He is approaching his career-high on the list, and MJ Daffue has consistency to thank for his rise to 14^th on the week’s Official World Golf Ranking.

Daffue finished in a share of 15^th in the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open, his second top 20 finish of the season to go with his two top 30 results. That saw him climb 10 places into 147^th, just six spots shy of his best-ever ranking of 141^st, which came after the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

He was the best South African performer of the week, although the highest-ranked local player, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, was up one place to 72^nd after his share of 28^th in the same tournament.

The LIV Golf effect on four of South Africa’s top players continues to be quite stark: Dean Burmester, who had become South Africa’s top ranked player ahead of his defection to the breakaway tour, was down one to 79^th despite his third-place finish on that circuit at the weekend. Louis Oosthuizen was down eight to 120^th, Charl Schwartzel down five to 215^th and Branden Grace down 12 to 237^th.

Ryan van Velzen’s maiden Sunshine Tour victory saw him climb 231 places from 977^th to 746^th.

South Africa’s top 20:

1. Christiaan Bezuidenhout 72 (up 1)
2. Dean Burmester 79 (down 1)
3. Thriston Lawrence 86 (up 1)
4. Louis Oosthuizen 120 (down 8)
5. Oliver Bekker 115 (down 1)
6. Erik van Rooyen 125 (down 4)
7. Ockie Strydom 138 (down 5)
8. MJ Daffue 147 (up 10)
9. Hennie du Plessis 178 (down 3)
10. Dylan Frittelli 180 (down 6)
11. Shaun Norris 183 (down 6)
12. Zander Lombard 188 (down 1)
13. Charl Schwartzel 215 (down 5)
14. Garrick Higgo 216 (down 28)
15. Branden Grace 237 (down 12)
16. George Coetzee 238 (down 5)
17. JC Ritchie 255 (down 2)
18. Justin Harding 256 (up 3)
19. Louis de Jager 260 (down 2)
20. Jaco Ahlers 276 (unchanged)