Ryan van Velzen
| Ryan van Velzen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 4 October 2001 | ||
| Sporting nationality |  South Africa | ||
| Residence | Benoni, South Africa | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 2021 | ||
| Current tour(s) | European Tour Sunshine Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 4 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| Sunshine Tour | 2 | ||
| Other | 2 | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2024 | ||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2024 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Ryan van Velzen (born 4 October 2001) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2023–24 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. He also finished runner-up at the 2023 Investec South African Open Championship and the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Championship.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Van Velzen won two tournaments on the 2020–21 Big Easy Tour as an amateur,[2][3] before turning professional in April 2021.[4] He joined the Sunshine Tour and recorded a best finish in his rookie season with a tie for 4th at the Kit Kat Group Pro-Am. On the 2022–23 Sunshine Tour, he secured his maiden title at the Limpopo Championship, the penultimate regular event of the season.[5]
On the 2023–24 Sunshine Tour, he was runner-up at the Investec South African Open Championship, three shots behind winner Dean Burmester.[6] He also won the Mediclinic Invitational[7] and lost in a playoff to Mikael Lindberg at the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open.[8] He secured the top spot in the Order of Merit and was promoted to the 2025 European Tour.[9] It also earned him starts at the 2024 PGA Championship (his first major appearance) and the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.[10]
In his fourth start on the 2025 European Tour, he finished runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2024, one shot behind Shaun Norris.[11]
Professional wins (4)
[edit]Sunshine Tour wins (2)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Apr 2023 | Limpopo Championship | −12 (69-67-68=204)* | 1 stroke | Luca Filippi, Jaco Prinsloo, Daniel van Tonder
|
| 2 | 28 Jan 2024 | Mediclinic Invitational | −25 (66-69-64-64=263) | 4 strokes | Neil Schietekat
|
*Note: The 2023 Limpopo Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
Sunshine Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open |  Mikael Lindberg
|
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Big Easy Tour wins (2)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Oct 2020 | Big Easy Road To #1 (as an amateur) |
−16 (65-66-69=200) | 2 strokes | Dylan Kok, Vaughn van Deventer, Warwick Purchase
|
| 2 | 25 Mar 2021 | Big Easy Road To #8 (as an amateur) |
−13 (68-68-67=203) | 1 stroke | Matthew Rushton
|
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | CUT |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
References
[edit]- ^ "Ryan van Velzen". European Tour. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Teen Van Velzen claims maiden Big Easy title with Services triumph". SA Tour Golf. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Van Velzen claims victory as Slatter stutters in Springs". SA Tour Golf. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "New pro Van Velzen races to Bushveld Tour win at Parkview". SuperSport. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Vlismas, Michael (2 April 2023). "Debut Sunshine Tour win for Van Velzen". Compleat Golfer. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ Gussoni, Andrea (4 December 2023). "South African Open Championship, big duel". Tennis World. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Vlismas, Michael (28 January 2024). "Rising star Van Velzen dominates to win Mediclinic Invitational". News24. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ Vlismas, Michael (11 February 2024). "Mikael Lindberg holds his nerve in playoff to win Cape Town Open". BusinessDay. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ "Broomhead wins on a day celebrating Sunshine Tour excellence". SuperSport. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
The tournament also finalised the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy. Ryan van Velzen finished first here in a breakthrough season where he won twice. His triumph saw him secure a DP World Tour card...
- ^ Jaques, van der Westhuyzen (10 May 2024). "Ven Velzen Get His Due Reward". The Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Norris wins Alfred Dunhill with final-round 67". BBC Sport. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
External links
[edit]- Ryan Van Velzen at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Ryan van Velzen at the European Tour official site
- Ryan van Velzen at the PGA Tour official site
- Ryan van Velzen at the Official World Golf Ranking official site