Keith Horne anticipate ‘fun week’ at Humewood Links

In a field littered with skilled and seasoned professionals, 2022 Nelson Mandela Bay Classic runner-up Keith Horne is “looking forward to a fun week” when the third edition of the Senior Sunshine Tour event takes place at Humewood Golf Club in Gqeberha.

A total of 67 players will be tackling the links from Wednesday to Friday in the pro tournament and although they are mates and have played with each other for many years, Horne has no doubt the competitive edge will come to the fore over the three days.

A year ago the 51-year-old, making his debut in the tournament, lost by one stroke to Doug McGuigan and believes there will again be serious opposition for the magnificent Classic trophy.

“You know, the competitive edge never goes away and even if there is perhaps not as much testosterone as on the main tour, we are obviously pros playing for money and we all want to go full out for the win,” Horne said.

“And when you get guys like James Kingston and Adilson da Silva in the field, who were one and two in the European Legends Tour order of merit last year, you understand the strength of the field.

“A lot of the guys are still playing fulltime and many of them have great records, so I don’t think there has been a stronger field in a Senior Sunshine Tour event and it is going to be an interesting week.”

Horne has just recovered from a knee operation and only resumed playing this week, but he has been hard at work getting rid of the cobwebs and feels ready to challenge for the title.

“Ja, it was something I had been putting off for a while so I have been out for two months and played my first round this week.

“But I’m feeling fit and the knee is feeling fine so everything is on track and I, like all the others, am looking forward to testing myself at the Humewood links.”

On a course whose character changes with the weather, Horne said Humewood was a layout you could take advantage of if the weather stayed calm.

“It’s not a particularly long golf course, so it can come down your wedges and your putting,” he said. “If the wind is not too hectic, there are quite a few scoring holes and you need to take advantage of that.

“But obviously if the wind picks up you will start needing to hit some longer irons and if you can manage that, it will be a huge asset.”

While players such as Horne, McGuigan and 2021 champion Chris Williams will be proper title contenders, many eyes will focus on the progress of Kingston and Da Silva.

The 57-year-old Kingston underlined his ability by securing the European Legends Tour order of merit last year, landing the John Jacob Trophy on the final day of the season despite an early wobble in Mauritius.

In the MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius, Kingston had a tough opening day round of 74 at Constance Belle Mare Plage, but recovered to shoot 65 and 64 and finish second. That saw him pip Da Silva by a close margin.

In an interview after that event, Kingston was relieved to finish the season on a high.

“I am quite relieved I must say, to think of a whole year’s play and to think all of this came down to the last tournament, the last round, the last few holes – unbelievable!” he said.

“I am just extremely proud of how consistent I have played this whole season, except for last week. I don’t know where it came from but I dug deep over the weekend.”

Kingston played 17 tournaments on the Legends Tour in 2022, winning the Swiss Senior Masters and having 10 finishes in the top 10.

Despite missing out on the order of merit first place, Da Silva took the Barry Lane Rookie of the Year award for 2022.

The 50-year-old enjoyed a meteoric rise on the tour, from securing an invite to the Riegler and Partner Legends in Austria, where he finished in a tie for third, to winning a maiden tour title at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby.

Now they will all be focused on a different examination and the rich talent in the field suggests the NMB Classic at Humewood will go down to the wire.