Share

Home comforts for Fichardt at Joburg Open

Johannesburg - Defending champion Darren Fichardt will be relishing the comforts of home as he gets ready for the 2018 version of the Joburg Open which tees off on Thursday.

He won the 2017 version at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington in February, and a schedule change on the European Tour, as well as redevelopments at Royal, mean he will be attempting to become the second South African to win the title twice after Richard Sterne won it in 2008 and 2013 at Randpark Golf Club.

“It’s good to be able to sleep at home and spend some time with the kids,” said Fichardt.

“It’s not that long to drive from Centurion to get to the course, and taking advantage of home comforts makes a lot of sense.”

Fichardt won a tournament that was shortened by rain to a 54-hole event in February by a single stroke over Stuart Manley of Wales and Paul Waring of England.

And in another change to the tournament, the Asian Tour is on board as a third sanctioning body of the event, which features the biggest field in any Sunshine Tour or European Tour event with 240 players teeing it up over the Firethorn and Bushwillow courses at Randpark.

The change in venue is not something that bothers Fichardt.

“I last played Randpark a few years ago, and it’s pretty much ‘what you see is what you get’,” he said.

“I don’t know Bushwillow, so I’ll have to check that out blind tomorrow. But the courses are pretty much standard Highveld parklands courses, and I know those well.

“The greens are running nicely, so I’ll be looking for fairways and greens, and go from there. I’m not worried too much about length, because that’s not much of an issue on either course.”

Fichardt finished 68th on the European tour’s Race to Dubai in the 2017 season, and is looking forward to using the South African events - the Joburg Open, the SA Open and the Tshwane Open - to kick-start his 2018 season.

“I didn’t play as many tournaments as I usually do last year, with family issues,” he said.

“My mother-in-law was battling cancer. She’s healthy again, so I’m looking forward to playing a lot more than I did last year. In fact, I didn’t have a bad season last year. I didn’t have a really bad tournament since Switzerland, really.”

He finished in a share of 16th in last week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in hot, humid, windy conditions, so the persistent rain in the lead-up to the Joburg Open has had him remembering his February victory.

“I’m excited to be here for a defence of my title,” he said.

“And it’s similar weather to last year, which is a good thing!”

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE