Thomas Aiken, one of the rising stars of South African golf, has made a strong call for the public to show more support for the country’s next generation of golfers at this year’s South African Open.

Aiken, who this year made his mark on the European Tour with seven top-tens including tied eighth in the British Open and a finish of 46th on the Race to Dubai rankings, said he hoped South Africans would come out in their numbers to support the country’s talented young professionals at Pearl Valley Golf Estates from 17-20 December.

“The South African public needs to realise that we have some fantastic golfers here,” said Aiken, adding that he wished the country’s golfers were as well supported as the rugby and cricket stars.

“It’s sad that we don’t get more people coming to watch our tournaments. When you see old TV footage of past South African Opens, and the fairways are packed from tee to green, it’s sad that we don’t have that anymore.

“Golf is one of our most successful sports in South Africa, and yet some people still only know about Ernie Els. For many years they didn’t even know about Retief Goosen. We’ve got a lot of players in the top 100 in the world. That just shows how strong golf is in this country.”

Aiken will join Richard Sterne, the defending champion, Charl Schwartzel; Louis Oosthuizen; James Kamte; Branden Grace; Garth Mulroy and others in a youthful South African challenge at Pearl Valley.

Aiken will join Richard Sterne, the defending champion, Charl Schwartzel; Louis Oosthuizen; James Kamte; Branden Grace; Garth Mulroy and others in a youthful South African challenge at Pearl Valley.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of young players now, and the future of South African golf is looking very promising. So it would be fantastic to get the same support from the public so we can put golf on the map in this country, because that’s where it belongs,” he said.