Krugersdorp’s Calvin Caldeira takes PGA National crown in Mbombela
Caldeira won the tournament by three points, overcoming less than ideal conditions on the final day.
The Krugersdorp-based golfer Calvin Caldeira earned his second victory in six years at the PGA SA National Pro-Am at Mbombela Golf Club, claiming a three-point victory over fellow two-time winner Ivano Ficalbi.
The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of South Africa has hosted the National Pro-Am at Mbombela Golf Club since 2019. Ivano Ficalbi claimed the first two titles in 2019 and 2020, followed by Mbombela local Cameron Borcher in 2021, Caldeira in 2022 and Rudy Whitfield in 2023.
All of the previous champions were back in the field for the 2024 edition in the hopes of adding to their list of triumphs and denying any new victors. Round one teed off on November 10, and Dean Nyscchen was in the driver’s seat on 41 points after the first day. Ficalbi was second, one point behind, with Caldeira and Edwin Compton in third, a further two points adrift.
The second round was less than ideal for Nyscchen as Caldeira and Ficalbi both leapfrogged him in the standings. Caldeira moved into first, Ficalbi stayed in second and Compton moved into third, while Nyscchen fell to fourth.
The third and final day on November 12 was the toughest of the three rounds for the golfers, with rain falling on Mbombela for the duration. This didn’t dampen Caldeira’s day and tournament, though, as 39 points in the final round helped secure him his second title with a total of 118 points.
Ficalbi’s final round of 37 points helped secure second place on 115 points. Nyscchen bounced back in the third round with 37 points to finish on 111 for the tournament. Borcher was the best-placed local professional in tied fifth place.
In addition to the individual professional competition, there was the pro-am competition, too, in which each pro competed alongside three amateurs against the other four-balls. The group of Corné Bloem, Divan Cronje, Gerrit Smit and Ruan van Zyl held off a third-round charge from the second-placed group to win by two points with a total of 259 points.
Kenneth Dube, Shawn Raper, Christy Raper and Fritz Tewitz finished second on 257 points. Jacques Kok, Gerhard Vos, Matt Prohl and Barend Kok were third on 253.
