Staff WriterThe Vodacom Origins of Golf is back, and it’s about as South African as biltong, braais, and someone shouting “Four!” just before you duck for cover.
Now entering its 21st consecutive year, the country’s longest-running pro-am series begins its 2025 edition this week at Parys Golf & Country Estate – bringing together the Sunshine Tour’s finest, the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s sharpest, and a handful of lucky Vodacom VIPs who get to swap boardrooms for birdies.
With a total purse of R8 million spread across four events, this is no garden-variety club comp. The tour will stop at Gowrie Farm Lodge & Golf Course and Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate in September before wrapping things up in November at the scenic Pezula Championship Course – where the closing holes are almost as treacherous as your playing partner’s putting advice.
From Wednesday Amateurs to Sunday Showdowns
The format remains tried and tested. Amateurs kick things off in the 36-hole pro-am from Wednesday to Thursday, battling for a coveted place in the series Final.
Then, from Friday to Sunday, it’s all business – a 54-hole professional shootout where the country’s top golfers will fight for glory, ranking points, and possibly the right to talk themselves into a sponsorship deal over dinner.
Premlall, Carrera, and a Cast of Contenders
Defending Free State/Northern Cape regional champion Yurav Premlall returns after his win in Kathu last year, leading a field that reads like a Sunshine Tour power ranking.
Eight of the current top 10 on the Courier Guy Order of Merit will tee it up, along with the top three players in the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings.
Mexico’s Luis Carrera arrives with swagger, chasing a hat-trick of wins after back-to-back victories earlier this season.
South Africa’s Samuel Simpson is another to watch – the Mopani Zambia Open winner has finished inside the top 15 in four of his last five starts, which is a level of consistency that would make most pros’ accountants happy.
Veteran Pieter Moolman is still warm from his runner-up finish in eSwatini last week, while Herman Loubser will be hoping to turn his consecutive second-place finishes into something shinier.
Multiple DP World Tour champion George Coetzee is chasing his sixth Vodacom Origins of Golf title, Luca Filippi is grinding back from injury, and Jean Hugo – the series’ undisputed king with 12 career wins – is back to remind everyone how it’s done.
Sunshine Ladies Tour Stepping Up
Nine Sunshine Ladies Tour pros will be in the mix, including Nadia van der Westhuizen, fresh off a victory this season.
Their inclusion is no token gesture – these players have the game to go toe-to-toe with the men and the experience to make them sweat.
Beyond the Leaderboard
True to tradition, each event will feature a golf clinic run by Sunshine Tour pros for young golfers from the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB).
It’s where the next Yurav Premlall or Nadia van der Westhuizen might get their first taste of elite instruction – and where the game’s future stars may well be born.
The Vodacom Origins of Golf is more than just a tournament series; it’s where past champions, current contenders, and tomorrow’s hopefuls collide in fairways, bunkers, and the occasional water hazard.
And if the first tee at Parys is anything to go by, 2025 could be a vintage year.
