Kempton Park golfing pro Ockert Strydom won the Centurion championship by two strokes on Thursday, to complete his hat-trick on the IGT Tour.

The championship was played at Centurion Country Club.

Strydom fired a superb six-under-par 66 to overhaul overnight leader Danie van Tonder to finish on 14 under 275.

With the win, the GFG Academy player matched Van Tonder with a 10th career victory and became the third player to visit the winner’s enclosure three times this season, after Anton Haig and Pretoria amateur Estiaan Conradie, although he is the first to make it three in a row.

Van Tonder closed with a 70 and finished two strokes ahead of 2016 Zwartkop Match Play champion Damian Naicker, who took sole third on nine under with a 67 in the last round.

Former IGT tour champions Jacques Kruyswijk and Juan Swart rounded out the top five at six under after they posted respective rounds of 68 and 72.

Strydom began the final round two shots off the pace and slipped three back after he bogeyed the opening 10th hole for a third time this week.

He reversed the unfortunate start with back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12, and was back within two shots after Van Tonder followed successive birdies at 11 and 12 with a drop at 14.

Strydom caught up to the leader with another brace of birdies at 15 and 16 and took the outright lead at the turn after Van Tonder dropped the par four 18th.

“I have to admit I had a little help from the golfing gods with my eagles. The approach at the first pitched right next to the flag, hit the pin and spun to six feet. I three-putted the third hole after I left the first putt short and misread the second, but I got another eagle at five.”

“My tee shot landed just right of the fairway. I hit a knock-down sand-wedge into the wind from 177m and the ball pitched just past the pin and spun back into the hole.”

Strydom said when he got to 18, he had four shots in hand and he needed them, because he hit the driver shot straight over the top right into the middle of the dam.

“At the drop zone, I told my caddy I was aiming for the middle of the green. Take the two-putt bogey and walk. Danie made a great birdie to close the gap to two shots, so those eagles really did the trick.”