Latest news with #Daffue
Khaleej Times
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Dubai's Rayhan Thomas falls victim to shock admin error on PGA Korn Ferry Tour
Dubai-born Rayhan Thomas saw his hopes dashed at the $1 million Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse last week, not by his game, but by a stunning administrative error. The 25-year-old, who turned professional in June 2024 and represents Dubai Creek Resort and Dubai Golf, had been allocated the first reserve spot for the Korn Ferry Tour event at Indian Creek Golf Club in Nebraska. His father, John, even flew in from Dubai to watch him compete. Thomas waited patiently all Thursday, hoping for a last-minute withdrawal to open the door. It never came - or so it seemed. Ironically, four players did pull out, but only after they had begun their first rounds. Phone Call Brings Shock News Then came the twist. On the drive back to his U.S. base in Oklahoma, Thomas's phone rang nonstop. When he picked up, he learned the truth: a clerical error had cost him his place in the field. South African MJ Daffue, who should have been listed as an alternate, was wrongly entered ahead of Thomas due to a ranking category misallocation. Daffue, 36, had earlier played the ISCO Championship on the PGA Tour under a medical exemption, which had expired. His ranking shifted to the Korn Ferry Tour, but a category reshuffle placed him higher than he was eligible for. Thomas, ranked 107th, should have taken the final available spot. Instead, Daffue played and finished tied 39th with rounds of 67, 66, 73, and 72, earning $5,100 and moving up to 107th in the standings. Speaking to Khaleej Times from the U.S., Thomas said: 'Apparently, I will receive some spots as part of the compensation for the error. I am now placed 113 in the Points table. We will see how those conversations go along with my management. Staying Focused Amid Setback 'It is obviously disappointing and one of those things that is unfortunate and out of my hands. Every week, at this time of the season, is very important. I will focus on my golf and, if I play well, everything will take care of itself.' His father was equally pragmatic: 'Rayhan needs to make the top 75 to make the Finals and retain his full card - he has four events left before the Korn Ferry Championship, and if he does well, none of this will matter. He is a strong lad, and let's hope so.' This week, Thomas is confirmed as an entry for the $1 million Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron in Idaho. With the top 20 in the Korn Ferry Rankings at season's end earning PGA Tour cards for 2026, the stakes couldn't be higher. Good luck to Rayhan, and let's hope this is a season-defining moment in a positive sense for him. He deserves it. For the records, South African Christo Lamprech, won the tournament, earning $180,000 with rounds of 67, 67, 65 and 66 for a 72-hole total of 265, to be 19 under par. He moves up to 10th place in the Korn Ferry Rankings. We thank Monday Q for their cooperation with this article.
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
'Unfortunate error' allows wrong player into field at Korn Ferry Tour event
Watch the best highlights from the second round of the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. Rayhan Thomas should've still been in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday evening. Instead, the 25-year-old Korn Ferry Tour was back in Stillwater, Oklahoma, having just completed the nearly seven-hour drive home. Thomas had hung around The Club at Indian Creek all Thursday, waiting to see if he'd earn entry into the Pinnacle Bank Championship as an alternate. That call, mistakenly, never came. In what the Korn Ferry Tour is calling an 'unfortunate error,' M.J. Daffue gained access into the field for the penultimate event of the KFT's regular season via an incorrect category. So, when Scott Gutschewski withdrew before his first-round tee time, that opening was given to first alternate Runchanapong Youprayong, the Thai rookie who should've already been in. Thomas was next on the alternate list behind Youprayong. Monday Q Info's Ryan French first reported the story, and a KFT spokesperson confirmed the human error to By missing the cut at last month's Barracuda Championship, Daffue failed to satisfy his non-exempt major medical extension on the PGA Tour. That's when Daffue was supposed to be placed in the KFT's reorder category along with the next 25 players and ties from Q-School and Nos. 2-10 from last year's PGA Tour Americas points list. But he was accidentally coded into the category for PGA Tour members not exempt for current PGA Tour events (Nos. 126-150). Unlike the LPGA's clerical error involving Sophia Popov earlier this year, when Popov had her points retroactively removed after playing in three events that she wasn't eligible for, Daffue remained in the field and will be allowed to accrue official points. The mistake could prove massively fortunate for Daffue, who is currently tied for third and two shots off the lead through 36 holes. OMAHA, NEBRASKA - AUGUST 08: MJ Daffue of South Africa chips onto the ninth green during the second round of the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse 2025 at The Club at Indian Creek on August 08, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by) Getty Images The KFT spokesperson, in a statement, added, 'We have communicated this situation with the player who was impacted and are working to provide an equitable solution.' That player is Thomas, who arrived at the course at 6:15 a.m. Thursday, a half hour before the first tee time. The morning wave passed with Thomas still waiting, and after a quick meal break, he returned to the course until 2:20 p.m. when the last threesome teed off. When reached by phone Friday evening, Thomas said he was bummed that his father had flown in from Dubai to watch him play, but he also expressed understanding of the situation. 'The Tour is trying to find a way to rectify it, and I'm sure that we'll come to an agreement and figure it out,' Thomas told 'I'm pretty confident that things will be made right. I think the Tour has good intentions. Obviously, they made a mistake, and they were regretful about it. 'Now, I'm back in Oklahoma, trying to get ready for Boise. In my head, regardless of MJ getting in or not, I just didn't play good enough to get into the field, so I need to play better, and hopefully Boise will be a good chance for me to move up the rankings a little bit.' Any make-good by the KFT will likely come after the season, when Thomas solidifies what his status for next year will be. Thomas, at No. 107 in points entering this week, will easily get into next week's Albertsons Boise Open, which fills its field based on the current standings. He will also qualify for the first two playoff events, which have fields of 156 players and 144 players, respectively. The 120-man Compliance Solutions Championship in Owasso, Oklahoma, is still in question, as Thomas has missed 13 of 20 cuts in his rookie season while posting only one top-10 finish, his T-7 at the second event of the year in Bahamas. The top 75 players in points after Compliance not only advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship but earn full KFT status for next season as well. 'That is priority one to get into the top 75, and if we can go on a really good run, maybe top 20,' Thomas said. 'But yeah, getting to the finals would be damn good. … The year hasn't gone as good as I'd hoped. It was a good start and that gave me a lot of confidence, but as things have progressed, I've not played as sharp and just not been as tidy with my game, and my scores have shown that. It's been a lot of golf, and I'm just trying to figure it out week by week. 'But from what I've seen, one good week can really help you and move you up the rankings really quickly, so I'm still quite optimistic about the rest of the season.'
IOL News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Ngwathe Local Municipality's council dissolved due to service delivery failures
The water crisis in Parys, Free State, was among the many reasons why the Ngwathe Municipality was placed under administration. Image: Simphiwe Mbokazi African News Agency (ANA) Another Free State municipality's council was dissolved due to years of failure to provide basic services to the community. The Bloemfontein High Court found that Ngwathe Local Municipality is not fulfilling its constitutional, legislative and regulatory obligations towards the residents of Parys, Heilbron, Koppies and Vredefort. Following an application launched by AfriForum, the court ordered as part of a structural interdict that the municipal council must be dissolved and that the Free State provincial government must immediately intervene in the municipality's affairs. In his judgment, Judge Johannes Daffue stressed, among other things, that the municipality and its council are dysfunctional and that provincial government departments, and particularly the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), have failed to intervene in the affairs of the municipality in accordance with the Constitution. He also pointed out that he deems this a 'suitable case where the court should play the role of a watchdog.' In terms of Judge Daffue's ruling, the Premier of the Free State, the province's Executive Council and the other relevant respondents are directed to implement a recovery plan to restore service delivery and ensure that the municipality meets its financial obligations. They must also dissolve the Ngwathe Municipal Council and appoint an administrator until a new municipal council can be elected. The executive must further approve a temporary budget, revenue-raising measures or any other measures that will give effect to the recovery plan. The court also ordered that the Premier, as well as the Executive Council and the MECs for CoGTA and others to report to the court under oath and in writing every three months on the progress in the implementation of the order. The Ngwathe Municipality is the second in the province to have been placed under administration due to service delivery collapse. Cash-strapped Matjhabeng Local Municipality was recently placed under administration following years of governance failures that left residents without basic services. This was after the Free State provincial government invoked Section 139 of the Constitution against the municipality. The provincial government said this move was aimed at addressing severe financial mismanagement and service delivery failures. Judge Daffue meanwhile, in addressing the various failures of the Ngwathe Municipality, commented that its instability appears from the turnover of municipal managers since 2022 and the fact that several people are merely acting in senior positions such as that of chief financial officer. 'Other positions have not been filled which must have a serious effect on service provision,' the judge said. He also pointed out that Ngwathe's debt collection rate is extremely low, much lower than the norm and that the existing by-laws are not enforced with any degree of consistency. 'There is no indication when Ngwathe's by-laws would be reviewed as suggested by the municipal manager. No explanation is given for the delay in this regard. Bearing in mind Ngwathe's precarious finances, a review of its by-laws relating to fiscal and credit policies is long overdue,' the judge said. In addressing the municipality's water crisis, the judge said the allegation that the water was not contaminated by faecal matter is false on Ngwathe's own version. The evidence presented also proved that sewerage spillage is a daily occurrence which has been continuing for several years and it is even flowing into the Vaal River, the judge said. [email protected]
