Only 3 out of 11 SA golfers make The Open cut, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout faring the best
The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland has proven to be a challenging battleground for the South African 11-man contingent.
Only three of the 11 players made the cut after a gruelling two rounds of competition. Leading the pack, Christiaan Bezuidenhout maintained a glimmer of hope for the nation despite falling out of contention on Friday.
Bezuidenhout, who shared the early lead after an impressive opening round of 67, saw his fortunes shift as the second round unfolded. Despite starting brightly, the 29-year-old recorded a two-over-par 73 on Friday, landing him at two-over for the championship and tied for 17th place, eight strokes behind American Scottie Scheffler, who surged to the top with a stunning second-round performance.
Scheffler, the reigning PGA Championship winner and current world number one, dazzled spectators with a remarkable 64, which featured eight birdies and only a single bogey, showcasing his prowess on the course even amid challenging, rainy conditions.
'I felt like I hit a few more fairways than I did yesterday, hit some nice iron shots, and was able to hole some putts,' Scheffler told the media afterwards. His solid play has made him a favourite for his first Claret Jug, sitting at 10-under-par.
Joining Bezuidenhout in the weekend action are Dean Burmester and Thriston Lawrence. Burmester, who remained steady throughout the two rounds, posted two consecutive even-par scores of 71 to end the halfway stage tied for 34th.
Lawrence rallied from a shaky opening round to finish with a one-under-par 70, placing him tied for 51st at one-over par.
However, the remaining eight South African contestants have struggled to find their rhythm. Notably, reigning South African Open champion Dylan Naidoo marked his major debut with rounds of 74 and 72, ending on four-over par.
Fellow professionals Shaun Norris and Aldrich Potgieter both finished five-over par, while 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen could not muster a stronger performance, ending at six-over par.
Other competitors such as Darren Fichardt, Justin Walters, Daniel van Tonder, and amateur Bryan Newman all fell well below the cut line, highlighting the fierce competition faced in the illustrious championship.
As the tournament progresses into the weekend, Bezuidenhout, Burmester, and Lawrence will need to leverage their skills to climb higher and make an impact, with the hope that South Africa's long-waiting major title drought will not extend beyond this year's competition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions 2.0: Kick off time
Although the Springboks won't be action again until mid-August, there is at least some other high-profile rugby entertainment to keep an eye on as the Wallabies tackle the British & Irish Lions in the second Test. Kick off is at 12:00 (SA time) in Melbourne this Saturday. The home team need a victory to keep the series alive, and they have welcomed back loose forward Rob Valetini, hooker David Porecki and lock Will Skelton to bolster the pack in hopes of reversing the opening Test 27-19 defeat in Brisbane. Meanwhile, for the Lions, tour captain Maro Itoje of Saracens and England's is partnered at lock by his fellow countryman and Leicester Tigers forward Ollie Chessum. In the front row its the Leinster Rugby and Ireland trio of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong. The back row sees Leinster and Ireland's Jack Conan at No.8, Munster and Ireland's Tadhg Beirne at blindside and Sale Sharks and England's Tom Curry at openside. Leinster and Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park and Bath Rugby and Scotland's Finn Russell are named as the halfback pairing again. Connacht Rugby and Ireland's Bundee Aki is partnered with Glasgow Warriors and Scotland's Huw Jones in midfield, while the combination of Leinster and Ireland duo Hugo Keenan and James Lowe, and Northampton Saints and England's Tommy Freeman is unchanged from the first Test. Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 David Porecki, 1 James Slipper. Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Ben Donaldson. British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Tadgh Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter. Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Blair Kinghorn. Date: Saturday, 26 July Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Kick-off: 12:00 (SA time) Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy) Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) TMO: Eric Gauzins (France) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
SA's Gordon-Bennett goes from ice race to winning Jungle Ultra in Amazon
South African adventure trail runner Tarryn Gordon-Bennett has gone from breaking the ice to conquering the Amazon, winning the second Beyond the UItimate series extreme race she has taken part in as the first women in this year's Jungle Ultra in Peru. Last year Gordon-Bennett was the first women and joint-sixth overall in the Ice Ultra in Swedish Lapland in the Arctic Circle, another gruelling test of human endeavour run over the same distance of 230km in the wilderness of Swedish Lapland in temperatures as low as -40°C. In early June, Gordon-Bennett swapped snow for the mud, heat and humidity of the world's greatest jungle in the Amazon as one of nine women to finish from 14 starters and the first home in a five-stage Jungle Ultra. There were 59 starters overall of whom 36 finished, with the Beyond the Ultimate website saying the 60% completion rate is 'a stark reminder of just how relentless this race is'. 'With 230km of punishing terrain, scorching humidity, and soul-testing climbs, this year's edition lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest ultras on the planet.' Gordon-Bennett, running again with her 'brother from another mother' race partner Andre Erasmus (joint-sixth), ended just under seven hours behind overall winner Nick Sunderland of Canada (27 hrs 15 min). She was again part of a group of South Africans that also included third-placed finisher Jared Coetzer (32:50), Nick Denoon-Stevens (15th) and Hannah Broad (16th and fourth women). Jungle and ice toughness were bred from a previous notoriously tough occupation. 'I was a professional ballet dancer so I'm used to pushing myself really hard. I also have a very high pain threshold,' Gordon-Bennett told TimesLIVE. The Jungle Ultra, its website says, is run through Peru's 'Manu National Park, deep in the Amazon rainforest, an unspoilt expanse of boiling jungle and breathtaking cloud forest running from the Andes mountains to the Madre de Dios River'. Like the ice race, athletes take what they need on their backs. 'They just give you water and check you're medically fit at each water point,' Gordon Bennet said. 'You carry everything you need to complete the five days — food for each day including race fuel and drinks, hammock and sleeping bag, medical kit, emergency life straw, water disinfectant tablets, additional camp clothes, running clothes, capacity to carry 2.5l of water. 'Camp facilities provided were poles to pitch hammocks from and pit toilets; if we were lucky we got a flushing toilet in some of the overnight spots. Camp spots were normally next to a river so you could wash off the mud and sweat after the day's fun. 'I underestimated what you need after a stage, especially when coming in early. If you are in the camp at 2pm, you are starving and can only eat at 6pm when you have dinner. 'The beginning of the race was at altitude, very cold. Day three onwards was super humid and hot. 'Setting up the hammock correctly the first time was critical, otherwise you had nine other people tying their hammock over your cables and you couldn't adjust it later. If it started raining, you just got wet. 'There were people around you in the camp throwing up, moving in the hammock. We felt every movement by other people because it was a single pole we all tied ourselves to. 'We contended with a lot of terrains, from steep downhill mountain passes to riverbeds, muddy pathways up and down mountains. You had to focus on every single step to avoid tripping or spraining an ankle. 'There were insects — millions of ants, sandflies, mosquitos — all day, every day. We were all covered in bites. 'On day three of the jungle run more than 50% of the runners didn't finish and couldn't continue.' The South Africans prepared for the Ice Ultra using snow shoes on beach sand. To replicate the humidity, denseness and terrain of the Amazon they trained in lush Magoebaskloof in Limpopo and ran The Hobbit 100, a scenic two-day mountainous trail run from Qonce to Hogsback in the Eastern Cape's Amatola Mountains. 'That had lots of technical climbs, lots of mud and slippery conditions because of heavy rains. The two-day event was cancelled and we decided to convert to the 90km non-stop, carrying backpacks, though only half the weight compared to our Amazon packs. Most of the crew got lost at night, which provided excellent physical and mental training for the Jungle. 'We had weekends away, having fun and running some amazing trails in the Drakensberg [in KwaZulu-Natal] and the Western Cape. We are privileged and spoilt for choice when it comes to trails and trail running in South Africa. Image: Supplied 'Getting the right gear meant testing things all the time to see what worked. We needed to mix things up a lot to understand how the gear would perform in tough conditions. The right food, shoes, backpacks — it takes a lot of time.' It's a fact that not everyone can do a Beyond the Ultimate event. Apart from the physical requirements, it's not cheap. Another indication of the South Africans' commitment shown in racing these events is it cost about R150,000 to compete in the Jungle Ultra for flights, accommodation, equipment and the entry fee alone is £3,500 (R83,000). Clearly they feel it's worth it. 'The Jungle ultra was more than just a race. It is more than six months' preparation, running with the same people four or five times a week; travelling, racing, eating, falling — you build a special connection,' Gordon-Bennett said. 'While the race was only five days long, the build-up and the bonds made with the people you run with last a lifetime.'
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
A fair warning sent to new Orlando Pirates star
Orlando Pirates legends don't always send interesting messages to the current players, but this is an undeniably good one from Steve Lekoelea. According to the former Buccaneers superstar, Oswin Appollis, can easily fall into a complacency trap, but his experience will give him a great chance to avoid it. Instead of a move to Kaizer Chiefs, the 23-year-old new Orlando Pirates winger joined the Sea Robbers just before the trip to Spain in early July. SABC to show Kaizer Chiefs match this weekend Orlando Pirates star Oswin Appollis during preseason in Marbella, Spain, before the new 2025/26 Betway Premiership season. Image: orlandopirates/Instagram 'I hear people say he's the biggest signing (in this transfer window), but this thing is what kills players a lot of the times,' Lekoelea told Kick Off . Kaizer Chiefs waiting to sign 11th striker in five years 'Because (for example) a player was performing in his previous team Polokwane… many players when they arrive at a big team, they start to relax and that's when the hard work should start. But they relax. 'But I don't think Appollis would do that because he's a good player, he is a national team player. I think he will do well,' the legend added. In the meantime, Orlando Pirates are preparing for their season opener in the MTN8 quarter-finals against Appollis' former club, Polokwane City. The game is set for Saturday, 2 August, at the Orlando Stadium. Full MTN8 Quarter-Final Fixtures – August 2025: Saturday, 2 August (15:00): Orlando Pirates vs Polokwane City, venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto Saturday, 2 August (18:00): Sekhukhune United vs TS Galaxy, venue: New Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane Sunday, 3 August (15:00): Stellenbosch FC vs AmaZulu FC, venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town Sunday, 3 August (18:00): Mamelodi Sundowns vs Richards Bay FC, venue: Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium, Pretoria. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
