South Africa is producing young and hungry players who are eager to prove themselves on bigger stages

So far on the 2015-16 season on the European Tour, we have seen the emergence of two young South Africans who look ready to assert themselves in the world of golf. 22-year-old Brandon Stone won the BMW SA Open and 21-year-old Haydn Porteous won the Joburg Open. The two are close friends and it was Porteous who beat Stone in a playoff in the Barclays Kenya Open in 2015 on the Challenge Tour. The victory enabled Porteous to become a Challenge Tour member en route to finishing 20th on the Race to Oman rankings. While he fell just short of the the all-important top-15 who got their European Tour cards, Stone finished one spot inside the qualifying mark and has hit the ground running in his maiden main Tour season. He finished T18 in the Alfred Dunhill Championship before he won his national open. He followed that potentially life-changing victory with a T28 at the Joburg Open.

Both wins carry European Tour exemptions until the end of the 2016-17 season. This is massive for both players in the early stage of their careers. As a result, they aren't under any serious pressure if they desire to make swing, equipment, or coaching changes. Stone and Porteous lead a pack of up-and-coming South Africans who have lots of potential.

Zander Lombard is 21 years old and has had quite the start to this season. In three events, he's finished 2nd, T12, and 4th. With his earnings already he would finish 126th on last year's Race to Dubai. I would expect him to get some sponsor's invitations to future events and would not be surprised if he earns the additional approximately €90,000 that would be needed to earn a card for next season.

Dylan Frittelli has been on the radar for many years, going back to his days at the University of Texas when he holed the winning putt in the 2012 NCAA Championship. He hasn't had the start to his career like he would have hoped, but 2016 could put an end to that. In four events so far this season, he's earned €141,023, mostly courtesy of a playoff loss to Nathan Holman in the Australian PGA Championship. Like Lombard, Frittelli is in a great position to earn full playing rights for next season on the European Tour. He probably needs to earn another €110,000. I would expect him to have five or six more opportunities this season.

19-year-old Thriston Lawrence is player who has taken a different route than most South Africans. He spent most of 2015 on the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Tour, where he was the Order of Merit champion. Courtesy of winning the money list on that Tour, he earned a place in this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic, where he missed the cut by one shot. He also played five events on the Challenge Tour, but only made one cut. He is managed by ISM (International Sports Management), headed by Chubby Chandler. Lawrence won the 2014 South African Amateur Championship as a 16-year-old. This season, he will get starts on the European, Challenge, Sunshine, and MENA Tours as he looks to make more progress in the professional game.