
295 – MJ Viljoen 73 69 78 75
296 – Thabiso Ngcobo 69 75 74 78
297 – Ruan Groenewald 67 77 78 75
298 – Malcolm Mitchell 70 74 77 77
299 – Stals Swart 71 72 79 77
Missed the cut:-
145 – Ruan Korb 73 72, Kyle Barker 77 68, Ryan van der Klis 72 73, Dean Burmester 72 73, Wynand Dingle 73 72, David Amm 69 76
146 – Jake Redman 71 75, Altin van der Merwe 75 71, Jack Hawksby 76 70, Anthony Michael 75 71, Kyle De Beer 74 72, James Mack 72 74, Hennie Otto 75 71, Albert Venter 72 74, Xander Basson 76 70, Luis Carrera 74 72, Allen John 73 73
147 – Neil Schietekat 74 73, Conner Mackenzie 75 72, Rourke van der Spuy 77 70, Celestin Nsanzuwera 73 74, George Van Vuuren 72 75, Wilco Nienaber 72 75
148 – Marcel Steyn Scholtz 76 72, Kyle McClatchie 74 74, Hunter Epson 78 70, Tyron Davidowitz 80 68, Lyle Rowe 76 72, Luca Filippi 76 72, Zachary Chegwidden 73 75, Keanu Pestana 75 73, Jacques Kok 72 76
149 – Gregg Upton 77 72, Christian Kriek 77 72, Calvin Caldeira 70 79, James Pennington 73 76, Andre Van Zyl 76 73
150 – Nick Cunningham 77 73, Slade Pickering 79 71
151 – Brandon Meads 75 76, Gregory Mckay 79 72, Rowan Lester 70 81
152 – Tyrone Ryan 76 76, Mikkel Antonsen 73 79, Jake Roos 80 72
153 – Warwick Purchase 73 80, Danie Van Niekerk 77 76
154 – Leon Vorster 81 73, Gerhard Pepler 77 77, Nyasha Muyambo 73 81
155 – Christiaan Basson 81 74, Keegan Mclachlan 81 74, Ethan Smith 74 81, Cornel Muller 76 79
156 – Kayle Wykes 83 73, Ruan de Smidt 79 77, Marcus Sandile Taylor 79 77, Eric Wowor 74 82, Tumelo Molloyi 79 77, Dean Nysschen 78 78
157 – Ricky Hendler 84 73, Andrew van der Knaap 81 76, Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa 76 81, Jacques P de Villiers 78 79, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 76 81
158 – Allister de Kock 78 80
161 – Estiaan Conradie 79 82, Makhetha Mazibuko 80 81, Ryan Welsh 81 80, Jastice Mashego 75 86
165 – Daniel Gouws 79 86
167 – Joe Nawanga 83 84, SP Mthethwa 87 80
168 – Edwin Compton 85 83
170 – James Kamte 87 83
171 – Andre Loots 87 84
173 – Ruan Kotzé 84 89
RTD – Simon du Plooy 78 RTD, Werner Deyzel 76 RTD, Joe Knox 77 RTD, Louis de Jager 75 RTD, Merrick Bremner 81 RTD
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