Having just returned from the DP World Tour and on his way back home to Zimbabwe, Benjamin Follett-Smith decided to make a detour to Houghton Golf Club for this week’s Fortress Invitational – and he was rewarded with an opening 63 for the lead on Thursday.
“I just thought I would come play here on my way home, as I’m going home for two weeks now to build some confidence before I go back for the DP World Tour Qualifying School. Knowing the course from previous tournaments, it was nice coming back here,” Follett-Smith said after his bogey-free round of eight under.
Follett-Smith leads the trio of Jonathan Broomhead, Daniel van Tonder and Stals Swart by three shots. Van Tonder, in particular, is a serious challenge on this golf course. He finished tied sixth in the Joburg Open here in March this year.
Follett-Smith enjoyed a strong start to his first round, with two eagles in his opening five holes.
“I had a really nice start, and staying patient was the key part. The eagle on the third hole got my round going. Tee to green my game has been good for a while now and today it definitely paid off. I was aggressive off the tee, relying on my long game. It was nice to get a low round in.”
The four-time winner across both the Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour has relished being back on home fairways again this week.
“It’s my first start for the 2026/2027 season on the Sunshine Tour. For the last two years I’ve been playing most of my golf in Europe. I love supporting the Sunshine Tour. This is where I started my career and I will always come back and support the Tour as they do so much for us golfers. It’s close to home for me being from Zimbabwe and nice to have world-class tournaments and world-class competitiveness on the Sunshine Tour,” Follet-Smith said.
With an impressive lead after the first round, Follett-Smith is looking forward to the next three rounds.
“It’s nice to lead after the first day as it gives you a chance for a wire-to-wire finish, and I’ll take that opportunity every day. It also takes a bit of pressure off for the cut and puts me in a position to play a patience game, with less need to put pressure on myself to push harder. It’s a great start and something to build off.”
