Ryan van Velzen

Ryan van Velzen
Personal information
Born (2001-10-04) 4 October 2001 (age 25)
Sporting nationality South Africa
ResidenceBenoni, South Africa
Career
Turned professional2021
Current toursEuropean Tour
Challenge Tour
Sunshine Tour
Professional wins5
Number of wins by tour
Sunshine Tour2
Challenge Tour1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 2024
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 2024
Achievements and awards
Sunshine Tour
Order of Merit winner		2023–24

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.

Professional career

Van Velzen won two tournaments on the 2020–21 Big Easy Tour as an amateur, before turning professional in April 2021. 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.

On the 2023–24 Sunshine Tour, he was runner-up at the Investec South African Open Championship, three shots behind winner Dean Burmester. He also won the Mediclinic Invitational and lost in a playoff to Mikael Lindberg at the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open. He secured the top spot in the Order of Merit and was promoted to the 2025 European Tour. It also earned him starts at the 2024 PGA Championship (his first major appearance) and the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

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.

Professional wins (5)

Sunshine Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 2 Apr 2023 Limpopo Championship −12 (69-67-68=204) 1 stroke South Africa Luca Filippi, South Africa Jaco Prinsloo,
South Africa Daniel van Tonder
2 28 Jan 2024 Mediclinic Invitational −25 (66-69-64-64=263) 4 strokes South Africa Neil Schietekat

Sunshine Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2024 Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open Sweden Mikael Lindberg Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 31 May 2026 Challenge de España −17 (64-71-63-69=267) 2 strokes Netherlands Wil Besseling, United States Dan Erickson

Big Easy Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 21 Oct 2020 Big Easy Road To #1
(as an amateur)		 −16 (65-66-69=200) 2 strokes South Africa Dylan Kok, South Africa Vaughn van Deventer,
South Africa Warwick Purchase
2 25 Mar 2021 Big Easy Road To #8
(as an amateur)		 −13 (68-68-67=203) 1 stroke South Africa Matthew Rushton

Results in major championships

Tournament 2024
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut

Notes

  1. ↑ Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

  1. ↑ "Ryan van Velzen". European Tour. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Teen Van Velzen claims maiden Big Easy title with Services triumph". SA Tour Golf. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Van Velzen claims victory as Slatter stutters in Springs". SA Tour Golf. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "New pro Van Velzen races to Bushveld Tour win at Parkview". SuperSport. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  5. ↑ Vlismas, Michael (2 April 2023). "Debut Sunshine Tour win for Van Velzen". Compleat Golfer. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  6. ↑ Gussoni, Andrea (4 December 2023). "South African Open Championship, big duel". Tennis World. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  7. ↑ Vlismas, Michael (28 January 2024). "Rising star Van Velzen dominates to win Mediclinic Invitational". News24. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  8. ↑ Vlismas, Michael (11 February 2024). "Mikael Lindberg holds his nerve in playoff to win Cape Town Open". BusinessDay. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "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...
  10. ↑ Jaques, van der Westhuyzen (10 May 2024). "Ven Velzen Get His Due Reward". The Citizen. Retrieved 11 February 2025 – via PressReader.
  11. ↑ "Norris wins Alfred Dunhill with final-round 67". BBC Sport. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2025.