Maccauvlei hosted a successful Sunshine Tour event, the Mediclinic Invitational, with a winning score of 25-under 263 by 22-year-old Ryan van Velzen, a rising talent, identical to last year’s total at Centurion. Statistics showed it’s a course where the pros easily avoid bogeys, and birdies are plentiful on good greens. There’s a perfect balance between the two nines in terms of scoring. The par-5 18th (474m) averaged 4.26, virtually the same as the 452m par-4 ninth (4.23), and this is a weak finishing hole even for club golfers. A fairway bunker is so far left it has little impact when it should be a proper hazard. Perhaps a pond should replace the large, often untidy, bunker in front of the green and may also improve aesthetics.
