Rookie claims maiden Big Easy title at Waterkloof Golf Club
One of the beginners on the local professional golf scene won the Altron Big Easy Tour tournament at the Waterkloof golf course last week.
Benoni’s Reece McKain overturned a three-shot deficit last week to claim a one-stroke victory for his maiden Altron Big Easy Tour title after he carded a final-round 70 to total 11-under-par at Waterkloof Golf Club.
It was a dramatic turn of events as both Royal Cape Golf Club’s Samuel Simpson and the man who had led proceedings here for the first 36 holes, Philip Geerts, pushed hard for the win coming down the final stretch.
Conner McKenzie was also in the mix in the early stages of the round, even though he would slip down to finish fourth in Pretoria this week.
“I think for me the turning point of my round was the eighth hole. I hit it in the water there, after making birdie on the seventh; now I’m looking at a double in the face on the tight, right flag – a nicely tucked flag. So, I thought ‘let me just drop it way back – 65 – I like that number, and I just hit a perfect golf shot and the ball spun back into the hole for a nice little hole-out. That was great momentum,” said McKain, reflecting on the moments he thought were key to his triumph this week.
He started his round with a bogey on but swiftly recovered with a birdie in the next hole. His joy was short-lived, however, as he dropped another shot on the par-four fifth. Again, and in a show of mental strength and grit, McKain capitalised with a birdie on the fifth and didn’t drop another shot until the 10th. He found joy once more when he birdied 12 and 14 before closing off with another birdie on the last.
McKain turned pro last year in April and earned his Altron Big Easy Tour playing privileges after failing to secure a Sunshine Tour card at Qualifying School where he fell short of the top 25. In his rookie season on this Sunshine Tour development circuit, things were never going to be easy for McKain. The quality of golf is of such high standard that it is not a rare phenomenon to compete against multiple Sunshine Tour winners.
The East Rand golfer has now moved up to 20th on the Order of Merit and within the top 50 players eligible to play The Play-Offs at Centurion Country Club in a couple of weeks from now. The 10th tournament of the Altron Big Easy Tour will be played at Benoni Country Club where McKain is a familiar figure and he will hope to make it back-to-back wins at his home course.
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