SA Open blues and what's going on at Leopard Creek?

Ernie Els finished T56 last week at the BNI Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour.

Probably not the headline you were expecting. Ordinarily, I'd be apathetic to this. Maybe just an appearance fee run. But last week was the South African Open. Whilst the Big Easy - a 5-time SA Open winner - has done more than his fair share for homegrown golf, it did seem a curious decision, particularly considering he is playing this week at Leopard Creek. Could we not get some appearance fees sorted for the Big Easy INVESTEC? He still pulls a big local crowd.

It was also disappointing not to see Louis lining it up at Blair Atholl. To be honest, it's been a disappointing year as a Louis fan in general (we unpack that in our 2022 Post Mortem coming out soon). Again - it is curious that he skipped last week. Particularly since his LIV- (de) fueled descent down the OWGR rankings see's him currently just outside the Top 50 - meaning he'll need somewhere around a T5 - T7 finish this week to simply qualify for the US Masters next year.

C-Bez aka Christiaan Bezuidenhout was another notable omission last week. The 2020 SA Open champion had good weeks at Sun City and the Joburg Open. You would think "multiple" SA Open Champion is something these guys would aspire to. Doesn't seem to be injury related. Slightly disappointing. Credit to Thriston Lawrence for hanging in there. He got a few fingers and part of his face stuck in the door, but eventually closed it on the Frenchman Sordet. The last few holes were morbidly entertaining I must say.

So onto the event more famous for its mongoose montages than its golf. Ernie headlines from a name perspective and we have pretty much all the LIV golf defectors present - Louis, Charl, Norris, Grace and Du Plessis. Thriston Lawrence and Oliver Bekker tee it up - the top performing DP World Tour players last year, as well as nearly all current Saffas with PGA Tour Status - Bez, Frittelli, EVR, Burmester, and MJ Daffue. Garrick Higgo is the only "big" name to miss out on elephant selfies this week, though it looks like he's found some creature comforts elsewhere.

We therefore have a stronger Saffa lineup at Leopard Creek than for the SA Open. Which is both interesting and perhaps reflective of golfers' priorities at this time of the year. Leopard Creek is certainly a vacation tournament for many, if not most of the field.

Or........could this also not be some sort of Saffa golfer indaba on the future of the game??

Ernie's presence carries huge weight. He is a key mentor to many of these players and has been since they were teenagers. It would also be remiss not to mention the tournament host - Johann Ruperts influence on the Saffa golfing landscape. The billionaire businessman and chairman of Alfred Dunhill has been invested in the game for years - both personally sponsoring many young talents, as well as sponsoring this event and the famous Dunhilll Links tournament in Scotland. He was recently very candid about the LIV golf disputes plaguing the professional game and has urged constructive talks:

“I spoke to both sides. I was asked to speak to both sides. But I said to everyone involved that I would not say to either side what the other one said or to anybody in general. But I have a friend who taught me years ago that there are always two sides to the story and then there’s the truth. Both sides have got fair points. But I think things could have been handled better.”

“They all came to me (South African LIV Players), not to ask my advice or blessing as I said that I am not getting involved either way,” he said. “But I said, ‘do not burn bridges, go and open cards, tell them exactly where you are at’.”

With all these powerhouses together - I just don't see the locker room chat being all about the Big Five and the Boks. There is clearly a country-themed element brewing in LIV golf and with talk of teams being sold as franchises in the future - I seriously doubt that Ernie and Mr Rupert - both sports-mad, passionate and wealthy Saffa's - would not want to be involved in a Saffa team. Is it just wine and wildlife - or are the Stingers pitching for investors?

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