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Professional golfer George Coetzee is determined to hold his head high by winning more European Tour events and maintaining his momentum as South Africa’s top earner.
Should Coetzee realise this goal and secure the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit – which will be decided later this year – he will automatically qualify for next year’s British Open Championship at Royal Troon golf course in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
However, the 28-year-old still has to gain points and make more money in several tournaments.
The burly Coetzee, who hails from Pretoria, is currently leading the money list on the local tour.
He has already accumulated R3.2 million this year.
A huge slice of this amount came from the Tshwane Open, a European and Sunshine tours co-sanctioned event, which he won in March at the Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof.
Coetzee carded an impressive score of -14 for a total of 266.
The four other competitions he played in this year – but did not win – contributed to his earnings and points, which have catapulted him to the top of the local money leaderboard.
These were the Dimension Data Pro-Am that was played at Fancourt Golf Estate in George, Western Cape, in February, where he finished 16th; the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington golf course, also in February (placed 24th); the Africa Open at the East London golf course in March (placed 94th); and the Investec Cup that teed off at the Lost City golf course at Sun City, also in March (placed third).
King George, as Coetzee is affectionately called by fans because of the aggressive manner in which he attacks the greens as he unleashes his tee shots, says he would like to widen his lead in the money stakes.
And that means winning more European Tour contests and playing in the British Open next year.
“The only way to remain on top of the Order of Merit is by winning all European and Sunshine Tour events.
“I’m itching to play in the [British] Open,” said Coetzee.
The player said he would compete in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the Heritage golf course in Mauritius, starting on Thursday.
From there, he will move on to the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, from May 21.
“The PGA Championship is the European Tour’s flagship event and winning it will be the cherry on top.
“But other wins will be great for me as well. This will stand me in good stead as the leader in earnings,” he said.
Coetzee won last year’s Joburg Open with a score of -19, beating Englishman Tyrrell Hatton by three strokes.
And King George is ready to rule that course again this year.
. Meanwhile, the official site for the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, pga.com reported that Calvin Peete died recently at the age of 71.
According to the website, Peete was famous for his ability to hit long and accurate drives and was one of the most successful African-American golfers to have featured on the PGA Tour.
During his 25-year career, Peete won more than $3 million (R35.6 million).
He started his golfing career at 24 and was successful despite not being able to fully extend his left elbow, the result of a childhood accident.
Arguably one of the most talented golfers the PGA has produced, Peete was a particularly accurate driver on the tour from 1981 to 1990.
He was inducted into the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
He won the PGA Tour 12 times and the Japan Tour twice.
A self-taught player who never hit especially long drives, he made up for it by hitting his spots on the fairways.
He learnt the game while peddling goods to migrant workers in Rochester, New York, and started playing on the public course at Genesee Valley Park.
Peete died on Wednesday morning in Atlanta and is survived by his wife and seven children
