SUN CITY- As rain and cold weather descended on the lush of the Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, guests enjoyed what is called the ‘Final Round’ that signifies the closure of the Golf Course, in preparation for the 2025 Nedbank Golf Challenge, this morning.
And to add cherry on top of the cake, the course will feature several changes to this iconic layout as per Gary Players’ key strategic and aesthetic changes.
The much awaited spectacle tees-off from December 4-7 December.
“From today (Tuesday) when we close the golf course to the public, right up to the tournament, we focus on every bit of detail regarding the conditioning of the course. It’s all about making sure we’re as close to perfection as possible by the time tournament week arrives.
“We’re in a good space in terms of our preparation. We’ve had some good rain. We’ve fertilised the rough so that’s definitely going to kick in. We’re very pleased with the players we’ve announced, including a lot of South Africans who are playing great golf this year. So the stars just need to align in order to bring it all together in tournament week,” commented Ken Payet, the Tournament Director for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
As part of the ongoing drive to enhance the player and spectator experience at “Africa’s Major” Mr Player removed the fairway bunker on the right to encourage the professionals to hit driver down that right-hand side, and then entice them to go for the green in two and chase the birdies and eagles the fans wants to see, says Payet.
“These players are the best in the world, and we want to keep challenging them while also keeping the balance that it remains exciting for the fans to watch.”
Bush has been cleared from the right side of the par-three fourth hole, showcasing more of the green and water hazard from the tee. “From the tee it really opens up the hole and makes it even more visually appealing,” continued Payet.
The par-three seventh has a new tee complex, with the professional tee pushed back 25 metres. “We’re very excited about this change because it offers some great tee options in relation to flag position,” he indicated.
Bush has also been cleared on the left of the hole, and a bunker at the front left of the green has been removed.
The right fairway bunker on the par-five ninth has been removed to entice the players to be more aggressive on this feature hole.
The left-hand fairway bunker is now 305 metres, so even for the likes of big-hitters like Aldrich Potgieter, it will get their attention.
Springboks’ former skipper John Smit, also partook in the ‘Final Round’ alongside media and corporate executives, as rain came heavy on Tuesday morning, amidst erections of marquees and grandstands being filled on the greens, as mist covered the famous Pilanesberg mountains…
China’s Haotong Li has been added to the line-up that features world number 11 Viktor Hovland, PGA TOUR champions Aldrich Potgieter, Nick Taylor, Will Zalatoris, Garrick Higgo and Thomas Detry, and a host of DP World Tour stars including Francesco Molinari who was a vice-captain for the victorious Team Europe in the Ryder Cup this year.
He will be making his sixth appearance at the NGC.
The 30-year-old returns to a tournament where he has a strong record, including top finishes of fourth and fifth in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Image supplied (Former Boks captain John Smit, recorded teeing-off at the wet ‘Final Round’- Sun City this morning).
