Danie van Tonder’s ability to ignore the nerves that come with the pressure of winning and trust his attacking instincts paid off once again as he eagled the 18th hole to put himself in a playoff which he then won in the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge at Kyalami Country Club on Friday.
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Van Tonder, who started the final round four strokes off the lead, first of all chipped in to eagle the 480m par-five closing hole in regulation play to complete a brilliant six-under-par 66 and leap to 14-under-par for the tournament.
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The 33-year-old then had to wait to see if his clubhouse lead withstood the challenge of the last three two-balls. The eagle proved crucial as both Yurav Premlall and Martin Rohwer shot four-under-par 68s to also finish on 14-under, sending the trio into a sudden death-playoff on the 18th.
Premlall was eliminated on the second play-off hole as he made par and Van Tonder and Rohwer both birdied the par-five. After replaying the last hole three times, they then took on the par-three 17th, which Van Tonder had bogeyed in regulation play. Another excellent chip shot, this time out of a bunker, set up victory for the 10th time on the Sunshine Tour.
“I was frustrated when I stood on the 18th tee in regulation play because I was unlucky twice on 17. First I had a bad bounce with my tee-shot that went over the green, but I hit a great chip, only for the par-putt to horseshoe out. I knew it was a big putt,” Van Tonder said.
“I also knew I had to make eagle on the last to have a chance, so we took driver and tried to get as close as possible to the water. I had a five-iron in, which finished just right of the green. I said ‘Take the pin out!’ because I knew there had to be space for the ball, and then I chipped in.
“We then went back to 17 in the playoff and Martin and I were both in the greenside bunker. He hit a good shot to about three metres, but I was able to put it within a foot and make the par,” Van Tonder said matter-of-factly about two extraordinary moments of self-belief.
“Congratulations to Daniel, who played magnificent golf. I cannot wait to welcome him and the other Sunshine Tour professionals who have qualified to join us at the Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational at Sun City. I’m extremely grateful to our Sunshine Tour professionals and their ongoing support of our efforts to raise funds for The Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation,” said Gary Player.
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The Serengeti Estate golfer also won the FNB Eswatini Challenge on August 3, and said he was pleased his hard work on his game since returning from Europe is paying off.
“I’ve been playing well for a while, so it’s nice to be able to pluck the fruit from the tree, so to speak. They call me the Silent Assassin and the camera is never on me back in the field, but the game is there,” Van Tonder said.
Premlall had birdied the 18th to get into the playoff, but fell just short of his maiden Sunshine Tour title, while Rohwer had moved to 14-under with a birdie on the par-five 13th, but he just could not grab another opportunity to move ahead.
Van Tonder and the next leading 22 professionals from this tournament, as well as the top five transformation professionals and two tournament invites, have earned a place in the prestigious Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational at Sun City in November, where a collection of professionals golfers, celebrities, sports stars and business leaders will come together to raise even more funds for The Gary & Vivienne Player Foundation.
