How South Africa’s next golf superstar has slipped under the radar
Jayden Schaper, South Africa’s rising golf star, has quietly climbed to 49th in the world rankings after a series of impressive performances, including back-to-back DP World Tour victories, making him the top-ranked South African golfer. Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
Image: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP
It came without much fanfare that Jayden Schaper moved into the top 50 of the world golf rankings a week ago.
The 24-year-old finished fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic, and that prompted a rise of nine spots to 50th.
On Monday, he edged a further step up the ladder to 49th in the world after a share 52nd in the Bahrain Championship.
It also makes Schaper the top-ranked SA player in the world. Garrick Higgo is second in 68th, while Thriston Lawrence is 74th. The trio should all have long careers ahead of them as Lawrence is the old man at 29 and Higgo is 26th.
Schaper’s Meteoric Rise: From Nedbank Challenge Runner-Up to Back-to-Back DP World Tour Victories
For Schaper though, his rise had been steady until it turned meteoric.
After finishing second in the Nedbank Challenge in December, he followed that up with his maiden DP World Tour victory in the Alfred Dunhill Championship the following week.
Coming so close to the win at Sun City and then going on to win the next week showed incredible perseverance as being in the hunt can really drain a player.
Still, his phenomenal exploits were not over yet as he went on to claim victory in the Mauritius Open the very next week. Winning two weeks in a row is nothing short of incredible, especially when they’re your first wins on tour.
In fact, those two wins were also Schaper’s first since turning professional in 2020 at the age of 18. Interestingly, Schaper turned professional straight after finishing sixth at the SA Open that year, in what was the best amateur finish in the hallowed event since Ernie Els in 1989.
It’s taken some time for Schaper to find his feet among the professionals, but all signs point to this being one player who will keep improving.