SA Open drama as Daniel van Tonder sinks 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th to claim 1-shot win | Sport24news
With Oliver Bekker chipping in three times in the final round at the Gary Player Country Club on his way to a closing 66 and a championship total of 15-under-par, Van Tonder had the kind of stroke of luck that is often needed to win a big title when his aggressive approach to the par-five 18 island green only just stayed out of the water. His chip from the fringe which should have taken him to tap-in distance ended up 25 feet short, and a play-off with Bekker was looming.
He couldn’t stop smiling after that as he celebrated the biggest victory of his life – perhaps not in rand terms with his R1.28-million share of the $500,000 purse, but it is certainly bigger than his win in the Kenya Savannah Classic in Nairobi in March on the European Tour. It took a superlative seven-under-par 65 for him to subdue the challenges posed by Bekker, Justin Harding, Hennie du Plessis who finished third, Dean Burmester who was fourth and CJ du Plessis who came home in fifth.
Things looked to be going Bekker’s way as he chipped in for birdie on four and for eagle on five. That brought his total of chip-ins for the week to four. But Van Tonder just kept on pushing, and he made three birdies in four holes from the fifth to the eighth.
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