Naidoo clinches Big Easy victory
Naidoo played alongside seasoned pro Jeff Inglis and third-season campaigner Eddie Taylor in the final round
GOLF RSA National Squad member, Dylan Naidoo of Modderfontein Golf Club, became the first amateur and youngest winner of a Sunshine Big Easy Tour event when he lifted the Big Easy Observatory title with a two stroke victory on Wednesday last week.
The 18-year-old golfer upstaged a field of 109 professionals with rounds of 64 and 69 to triumph on 11-under-par 133.
Having made his mark on the local and international amateur circuit, the two-time Nomads SA Boys Stroke Play champion was thrilled to test his game at the next level and came out smiling.
“I’m really excited about how I managed to win this tournament,” Naidoo told Sunshine Tour press officer, Vincent Schaffler. “I played really well and to get my first professional win is something I’m really excited about.”
Naidoo showed the grit, determination and incredible talent of a future world-beater when he made his debut in the 2015 Joburg Open and narrowly missed the cut.
“I am really indebted to Bongi Mokaba from the City of Joburg, who opened the door for me to compete in the Joburg Open last year,” said the HPC Tuks Golf Academy player.
“That first taste of the pro circuit and my performance over the two rounds at Royal Johannesburg is the reason that I put all my energy into golf. People like Bongi, SAGA, Central Gauteng Golf Union and the Sunshine Tour have given me opportunities to test myself on golf’s biggest stages and it spurs me on to keep improving.”
Naidoo played alongside seasoned pro Jeff Inglis and third-season campaigner Eddie Taylor in the final round at Observatory Golf Club. The teenager offset two bogeys with five birdies to finish two shots clear of Sunshine Tour rookie Jason Viljoen.
“It was an experience that I will treasure. It really gives me a lot of confidence knowing I can compete against these players.”
Naidoo will take this confidence to South Carolina in July where he will compete in the Players Amateur and the Southern Amateur before he starts the next phase of his career at the University of Arkansas.
