Stephen Ferreira became the first Portuguese to win a title on the Sunshine Tour, South Africa’s first division of professional golf, one of the most prestigious professional courses in the world, after the PGA Tour in North America and the DP World Tour in Europe. and Asian tour.
“I am very happy and proud to be the first Portuguese to win the Sunshine Tour,” said Write down a player from Zimbabwe who needed 137 tournaments played at this circuit to win his first Blue Label Challenge title.
With a prize pool of €140,000, this tournament was the second highest prize tournament on the Sunshine Tour 2022/2023.
That’s why he gave away many Luno points to the Order of Merit. Thus, Ferreira scored 317 points, rising from 36th to 11th place, which is the best result for the Portuguese in this ranking of the South African circuit.
“I don’t think I fully understand what happened, but it is very important and means a lot to me. I’ve been trying to get past the finish line first for some time and I finally got it.” , he told us, after 38 points, after rounds 11, 13, 6 and 8, in a modified Stableford tournament held at the Gary Player Country Club, one of the longest courses in the world, is in Sunny City.
Stephen Ferreira beat South African Luca Filippi by one point, who scored 37 points (7+10+6+14), and everything was decided on the last hole. With only one hole left, the Portuguese was leading by the slightest bit over Luca Filippi when the latter, playing in a group ahead of him, birdied to overtake him at the top of the table. But Steven also made a birdie on 18 (out of par-5), sealing the win.
“Luca pushed me to the limit on the last hole and it was great that I hit the last shot to win,” a player who lives in Johannesburg during the season in South Africa told the Sunshine Tour.
Steven Ferreira was in 2nd place after the first round, took command after the second round and never let go. A situation that ran counter to the trend of his last participation in the Portugal Open of the Challenge Tour, in which he had good first laps but fell off after production in the following days.
According to the press office of the Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG), “the secret of his success was a tip given to him by his fellow professional player Madalitso Mutiya from Zambia.”
At the awards ceremony, the player representing Borrowdale Brook Golf Club struggled to contain his emotions: “I’m still at a loss for words. I’m glad I finally won. finally managed to dominate the beast” (field 7300 meters).
“I participated in the Sunshine Tour for several years (he turned pro in 2011) and came close to the title several times. At some point, doubts began to creep in, but finally I won and I am delighted, ”he added after he received a prize of 22,264 euros, reaching 112 thousand euros in career prizes at this track.
At the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos in September, where he missed the cut, he told us that the goals for 2022/2023 on the Sunshine Tour are to “win the tournament and finish the season in the Order’s top 20.” Price”. In one sitting, he did both.
Showing 22 birdies, 1 eagle, 8 scarecrows and 1 double scarecrow in a special tournament played for points rather than hits. In this modified stableford modality, pairs scored 0 points, birds scored 2, eagles scored 5, and albatrosses scored 8. Negatively, each scarecrow was worth a -1 point deduction, and double scarecrows or worse. cost – 3.
Steven Ferreira has already performed well, finishing 2nd (-10) at the SunBet Challenge – Wild Coast at the end of September and 6th (-6) at VOG Highland Gates at the end of August.
“I was very motivated for the rest of the season and now I want to keep pushing myself for another win,” he told us, adding that this success will have an immediate positive impact for years to come.
“Obviously this is a huge opportunity for me because I am exempt from the Sunshine Tour for the next two years and I will be directly competing in all tournaments, including those jointly sanctioned. This is a giant step in the right direction.” he added.
The Portuguese is referring to the fact that he will be able to participate in all tournaments that are organized simultaneously by the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour, the first European division.
In recent years, Steven Ferreira has easily participated in the events that separated the Sunshine Tour and the Challenge Tour, the second European division, but he has not always competed in the South African DP World Tour competitions. This hurdle has now been overcome.
The player who was born and lives in Harare, Zimbabwe (when not competing) dreams of playing in one of two European tournaments and that will be a big help.
Steven Ferreira also intends to talk to national coach Nelson Ribeiro to ask that South African tracks be included in the FPG Pro Rankings to make it easier for him to get invitations to the Challenge Tour stages, in addition to the Portugal Open. . . .
Either way, the Sunshine Tour counts for world rankings and Olympic rankings, with the 30-year-old Portuguese vying for a presence in Paris in 2024. We won’t find out until Monday what this victory meant for his position in the world. rating and Olympic.
According to the press office of the FPG, “His Portuguese roots come from his maternal grandfather, born in Vidago, in Tras os Montes, who at the age of 19 emigrated to Africa, where he met an Englishwoman from Malawai, with whom he teamed up. . The couple would have had a daughter, Stephen Ferreira.”
Interestingly, this year he told us that he knows how to be a Portuguese by the name of Costa, and not by the name of Ferreira. By the way, his uncle, Roy da Costa, also represented Portugal and qualified for the Portuguese Open in 1985 in Quinta do Lago.
The next tournament on the Sunshine Tour will be the SunBet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya from the 19th to the 21st at Umhlali Country Club.
