[Sunday, November 30, 2025 19:39:59]
It is part of the illustrious history of the Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship that this tournament changes lives. It shapes careers. It builds legends. It’s one of those enduring icons of South African professional golf. And on this Sunday at St Francis Links, Deon Germishuys became a part of this great story.
With a final round of 69, Germishuys won South Africa’s second oldest professional golf tournament on 14 under par – one stroke clear of Samuel Simpson and Hennie du Plessis.
He earned the right to have his name engraved on a trophy alongside the names of Gary Player, Dale Hayes, John Bland, Corey Pavin, Ernie Els, David Frost, Nick Price, Louis Oosthuizen and so many others.
But even more than this, he earned the right to keep doing what he does inside the ropes on the Sunshine Tour for his family, and his new baby.
After playing his heart out on the DP World Tour but still coming short and losing his card there, he returned to home fairways with no playing privileges.
He was hoping for tournament invitations into some of the bigger tournaments. But then came this Sunday in one of South African golf’s most prestigious tournaments, and suddenly the fairways have opened up before him.
“This means a lot to me. I didn’t think I was ever going to win at this golf course. For some reason I never knew how to play it, but it seems like I figured it out now. With all the great names on this trophy, it’s really an honour,” said Germishuys.
And with his young family looking on, he broke down in tears as he added, “It means a lot to have them here”.
Thousands of kilometres away, his father-in-law James Kingston sat in Cambodia at a Legends Tour event and was in tears. Kingston could not have wished for a better present for himself than to have his son-in-law claim such a significant victory on his 60th birthday.
Because Kingston knows what one week like this can mean.
In 2007, after nearly 20 years of trying, he claimed his first DP World Tour title in the South African Open.
That Sunday he beat a field including Darren Clarke, Greg Norman and Ernie Els. And when the win came, he too broke down in tears.
Decades later, Germishuys showed his own character to add his name to an illustrious trophy in South African golf.
As Sundays go on the Sunshine Tour, this was indeed a memorable one for a family in golf.
The Fitch & Leedes PGA Championship is proudly supported by Stinger GC, Momentum, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Cape St Francis, Telkom and the PGA of South Africa.
SCORES
274 - Deon Germishuys 70 65 70 69
275 - Samuel Simpson 64 72 70 69, Hennie du Plessis 66 72 68 69
276 - Stuart Krog 72 68 69 67
277 - Jordan Burnand 72 69 69 67, Jacques Blaauw 72 65 72 68
278 - Zander Lombard 71 70 68 69, Barend Botha 74 65 69 70
279 - Jaco Ahlers 74 69 70 66
280 - Casey Jarvis 75 66 68 71, Joe Long 67 69 69 75
281 - Tomas Gana 72 70 70 69, Keenan Davidse 71 67 72 71, Toto Thimba Jnr 71 70 69 71, CJ du Plessis 71 71 67 72, Luke Jerling 69 66 68 78
282 - Bryce Easton 67 76 72 67, Rupert Kaminski 68 70 75 69, Christiaan Burke 74 68 70 70, Louis Albertse 74 70 67 71, Pieter Moolman 70 72 67 73, Hennie O'Kennedy 73 66 69 74
283 - Rhys Enoch 73 70 69 71, Jaco Prinsloo 71 70 69 73, JJ Senekal 71 69 69 74
284 - Keagan Thomas 76 67 73 68, Karabo Mokoena 72 72 71 69, Tristen Strydom 74 70 68 72, Martin Vorster 73 69 70 72, Jason Roets 71 67 73 73
285 - Brandon Stone 74 70 70 71, Liam Grehan 74 70 69 72, Nikhil Rama 71 71 68 75
286 - Heinrich Bruiners 72 70 75 69, Benjamin Van Wyk 74 67 74 71
287 - Peter Karmis 74 68 77 68, Hayden Griffiths 67 75 73 72, Jean Hugo 71 69 70 77, Quintin Wilsnach 68 70 71 78
288 - Otto Van Buynder 73 71 72 72, Jean-Paul Strydom 72 68 75 73, Dylan Mostert 72 71 69 76, Tyran Snyders 72 69 71 76
289 - Ronald Rugumayo 70 72 78 69, George Coetzee 69 72 74 74
290 - Stephen Ferreira 73 70 77 70, Rhys West 72 70 75 73
291 - Graham van der Merwe 71 69 78 73, Pierre Viallaneix 72 72 71 76, Thomas Spreadborough 73 71 71 76
292 - Robson Chinhoi 70 74 75 73, Matthew Spacey 71 71 73 77
294 - Herman Loubser 75 67 77 75, Ruan Conradie 71 70 76 77, Franklin Manchest 70 74 71 79
295 - MJ Viljoen 73 69 78 75
296 - Thabiso Ngcobo 69 75 74 78
297 - Ruan Groenewald 67 77 78 75
298 - Malcolm Mitchell 70 74 77 77
299 - Stals Swart 71 72 79 77
Return