Rising stars named to 2026 | 2027 GolfRSA National Squad

2 April 2026 – GolfRSA has announced the rising stars selected for the GolfRSA Men’s National Squad Class of 2026 | 2027, reaffirming its commitment to identifying, supporting and developing South Africa’s most promising young amateur golfers.

Launched in 2015, the GolfRSA National Squad programme has already helped to produce an impressive list of graduates who have progressed to success on the global stage, including Investec SA Open champion and 2026 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner Casey Jarvis, PGA Tour winner Aldrich Potgieter, DP World Tour champion Jayden Schaper, Sunshine Ladies Tour winners Caitlyn Macnab, Kiera Floyd and Gabbi Venter, and Christo Lamprecht, a Korn Ferry Tour champion and South Africa’s first world No. 1 amateur.

The newest inductees are Malan Potgieter (Eastern Province), CJ van Wyk (Southern Cape), Cilliers Craig (Gauteng North), Aiden Combrinck (Ekurhuleni), Leonard Swart (North West) and Yieke Ajulu (Central Gauteng) 

GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn welcomed the announcement, saying the new intake reflects the depth of talent emerging from South Africa’s amateur ranks.

“The National Squad programme is designed to give them the extra resources, structure and support they need to take the next step in their development and ultimately compete successfully on the international stage,” said Hepburn. “South Africa is fortunate that through our Clubs and Golf Union structures we are able to produce so many players of high quality who can benefit from inclusion in the National Squad.

“This group of six inductees represents some of the most exciting emerging talent in South African amateur golf, and this is a unique opportunity for these players to learn, compete, and grow alongside the best in the country,” added Hepburn. “We are confident that, with the right structures and support in place, they will follow in the footsteps of the squad members who have gone before them.”

Potgieter, who plays out of Kirkwood, has enjoyed a meteoric rise since taking up a golf scholarship at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2022. The 23-year-old Business Management student has led the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in scoring for the past three seasons, producing 11 top-three finishes in the last year and two collegiate victories. He currently sits 89th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Van Wyk spent two years at Augusta University before transferring to the University of Toledo, where he graduated with a degree in Finance last year. The 23-year-old Fancou

rt member built on a series of top-three finishes in 2025 with a double victory in the Northern Amateur in March and has climbed to second on the GolfRSA Open Amateur standings.

Former Nomads SA Boys U17 champion Cilliers Craig has made a seamless transition to the Open Amateur circuit. The 17-year-old Silver Lakes Golf Estate member has recorded four top-10 finishes in his last five starts to rise to seventh in the Open Amateur Rankings, while also representing South Africa in two victorious teams this season – the Junior SA side at the GolfRSA International Amateur in February and the All Africa Junior Team Championship in Kenya in March.

Serengeti Estates’ Aiden Combrinck continues to underline his immense promise. The 14-year-old converted a run of top-five finishes in the 2025 Nomads Gowrie U15 Challenge, NTT Data U15 Junior and Sun City U15 Challenge into a breakthrough national victory in the Joburg Junior U15 Open. Victory in the 2026 Nomads Gowrie U15 Challenge cemented his No. 1 position in the GolfRSA U15 rankings.

Orkney Golf Club’s Leonard Swart has steadily climbed the Junior rankings and currently sits eighth in the standings. The 16-year-old highlighted his progress with a fourth-place finish in the 2025 Nedbank Golf Challenge, while also sharing the individual honours at the SA High Schools Championship. He further underlined his potential with victory in the A-Division at the Champion of Champions delivered by The Courier Guy National Final.

Ajulu, who represented GolfRSA at the 2025 Reply Italian U16 International, developed a strong competitive edge through SA Kids Golf and the Central Gauteng Golf Union junior circuit. The Country Club Johannesburg junior continues to make encouraging strides on the GolfRSA Junior circuit, highlighted by a top-five finish in the Joburg Junior U15 Open at the end of the 2025 season and a runner-up finish in the 2026 Nomads Gowrie U15 Challenge.

“The GolfRSA National Squad also includes a strong and growing women’s programme, structured across three tiers to support players at different stages of their development,” Hepburn said.

“While the Elite Squad focuses on South Africa’s top-ranked amateurs competing at the highest level locally and internationally, the B-Squad provides targeted support for the up-and-coming young women who show great potential, and who are transitioning from junior to elite amateur competition. “The Qualisa Squad nurtures emerging talent and together, these tiers reflect GolfRSA’s continued commitment to developing world-class female golfers, growing the women’s game, and ensuring a sustainable pipeline of future champions from across South Africa.”

The current Elite Squad features, among others, reigning SA Women’s Amateur Lisa Coetzer and two-time SA Women’s Amateur winners Gia Raad, who both won the prestigious R&A African Amateur Women’s Invitational, 2026 SA Women’s Stroke Play champion Charlotte Millard, Lourenda Steyn, who recently added the All Africa Junior Team Championship individual title to her list of international accomplishments and 2026 Nomads SA Girls champion Casey Twidale.

All squad members benefit from specialist guidance, access to tailored training programmes, participation in international tournaments and tours, and expert support across fitness, psychology, and technical development.

“The GolfRSA National Squad continues to be an add-on to the pathway for our country’s most talented golfers to develop into world-class competitors,” said GolfRSA CEO Grant Hepburn. “The GolfRSA National Squad represents a group of committed and ambitious young players who have shown they have both the ability and the temperament to succeed at the highest level. We are excited to work closely with them and their coaching teams as we help shape the next generation of South African champions.”

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