Watched by Gary Player himself, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith claimed his third Sunshine Tour title when he won the Cell C Challenge in Honour of Gary Player at Killarney Country Club on Sunday.
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Starting the final round three shots behind leader Haydn Porteous, Follett-Smith produced a magnificent charge and signed for a closing 66 to win by a single stroke on 15 under par. Matthew Crisswell, Follett-Smith’s caddie, received a Sunshine Tour medallion as the winning caddie.
Porteous had a 10-foot birdie putt on the last to force a playoff which he missed, settling for second place on 14 under par with a final round of 70.
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Kieron van Wyk finished third on 11 under par with a closing 70.
It was a remarkable victory by Follett-Smith that was built around his front nine of three birdies and an eagle, and which gave him the luxury of a bogey-bogey finish to still claim the title.
“The first nine went my way. As golf is, when it’s going your way it seems easy. I did exactly what I wanted to do for every shot on that front nine. I made a good putt for birdie on the 10th so I thought it was going to continue, but the back nine was tough towards the end. I made a few silly errors coming in. Hitting it right of 17 was a rookie error for sure and finishing bogey-bogey wasn’t what I wanted to do. Luckily it was good enough so I’m very pleased,” said Follett-Smith.
This is his first victory since 2024 and following what he says was a somewhat frustrating 2025.
“It’s just been hard work and practice. I didn’t get too much out of my game last year. I was a bit stuck playing the HotelPlanner Tour and DP World Tour, but I kept coming back home to the Sunshine Tour as a great platform to play. The events here are awesome and world-class in terms of how they’re run. It’s awesome to be in the winner’s circle again and to guarantee my playing rights here.”
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Follett-Smith’s rise in form is also perfect timing as the Sunshine Tour now moves into four weeks of co-sanctioned tournaments with the HotelPlanner Tour and then two weeks of co-sanctioned tournaments with the DP World Tour.
And the Zimbabwean was also delighted to win in front of Gary Player.
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“It’s the second time I’ve met Mr Player and it’s an honour. He’s one of the best golfers to every live and to have a few minutes to chat to him and hear his advice is something else.”
