Emotional maiden win for Gauteng youngster at Wingate Park
A young golfer from Gauteng on Wednesday dedicated his victory in an IGT Challenge Tour tournament at Wingate Park to his sick sister.
Krugersdorp amateur Simon du Plooy dedicated his maiden IGT Challenge Tour victory to his 16-year-old comatose sister Nadia after he showed nerves of steel to win by one-shot on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old holed several tricky putts for pars on the back nine in an enthralling battle with professional Quintin Wilsnach and fellow amateurs Brandon Gildenhuys and Zachary Chegwidden from England in the Race to Q-School #4 at Wingate Park Country Club.
The most important of all came at the 18th where, under the most intense of pressure, the teenager rolled it into the cup for a one-over 73 and victory on seven-under.
“I’ve never really featured on the amateur circuit and definitely not on the IGT Challenge Tour until now, so this is really big for me. It was a different Simon du Plooy out there today. I’m so pleased to have done this for my younger sister,” Du Plooy said.
Nadia du Plooy was diagnosed with Kearns Sayres Syndrome at a young age, a very rare neuromuscular and progressive disorder. She is only documented sufferer in South Africa.
“Nadia is a very positive person, but it’s not going so well at the moment. She’s been in a coma at The Wilgers Hospital in Pretoria for the last three weeks. My sister has always inspired me and she is a fighter. The prognosis is not promising, but I really hope I get the chance to tell her all about this day,” said Du Plooy after his victory.
The unheralded Du Plooy surged into the lead with a second round six-under-par 66 and carried a four-shot lead into the final day.
“It’s fantastic to have my first win under the belt. I’ve gained a lot of experience since I started campaigning on the IGT Challenge Tour and I hope to play the last two before the Sunshine Tour Q-School. I’ve jumped to third in the rankings and the top 15 at the end of the Race to Q-School Series will go straight to Final Stage,” Du Plooy concluded.
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