Palmer wins big!
JOBURG – Michael Palmer does himself proud as he wins the fourth IGT Pro Tour
Michael Palmer racked up his fourth IGT Pro Tour on 22 October this season in the Race to Q-School, presented by RAW Golf School.
The 25-year-old Bryanston golfer followed rounds of 67 and 73 with a one under 71 to claim a three-stroke victory on 5-under-par 211 at Houghton Golf Club.
“This was one of the toughest weeks yet on the IGT Tour and I’m pleased about this win before I leave for the European Tour’s Second Stage Qualifier next week,” said Palmer.
“Since I started playing the IGT Tour, I realised that patience is probably the most important ‘club’ in your bag and mine got a really good workout this week,” he jokingly added.
Palmer started the final round with a three-stroke lead.
“The wind really pumped in the final round, which made the course even trickier. That’s why I really value this victory; it was a hard-earned win,” said Palmer.
Although fellow pro NJ Arnoldi and amateurs Louis Taylor and Dylan O’Leary got within striking distance just after the turn, none of them had the staying power to deny Palmer.
He surrendered his first shot at the par-5 fifth, but after driving it short of the green at the par-4 eighth, chipped it to 10 feet and made the birdie putt. Having turned 5 under, Palmer chipped in for birdie from the fringe at 10, but lost the advantage with a bogey at the next hole.
“I hit my approach to the wrong side of the green and I knew I was in trouble,”said Palmer
At this stage, Palmer knew that NJ, Dylan and Louis were chasing hard on him and that he only had a one-shot lead, and knew to stay patient.
“I think that’s a mistake a lot of inexperienced players make. You can’t react to the pressure, because that’s when things can go south pretty quickly,” said Palmer.
He hit the fairway bunker at 13 and caught the trap-shot a little heavy, but chipped in from the fringe for a last birdie to putt some space between himself and the chasing pack.
“The last five holes were all really good pars,” said the Oklahoma City University graduate. “I kept a level head and just grinded my way to the end. That’s really the part of the round that has given me a lot of confidence,” he concludes.
Former IGT Tour winner Bryn Flanagan and Taylor carded 71s to tie for second on 2-under and O’Leary closed with a 70 to finish fourth at 1-under 143.
Details: Houghton Golf Club 011 483 3072 or 011 728 7337; Raw Golf School info@rawgolf.co.za or 082 990 7226 / 084 704 8117
