South Africa
Ryan van Velzen
The young South African makes his debut in ‘Africa’s Major’, having qualified by winning the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy for the 2023/24 season.
At the age of 22, Van Velzen is already a three-time winner on the Sunshine Tour with victories in the 2023 Limpopo Championship, the 2023 Bain’s Whisky Teams Challenge alongside Luca Filippi, and the 2024 Mediclinic Invitational.
Van Velzen, the son of former touring professional Rob van Velzen, enjoyed a watershed 2023/24 season on the Sunshine Tour with 11 top-10s. This included fifth in the FBC Zimbabwe Open, tied third in the South African PGA Championship, tied second in the DP World Tour co-sanctioned Investec South African Open, and then seventh and second respectively in the European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned SDC Open and Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open.
His overall victory on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy earned him a DP World Tour card for the first time in his career for the 2025 season. This year was also significant for the young star as he made his debut in the Majors, qualifying for both The PGA Championship and The Open.
