Eagle Canyon’s Nortje finishes inside Top 40 at Origins of Golf

Eagle Canyon Country Club member Riekus Nortjé closed out his Vodacom Origins of Golf series with a T36 finish at the finals at Simola Golf and Country Estate in Knysna on Saturday, 2 November.

The 2019 season of the Origins of Golf, a Sunshine Tour affiliated series, kicked off on 25 July with the first leg taking place at Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate in Mpumalanga. There would be four more legs at Sishen Golf Club, Humewood Golf Club, Stellenbosch Golf Club, and Selborne Park Golf Club before the finals were held at Simola for the sixth time in 10 years.

The week began with the usual pro-am tournament that is the feature of the Origins of Golf series, giving amateurs the chance to play alongside some of the leading golfers in South Africa. The professional tournament got under way on Thursday, 31 October however, with George Coetzee taking a six-shot lead after Round 1 by carding an 11-under 61.

He would further extend his lead on Day 2, which would also see the field reduced from 120 players to only 40 for the final day, with the cut coming at –4 at the end of Day 2. George would hold a three-shot lead over MJ Viljoen and Fredrik From at –14 heading into the third and final round.

The group would have a shotgun start at 6.15am, so that they would be able to finish before the Rugby World Cup final at 11am. George was on fire once again, as he put experience to good use, closing out a –6 round of 66 with a par on the Par 5 18th to end on –20 for the week. This saw him hold off a late charge from MJ, who ended his week at –17.

While George was making strides at the front of the pack, Riekus was undoubtedly enjoying his day out on the course with stunning views all round. Riekus started his week with a one-under round of 71, before shooting a four-under 68 in the second round. He would finish his week with a level-par round of 72 to remain at –5, tied in 36th place.