Christo Lamprecht earns spot in
Nedbank Golf Challenge after receiving
Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award

South African golf sensation Christo Lamprecht has earned a coveted spot in the prestigious Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted at the iconic Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, from December 5-8, 2024.

This opportunity follows Lamprecht’s historic recognition as the inaugural recipient of the Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award presented by FlightScope, an accolade that is now closely tied to the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award, established in partnership with the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and FlightScope, recognises the top international collegiate golfers from outside the United States. The award is presented annually to five athletes across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA levels.

Lamprecht, a standout in NCAA Division I, is the first-ever winner of this prestigious award, which is set to become a hallmark in identifying future global golf stars, with a clear pathway to competing in the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the professional golf tours.

“Many congratulations to Christo on an exceptional achievement in earning a place in the Nedbank Golf Challenge,” said World Golf Hall of Famer, Gary Player. “As a fellow South African, it fills me with immense pride to see Christo’s success. His dedication to both his education and the game of golf exemplifies the values we hold dear in this sport as he conducts himself on and off the course like a true gentleman. I have no doubt that Christo will continue to make us proud and I look forward to watching his career flourish on the international stage and welcoming him to Sun City later this year.”

Lamprecht’s stellar collegiate career at Georgia Tech, where he earned multiple accolades including the 2024 ACC Golfer of the Year and the Byron Nelson Award, solidified his place as one of the most promising talents in the sport. His achievements on the amateur stage, including winning The Amateur Championship and finishing as the leading amateur at The Open in 2023, set the stage for this latest recognition.

Lamprecht’s award-winning season saw him claim six top-ten finishes, a win at the Fighting Illini Invitational, and a PING First-Team All-America honour for the second consecutive year.

Lamprecht, who hails from George, South Africa, also competed at the 2024 Masters Tournament where he played alongside Gary Player at the Par 3 Challenge.

Now, with the Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award as part of his growing resume, Lamprecht’s invitation to the Nedbank Golf Challenge highlights the award’s growing prestige. The event will offer Lamprecht the chance to compete against top international golfers, including defending champion Max Homa and fellow South Africans Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen, among others.

Lamprecht’s participation continues a tradition of rewarding South Africa’s most promising young golfers with entry into the field, following in the footsteps of Zander Lombard, Thriston Lawrence, and George Coetzee.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge has long been a showcase of top golfing talent, and with the establishment of this new award, future recipients can look forward to following in Lamprecht’s footsteps, earning their place in one of the sport’s most iconic tournaments. Since its inception in 1981, winners include World Golf Hall of Famers such as Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els and Bernhard Langer.

With Lamprecht’s rising profile and the continued prominence of the Gary Player International Golfer of the Year Award, the future of South African golf looks brighter than ever.

About the DP World Tour

The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group.

Our 2024 global schedule features a minimum of 44 tournaments in 24 different countries across three distinct phases of the season: five ‘Global Swings’ from November 2023 to August 2024; the ‘Back 9’ from September 2024 to October 2024; and the ‘DP World Tour Play-Offs’, comprising two consecutive Rolex Series events in November 2024.

Overall, the 2024 season features five Rolex Series events – the premium category of events on the DP World Tour – and four Major Championships, all of which count towards the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, the Tour’s season-long competition which concludes at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, has been the title partner of the DP World Tour since the start of the 2022 season, the Tour’s 50th season following its formation in 1972.

About the European Tour group

The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers: the DP World Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.

Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.

Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.

Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, golf for the disabled and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf.

Global: Since 1972, players from 38 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Emirates, Fortinet and Hilton as Official Partners.

The European Tour group has Strategic Alliances with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Those Strategic Alliances, combined with partnerships with the China Golf Association (CGA), Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India, provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group.

We ensure we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit through ‘Golf for Good’, the umbrella name for the European Tour group’s commitment to ‘Driving Golf Further’ in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.