Sudden-death play-off determines winner of Tshwane Junior Open golf title
A sudden-death play-off was needed last week in Centurion to determine the winner of the Tshwane Junior Open Golf Tournament.
Martin Vorster from Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape sealed the Tshwane Junior Open title in stunning fashion last week after an eagle at the par five 17th gave him the chance to defeat another Capetonian, Ayden Senger, in a sudden-death play-off.
Senger set the first-round pace with a blistering eight-under-par 64 and Vorster trailed by four shots going into the final round at Irene Country Club.
Unfortunately for Senger he made a stumbling start. He then stemmed the bleeding with a trio of birdies around the turn and birdied the par five 17th, but by the time he signed for an even-par 72, the Durbanville junior had been caught by Vorster.
Vorster was four under after a birdie at the 13th and he cancelled a bogey at the 14th and double bogey at the 15th with a birdie at the par three 16th and eagle at the 17th for successive rounds of 68.
Tied on eight-under 136, the pair had to make two trips down the 18th hole before Vorster clinched victory with a birdie.
“I’m really chuffed with my first under-19 win of the season,” said GolfRSA National Squad member Vorster, who also led the GolfRSA Junior Proteas to a record-setting victory in the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan last month.
Vorster said it was all down to that eagle coming at exactly the right time.
“The tee was moved forward and I hit a really good tee shot down the middle. I had 156 metres to the back-right flag and it was playing downwind, so I hit a pitching-wedge in. It landed six metres left of pin and I made the putt,” he concluded.
Vorster and Senger split the fairway on 18 and both players hit their second shots left of the bunker and short of the green. When both of them made par, they had to go back to play the 18th again.
On the second trip, Senger hit his second shot in the same spot on the left and Vorster finished in the greenside bunker on the right. Senger’s chip ran about seven metres past the pin and Vorster chipped it to a metre. After Senger missed, Vorster boxed for the birdie and the win.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
