Hennie du Plessis explained

Hennie du Plessis
Birth Date:14 October 1996
Residence:Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa
Yearpro:2015
Tour:European Tour
Sunshine Tour
Extour:Challenge Tour
LIV Golf
Prowins:4
Sunwins:2
Otherwins:2

Hennie du Plessis (born 14 October 1996) is a South African professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He also played in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Professional career

Du Plessis turned professional in 2015 and joined the Sunshine Tour after finishing number one at Q-School.[1] In 2016 he recorded five top-5 finishes, including a tie for second at Vodacom Origins of Golf at Wild Coast Sun, behind Madalitso Muthiya. On the 2017–18 Sunshine Tour he won the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen, clinching his maiden Sunshine Tour title on his 21st birthday.[2] In March he won the Steyn City Team Championship with Jean Hugo.[3]

Du Plessis tied for 6th at both of the South African Opens played in 2020, in January and December. At the 2021 installment, which lost European Tour co-sanctioning as a result of COVID-19 related travel restrictions, he finished solo 3rd, which helped him break into the top-200 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.[4]

Du Plessis played on the 2021 Challenge Tour, where he lost a four-way playoff at the Limpopo Championship to Brandon Stone. He finished 28th in the Road to Mallorca ranking.[5]

Playing on the 2022 European Tour, du Plessis made all but one cut in his first nine starts. He finished tied 3rd at the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain, two strokes behind winner Pablo Larrazábal, and tied for 6th at the Catalunya Championship, trailing winner Adri Arnaus by three strokes. He came close to a first European Tour victory in wire-to-wire style when he took a two-shot lead into the final round of the MyGolfLife Open in South Africa. He was part of a four-way tie after a 62 on day one and followed that with a 65 to take a one-shot lead into the weekend. A 70 in round three was enough to move him to 19 under and give him a two stroke advantage. A final day 72 saw him drop to a tie for 6th, 3 strokes shy of the three-way playoff won by Pablo Larrazábal.[6]

Du Plessis finished runner-up at the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational London, a single stroke behind his compatriot Charl Schwartzel, to collect a check. He also won the team event together with an all-South African team of Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen, to collect a further $750,000.[7]

Professional wins (4)

Sunshine Tour wins (2)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
114 Oct 2017Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen−12 (66-66-72=204)Playoff Ockie Strydom
27 Mar 2018Steyn City Team Championship
(with Jean Hugo)
−23 (66-66-61=193)1 stroke Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Kyle McClatchie

Sunshine Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
12017Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen Ockie StrydomWon with birdie on fourth extra hole
22018Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge Adilson da Silva, Darren Fichardt,
Vaughn Groenewald
Groenewald won with birdie on first extra hole
32021Limpopo Championship Oliver Bekker, Brandon Stone,
Daniel van Tonder
Stone won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

Playoff record

Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Two-time winner Du Plessis signs up . 14 August 2018 . Team South Africa . 24 January 2022.
  2. Web site: Du Plessis celebrates 21st birthday with Sishen win . eNCA . 24 January 2022.
  3. Web site: Player Profile Hennie du Plessis . Sunshine Tour . 24 January 2022.
  4. Web site: Hennie du Plessis . OWGR . 24 January 2022.
  5. Web site: 2021 Ranking . European Tour . 24 January 2022.
  6. Web site: Du Plessis keeps his nose in front in South Africa . European Tour . 14 March 2022.
  7. LIV Golf Invitational Final Purse, Prize Money, Payouts for Entire Field in London: Schwartzel Bags $4 Million for Victory . Sports Illustrated . 11 June 2022 . 12 June 2022.