Local boy Lombard goes wire-to-wire at Woodhill
One of Pretoria's most promising young golf stars recently scored his first tournament victory of 2017.
Zander Lombard romped to a memorable eighth IGT Challenge Tour victory in a wire-to-wire performance at the recent Race to Q-School #14 tournament.
The 22-year-old Pretoria golfer produced a four-birdie flurry at the end of the final round for a six-under-par 66 at Woodhill Country Club to finish at 19 under 197 – a magnificent five shots clear of Zambian star Madalitso Muthiya.
“I played so well today. I hit all the right shots and made a lot of good decisions, which was really satisfying. It feels great to win again, especially ahead of the Eye of Africa PGA Championship. One of the most pleasing aspects of this week was getting myself into position and getting the job done. Hopefully I can take this form into next week and enjoy another positive result,” said Lombard after his achievement.
Lombard opened with an eight under 64 at his home course for a one shot lead over Ockert Strydom.
He carded 67 in the second round and could have been forgiven for looking over his shoulder at a hungry chasing pack when started the final round with a two shot edge over Strydom and fellow Sunshine Tour campaigner Danie van Tonder.
On the final day, he stretched his advantage with an eagle-birdie combination at five and sixth and still had a firm hold on the reigns after a bogey at 12.
Lombard said he had a fantastic day with the driver and the irons, but his putter let him down.
“I had seven lip-outs from 15 to 20 feet, but then the putts suddenly started to drop and I made four birdies down the straight.
“I was really impressed with the cut, which fell at two over. It’s amazing to see how the standard on the IGT Challenge Tour has improved since I first started playing the tour as an amateur back in 2012.
“I remember when the Sunshine Tour pros used to come and play, we would really pick up our games and try to catch them. It’s nice to give back now and I know guys like Danie and Ockie feel the same,” Lombard concluded.
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