Ryan van Velzen (born 4 October 2001) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2023–24 Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. He also finished runner-up at the 2023 Investec South African Open Championship and the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Professional career Van Velzen won two tournaments on the 2020–21 Big Easy Tour as an amateur, before turning professional in April 2021. He joined the Sunshine Tour and recorded a best finish in his rookie season with a tie for 4th at the Kit Kat Group Pro-Am. On the 2022–23 Sunshine Tour, he secured his maiden title at the Limpopo Championship, the penultimate regular event of the season.
On the 2023–24 Sunshine Tour, he was runner-up at the Investec South African Open Championship, three shots behind winner Dean Burmester. He also won the Mediclinic Invitational and lost in a playoff to Mikael Lindberg at the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open. He secured the top spot in the Order of Merit and was promoted to the 2025 European Tour. It also earned him starts at the 2024 PGA Championship (his first major appearance) and the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
In his fourth start on the 2025 European Tour, he finished runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2024, one shot behind Shaun Norris.
Professional wins (5) Sunshine Tour wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up12 Apr 2023Limpopo Championship−12 (69-67-68=204)1 stroke Luca Filippi, Jaco Prinsloo, Daniel van Tonder228 Jan 2024Mediclinic Invitational−25 (66-69-64-64=263)4 strokes Neil Schietekat
Sunshine Tour playoff record (0–1) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult12024Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open Mikael LindbergLost to birdie on second extra hole
Challenge Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunners-up131 May 2026Challenge de España−17 (64-71-63-69=267)2 strokes Wil Besseling, Dan Erickson
Big Easy Tour wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up121 Oct 2020Big Easy Road To #1(as an amateur)−16 (65-66-69=200)2 strokes Dylan Kok, Vaughn van Deventer, Warwick Purchase225 Mar 2021Big Easy Road To #8(as an amateur)−13 (68-68-67=203)1 stroke Matthew Rushton
Results in major championships Tournament2024Masters TournamentPGA ChampionshipCUTU.S. OpenThe Open ChampionshipCUT
CUT = missed the half-way cut
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