Sun shines on Charl Schwartzel

Charl Schwartzel this week won the Sid Brews trophy and the Sunshine Golf Tour's order of merit.

Last year, he won the Africa Open and the Joburg Open, and had top-four finishes in three other events. He finished outside the top 10 only at the SAA Pro-Am Invitational, in KwaZulu-Natal, soon after his honeymoon. He earned R5-million, more than R3-million clear of second-placed Thomas Aiken.

Jaco van Zyl won the Gary Player Trophy for the leading stroke average in a minimum of nine tournaments. His average of 68.90 was achieved over 67 rounds in 20 tournaments, and was bolstered by his victory in the SAA Pro-Am Invitational, at Paarl, where he won with 22-under-par, a three-round record on the Sunshine Tour.

The Bobby Locke Trophy for the rookie of the year was won by Anthony Michael. He finished his year sharing second place, behind Spaniard Pablo Martin, in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. It was that performance that secured him the award, but he also had two other top 10s during the year - a share of fourth behind winner Jbe' Kruger, at the Zimbabwe Open, and a share of ninth, at the BMG Classic behind champion Brandon Pieters.

The players' player of the year was Van Zyl - an honour accorded the four-times winner last year by his fellow professionals after a ballot of the top 120 players in the 2010 order of merit.

Van Zyl also took the Golf Writers' Award. It was awarded to the Sunshine Tour participant who, having played at least 10 tournaments in South Africa last year, the media believe was the most significant newsmaker of the year in South African professional golf.

The Sunshine Tour commissioner's award, voted for by the management and staff of the Sunshine Tour, went to Ulrich van den Berg as the player who epitomised the true professional.