This tournament was a new addition to the calendar in 2022. Taking place at The Club at Steyn City facility in Midrand, South Africa, the event is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and South Africa’s Sunshine Tour.
That first edition in March 2022 will likely live long in the memory of Shaun Norris, with the South African posting a score of -25 to come home three clear of compatriot Dean Burmester – grabbing a decent chunk of the US$1.5m in prize money, and a first career success on the European Tour.
The course itself is a Jack Nicklaus design and presents a tricky but scorable challenge. In common with many South African venues, the par 72 layout is fairly long at 7,054m. That fact – in combination with the wide immaculate fairways – invites the power players to really open their shoulders off the tee. However, a degree of caution is required, with the course boasting 75 bunkers and a healthy scattering of water hazards. The pronounced changes in elevation also need to be taken into account, leading to some very tricky first and second shots.
Past Winners
| Year | Course | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Club at Steyn City | Shaun Norris |
2022: Shaun Norris
The hope ahead of the inaugural Steyn City Championship was that the Club course at Steyn City would provide a sterner test than the previous week in Johannesburg. The Jack Nicklaus design includes plenty of trouble but the DP World Tour players were largely able to safely navigate it. The cut fell on anybody on -4 or worse and Shaun Norris had to get to -25 to win the event by three shots.
For a worrying period during the second round Norris must have felt that he was never going to reach a winning score. The South African went into the final round with a four-shot lead but conspired to throw it away after a nightmare start where he bogeyed the first two holes and saw Dean Burmester go on a bit of an early charge.
Norris knew that his game was in very good working order though. He also had positive feelings about the course, having picked up shots on so many of the holes during his excellent play in the first three rounds. With Norris keeping the pressure high, Burmester finally cracked with a double bogey six on the 17th hole. The winner then put all the drama behind him by seeing out the win with a par on his 72nd hole.