Altin van der Merwe
| Altin van der Merwe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 8 November 1996 | ||
| Sporting nationality | South Africa | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 2024 | ||
| Current tour | Sunshine Tour | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2024 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Altin van der Merwe (born 8 November 1996) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Sunshine Tour. He won The R&A's Africa Amateur Championship in 2024.[1]
Early life and amateur career
Van der Merwe was successful on the South Africa amateur circuit, and shoot up to No 1 in the GolfRSA Open Amateur rankings in 2023. He represented South Africa in the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships for the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi alongside Christo Lamprecht and Christiaan Maas, finishing 7th.[2]
He finished runner-up at the 2023 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, and won the 2024 GolfRSA International Amateur in sudden death playoff with Dutchman Jack Ingham,[3]
Van der Merwe was low amateur at the 113th Investec South African Open Championship and was presented with the Freddie Tait Cup, after he was the sole amateur to make the cut.[4]
He won thee 2024 Africa Amateur Championship, after he birdied the first hole in a three-way sudden-death playoff.[5] The win earned him a start in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club.[6]
Professional career
Van der Merwe turned professional after the 2024 Open Championship, and joined the Sunshine Tour.
He was named 2024–25 Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year following a handful of top-5 finishes, including a runner-up finish at the 2025 SDC Open, where he lost a playoff to Daniel van Tonder.[7]
The following season he was runner-up at the Limpopo Championship.
Amateur wins
- 2015 Curro South African Juniors International
- 2019 Eastern Province Stroke Play
- 2023 Boland Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Western Province Amateur, KwaZulu-Natal Amateur Championship, Mpumalanga Open
- 2024 GolfRSA International Amateur, Africa Amateur Championship
Source:[8]
Playoff record
Sunshine Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | SDC Open | Daniel van Tonder | Lost to par on first extra hole |
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing South Africa): 2023
References
- ^ "Dramatic Africa Amateur play-off victory for South Africa's Altin van der Merwe". The R&A. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "GolfRSA announces power-packed 2023 Eisenhower Team". GolfRSA. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Van der Merwe victorious in GolfRSA International Amateur". GolfRSA. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Van der Merwe caps breakout season with Freddie Tait Cup win". GolfRSA. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Africa Amateur Championship - 2024 Play-off". The R&A. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Jourdan, Cameron (24 February 2024). "Altin Van der Merwe captures inaugural African Amateur Championship in playoff, earns spot in Open Championship". Golfweek. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ Butler, Lynn (4 April 2025). "From waiting tables to rookie of the year: Altin van der Merwe's rise on Sunshine Tour". News24. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Altin van der Merwe". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
External links
- Altin van der Merwe at the European Tour official site
- Altin van der Merwe at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Altin van der Merwe at the Official World Golf Ranking official site