LALI STANDER: Here’s hoping for a new dawn at Sun City’s golf pageant

Just last week, American Will Zalatoris was announced as one of the top players who will be teeing it up in the Nedbank Golf Challenge (NGC) at Sun City in November.

For some, Zalatoris could hardly be considered a marquee name, especially since he’s really only been on the scene for a little over two years. Yet the former US junior amateur champion comes with serious pedigree and, as if to add an exclamation point to the big reveal, Zalatoris went on to win the FedEx St Jude Championship in a playoff the weekend after the announcement.

Talk about timing.

Now ranked ninth in the world and with six top 10s in 10 Major starts, Zalatoris is no stranger to the big stage and will be one of the favourites heading into an event that has evolved quite a bit over the past four decades.

The “Million Dollar” certainly ain’t what it used to be.

When the brilliant Sol Kerzner introduced the tournament to the world 40-something years ago, a million bucks was an impossibly large number. But that was the purse for the event, with a huge $500,000 going to the winner.

For that reason — perhaps along with a few others, such as the incredible hospitality at Sun City — the world’s best players dared not decline any invitation to head down south to “Africa’s Major”.

The first event, in 1981, included superstars of the era, such as Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Seve Ballesteros. These were among the biggest names in golf at the time, and they were followed, year after year, by the who’s who of golf. Until a few years ago, you’d be hard pressed to name a golfing superstar who hadn’t teed it up at the Gary Player Country Club.

In 1987, Kerzner took another calculated gamble, offering the first million-dollar winner’s cheque. Back then it was an outrageous fortune and Wales’ Ian Woosnam was the first player to pocket $1m for four days’ work.

It was watching this short, stubby guy that looked more like a jockey than a golfer, beat the field to walk away with a million bucks that ignited my love for a game and sent me to a driving range for the first time.

The format itself was intriguing. With just 12 players in the field, spectators were never far from the action, while the corporate hospitality tents were rocking throughout the day and night. Since most spectators stayed at the resort, or close by, parties went on late, and not just for the fans. It was not uncommon to see some groggy looking players exiting the casino in the wee hours and looking a little worse for wear on the makeshift driving range.

Not if they were in contention, however, because a million bucks was certainly a figure worth going to bed early for. 

Of course, players today can pocket a million dollars for coming second — and don’t even get me started about the obscene amounts of cash being thrown at the LIV golfers — but over a period of time, the lure of the once-audacious pot of money began to lose its sheen.

A million bucks was no longer enough to get the world’s best players to Sun City, especially when they could play for similar amounts in Tiger’s rival event, and avoid the lengthy flights in the process.

For a stretch, the NGC seemed to lose its identity. Unable to attract the world’s biggest stars, including some big-name South Africans, it was in danger of petering out. This would have been a great shame for the golf-starved SA fans, who continued to flock to the fairways of the Gary Player Country Club year in and year out.

There were a few years when the NGC played as a regular European Tour event. Given its timing at the end of the season, those who had safely secured their playing rights for the following season had to think long and hard about the merits of a long flight to the southernmost country in Africa.

Despite the diluted fields — and perhaps this is a tribute to the wonderful design of the course — the NGC continued to produce exciting finishes and big-name champions. Thomas Bjorn, Danny Willett, Marc Leishman and Alex Noren all prevailed at Sun City before tournament organisers succeeded in pulling off the bold move that was necessary to restore the event back to its former glory.

They turned it into one of the season-ending Rolex Series events.

All of a sudden, those players in the hunt for the Order of Merit title cancelled their vacations and booked their flights south. Branden Grace, Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood all got their names on the iconic crystal ball trophy and a Rolex star next to their names.

Which brings us back to Zalatoris. The American is now ranked second in the Race to Dubai, and has a real chance of winning the annual order of merit, particularly if he prevails at Sun City. Let’s hope his appearance is the start of a new trend. I’ll certainly be rooting for him.