Jaco van Zyl

Who is Jaco van Zyl?

Jaco Phillipus van Zyl is a professional golfer from South Africa.

Van Zyl was born in Pretoria. He won the South African Amateur Championship in 2000 and turned professional the following year, immediately joining the Sunshine Tour. He won for the first time on the tour at the Platinum Classic in 2005.

In 2007, van Zyl played on the elite U.S.-based PGA Tour, having gained his card at the 2006 qualifying school. He made the 36-hole cut only four times in 21 tournaments during his rookie season, and finished 227th on the money list.

In 2009, van Zyl recorded the biggest win of his career at the Telkom PGA Championship, and went on to win twice more during the season and finish in 4th place on the Order of Merit. Having won four more tournaments on the Sunshine Tour in 2010, Van Zyl ended the year by finishing in 5th place at the final stage of the European Tour's qualifying school to earn his place on European Tour for the 2011 season. He had a good first season with five top-10 placings and finished 50th on the Race to Dubai.