Jaco Van Zyl

Started playing as an 11-year-old and turned professional at 21. Jaco won the SA Amateur Championship in 2000, won the Natal Open three times, the Transvaal Open and the Natal Amateur. Jaco enjoys water-skiing, swimming and is also a keen surfer. Also has a passion for flying, started hang-gliding five years ago.
Played on the PGA Tour and the Web.Com Tour in 2007. Best finish on the PGA Tour T-33rd at the Wyndham Championship. On the Web.Com Tour came close at the Melwood Prince George's County Open. After opening with a 1-under 71, played the next 54 holes in 16 under to finish T-2nd, one shot behind winner Paul Claxton. With a child on the way, he decided to return home to South Africa and play on that tour.
Between 2008 and 2011 won nine times on the Sunshine Tour and at the end of 2010 decided to try the European Tour. Played full-time on the European Tour in 2011, in 23 starts had four top-5s including a T-2nd at the Trophee Hassan, T-3rd at the Omega European Masters & Alfred Dunhill Championship, T-4th at the Africa Open. Won euro611,280 and was 50th in the Race to Dubai. Was also successful in 2012 and '13, best finish was T-2nd at the 2013 Africa Open. But problems arose, Van Zyl's knees started hurting and they got so bad in 2014 that his right kneecap kept popping out and the tendons around it weren't growing back. Things got so bad that he needed two operations to fix the problem and wasn't able to play much in 2014.
2015 Notes: His first official event back from the surgery was the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final in Africa, he finished T-29th. Next week went to China for the WGC-HSBC Champions and finished T-73rd. Had his first good start at the Dimension Data Pro-Am, finishing T-3rd. The next week on the European Tour was T-2nd at the Joburg Open and the week after T-6th at the Africa Open. On the Sunshine Tour he was 2nd at the Investec Cup and T-3rd at the European Tour Trophee Hassan. The good finishes continued during the year, was 3rd at the French Open and 3rd at the Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge. In the Final Series on the European Tour was 2nd at the Turkish Airlines Open and finished his European year with a T-42nd at the DP World Tour Championship. He earned euro 1,312,326 and was 21st in the Race to Dubai standings.
2016 Notes: Started the year with a T-8th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, the a T-10th at the Tshwane Open. He won for the first time since the surgery on the Sunshine Tour at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship. On the European Tour was T-7th at the BMW PGA Championship.

2016 Sunshine Tour results
Event Pos Score To Par Round Winnings
BMW SA Open-City of Ekurhuleni T-18 283 -5 65 78 68 72 ZAR 183,500.00
Joburg Open Cut 146 +3 77 69 ZAR 0.00
Tshwane Open T-10 277 -3 66 72 72 67 ZAR 334,233.33
Dimension Data Pro-Am T-22 279 -10 65 72 70 72 ZAR 47,737.50
Eye of Africa PGA Championship Win 268 -20 68 67 66 67 ZAR 190,200.00
Investec Cup T-6 284 -4 71 71 73 69 ZAR 0.00
Investec Cup (Bonus) 7 ZAR 290,000.00
AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open T-12 292 +4 71 72 77 72 ZAR 264,519.00