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.
| Hennie du Plessis | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 14 October 1996 |
| Sporting nationality |  South Africa |
| Residence | Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2015 |
| Current tour(s) | European Tour Sunshine Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour LIV Golf |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| Sunshine Tour | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Professional career edit
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 US$2,125,000 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) edit
Sunshine Tour wins (2) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Oct 2017 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen | −12 (66-66-72=204) | Playoff | Ockie Strydom
|
| 2 | 7 Mar 2018 | Steyn 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. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | Vodacom Origins of Golf at Sishen | Ockie Strydom
|
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 2 | 2018 | Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge |  Adilson da Silva, Darren Fichardt, Vaughn Groenewald
|
Groenewald won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2021 | Limpopo Championship | Oliver Bekker, Brandon Stone, Daniel van Tonder
|
Stone won with birdie on first extra hole |
IGT Pro Tour wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 May 2015 | GFG Academy Classic | −13 (65-68-70=203) | Playoff | Bryandrew Roelofsz
|
Other wins (1) edit
- 2018 Gary Player Invitational Pro-Am (South Africa)
Playoff record edit
Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Limpopo Championship | Oliver Bekker, Brandon Stone, Daniel van Tonder
|
Stone won with birdie on first extra hole |
References edit
- ^ "Two-time winner Du Plessis signs up". Team South Africa. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Du Plessis celebrates 21st birthday with Sishen win". eNCA. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Player Profile Hennie du Plessis". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Hennie du Plessis". OWGR. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "2021 Ranking". European Tour. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Du Plessis keeps his nose in front in South Africa". European Tour. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "LIV Golf Invitational Final Purse, Prize Money, Payouts for Entire Field in London: Schwartzel Bags $4 Million for Victory". Sports Illustrated. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
External links edit
- Hennie du Plessis at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Hennie du Plessis at the European Tour official site
- Hennie du Plessis at the Official World Golf Ranking official site