Juan Carlo "J.C." Ritchie (born 24 February 1994) is a South African professional golfer. He plays on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour where he has won ten times.
Professional career
Ritchie's first win on the Sunshine Tour was at Royal Harare Golf Club in the 2017 Zimbabwe Open where he beat Trevor Fisher Jnr at the second hole of a playoff.[1] He was third in the 2018 BMW SA Open and also finished third in the 2017–18 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. In August 2018 he won the Sun Carnival City Challenge.[2] In March 2019, partnered with Jaco Prinsloo, he won the Sunshine Tour Team Championship and the following week won the Limpopo Championship at the first hole of a playoff with Steve Surry.[3] The following month he won the Zanaco Masters in Zambia, again at the first hole of a playoff against Rhys Enoch. He had two further wins in early 2020, retaining the Team Championship and the Limpopo Championship in successive weeks.
In May 2021, Ritchie won the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open, beating Jacques Blaauw in a sudden-death playoff.[4] He successfully defended this title in February 2022, winning by one shot ahead of Christopher Mivis.[5] The following week, he won the Jonsson Workwear Open, winning by six shots, again ahead of Mivis.[6]
Professional wins (12)
Sunshine Tour wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Apr 2017 | Zimbabwe Open | 74-67-67-64=272 | −16 | Playoff |  Trevor Fisher Jnr
|
| 2 | 10 Aug 2018 | Sun Carnival City Challenge | 64-72-72=208 | −8 | 1 stroke | Alex Haindl, Toto Thimba Jnr
|
| 3 | 2 Mar 2019 | Team Championship (with Jaco Prinsloo)
|
61-66-62=189 | −27 | 1 stroke | Jacques Blaauw and Merrick Bremner
|
| 4 | 10 Mar 2019 | Limpopo Championship | 66-69-70-65=270 | −18 | Playoff |  Steve Surry
|
| 5 | 7 Apr 2019 | Zanaco Masters | 70-68-66-70=274 | −18 | Playoff |  Rhys Enoch
|
| 6 | 25 Jan 2020 | Gauteng Team Championship (2) (with Jaco Prinsloo)
|
61-68-62=191 | −25 | 2 strokes | Jaco Ahlers and Vaughn Groenewald
|
| 7 | 2 Feb 2020 | Limpopo Championship1 (2) | 66-69-67-67=269 | −19 | 2 strokes | Wilco Nienaber
|
| 8 | 2 May 2021 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 | 71-69-68-66=274 | −14 | Playoff | Jacques Blaauw
|
| 9 | 20 Feb 2022 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 (2) | 69-66-67-68=270 | −18 | 1 stroke |  Christopher Mivis
|
| 10 | 27 Feb 2022 | Jonsson Workwear Open1 | 61-63-65-71=260 | −26 | 6 strokes | Christopher Mivis
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour
Sunshine Tour playoff record (4–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | Zimbabwe Open | Trevor Fisher Jnr
|
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2019 | Limpopo Championship | Steve Surry
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2019 | Zanaco Masters | Rhys Enoch
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2021 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Jacques Blaauw
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Feb 2020 | Limpopo Championship1 | 66-69-67-67=269 | −19 | 2 strokes | Wilco Nienaber
|
| 2 | 2 May 2021 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 | 71-69-68-66=274 | −14 | Playoff | Jacques Blaauw
|
| 3 | 20 Feb 2022 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open1 (2) | 69-66-67-68=270 | −18 | 1 stroke | Christopher Mivis
|
| 4 | 27 Feb 2022 | Jonsson Workwear Open1 | 61-63-65-71=260 | −26 | 6 strokes | Christopher Mivis
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
Challenge Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open | Jacques Blaauw
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
IGT Pro Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Aug 2013 | IGT Winter Challenge State Mines CC | −8 (72-65-71=208) | 2 strokes | Rhys West
|
| 2 | 13 Aug 2014 | Race to Asian Q-School Irene Country Club | −17 (65-67-67=199) | 5 strokes | Jason Smith (a)
|
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||
| PGA Championship | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | NT | T40 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T68 | |||
| Match Play | NT1 | |||
| Invitational | ||||
| Champions | 76 | NT1 | NT1 |
1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied
See also
References
- ^ "Ritchie wins Zimbabwe Open". Sport 24. 23 April 2017.
- ^ "Ritchie holds on for Sun Carnival City victory". Sport 24. 10 August 2018.
- ^ "Ritchie claims inaugural Limpopo Championship". Sport 24. 10 March 2019.
- ^ "Ritchie snatches victory at Cape Town Open". Compleat golfer. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "JC Ritchie makes Cape Town Open history". MSN Sport. 20 February 2022.
- ^ Gussoni, Andrea (2 March 2022). "JC Ritchie: "It was tough out there in Durban"". Tennis World USA.
External links
- J. C. Ritchie at the Sunshine Tour official site
- J. C. Ritchie at the European Tour official site
- J. C. Ritchie at the PGA Tour official site
- J. C. Ritchie at the Official World Golf Ranking official site