The Road to Mallorca heads to Limpopo for the SDC Open, the third of four co-sanctioned tournaments between the European Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour, taking place at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa. Here’s everything you need to know for the week ahead…
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, designed by Peter Matkovich, is located within a basin of the most pristine African bushveld and the course is surrounded by nature and wildlife reserves which create a memorable playing experience with animals such as Kudu, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra and Giraffe being regularly spotted. The course follows the natural contours of the terrain with wide open fairways which are lined by bushveld trees, making accuracy off the tee paramount to success.
Home advantage
The first two tournaments on the 2023 Road to Mallorca – the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open and the Dimension Data Pro-Am – have produced Africa-based winners. Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith triumphed in the Mother City – a victory which sees him top the Road to Mallorca Rankings – before Oliver Bekker claimed his first Challenge Tour title and second Dimension Data crown at Fancourt Golf Estate. Will that run continue in Limpopo this week?
The importance of a fast start
The 2023 Road to Mallorca season will be a long journey, with plenty of ups and downs along the way, but the importance of a fast start cannot be understated. Last year, four of the five winners of the season-opening co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour went on to secure DP World Tour cards at the end of the season. Alex Knappe, JC Ritchie, Oliver Hundebøll and Clément Sordet never dropped out of the Road to Mallorca top 20 after winning in South Africa, while Poland’s Mateusz Gradecki missed out on his playing privileges by just one spot.
