SA pair thrilled to be heading to Royal Liverpool

26 June 2023 – Two amateur golfers from South Africa have won a trip of a lifetime to compete in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge ahead of The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July.

Potchefstroom University student Willie van der Ryst and 71-year-old Jorge del Pozo will tee it up with 40 other club golfers from Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in The R&A 9-Hole Challenge Final, played on the Friday prior to the Open.

The South African pair earned their places in the field through the GolfRSA Race to The R&A 9 Hole Challenge, an initiative launched in April in collaboration with The R&A to promote the shorter format of the game.

This year’s competition was in the form of a lucky draw, and to be eligible for the prize, golfers had to play and register three 9-hole rounds of golf on the Handicaps Network Africa (HNA) system during the month of April. The winning pair were drawn randomly from more than 3 000 entries.

The lucky winners also received tickets to watch two practice days and two championship days of The Open, as well as return airfares, hotel accommodation subsidy, green fees and a subsistence allowance.

Van der Ryst, a member at De la Reyville Golf Club, and Benoni Lake Country Club’s Del Pozo are both counting down the days until their departure.

“I feel like I’ve won the lotto; not everyone will be able to tick The Open off their bucket list in their lifetime,” said 23-year-old Van der Ryst, a third-year mechanical engineering student who only took up the game two years ago.

“It’s such a huge honour to represent South Africa in Royal Liverpool, and to have the opportunity to go and watch The Open with my mom Louize is unreal. She is just as excited as I am. It’s the trip of a lifetime for both of us.”

Del Pozo, who began playing golf eight years ago, was in utter disbelief to learn that he won the trip to Royal Liverpool.

“I still can’t believe that I won the prize. This is more than I could imagine in my wildest dreams,” said Del Pozo, an engineering manager at ACTOM Distribution Transformers.

“Thank you, thank you GolfRSA and The R&A. I am extremely excited to play in The R&A 9 Hole Challenge and I never imagined that I would be going to The Open in my lifetime. This will be an experience I will never forget, and I look forward to sharing it with my wife Heidi.”

GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn explained that The R&A 9 Hole Challenge was launched in 2020 to challenge the perception that golf is a time-consuming sport.

“We were so excited to be invited to collaborate with The R&A on this initiative. Through the GolfRSA Race to The R&A 9 Hole Challenge we hope to encourage more people to take up the game, to get outside and be active with their family and friends and to take on a new personal challenge that is fun.
“It was fantastic to see the overwhelming support and participation in this year’s competition, given the short lead-time, and we hope our two winners, Willie and Jorge, have an incredible experience at Royal Liverpool.

“Next year we plan to up the ante with club competitions, regional tournaments and a National Final to decide the winners who will represent South Africa at The R&A 9 Hole Challenge Final in 2024 at Royal Troon in Scotland.”