Casey Jarvis goes back-to-back with triumph at the 115th SA Open

South African Casey Jarvis went back-to-back on the DP World Tour, after clinching a three-shot win at the 115^th SA Open Championship at Stellenbosch Golf Club on Sunday, to follow up his Kenyan Open triumph a week earlier.

Jarvis was in impeccable form over the four days of action, hitting a three-under 67 and two-under 68 on the first two days, before a six-under 64 on Saturday catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard on 11-under heading into the final day.

He then held his nerve with a final round three-under 67 to secure the title on 14-under, three shots ahead of countryman Hennie du Plessis, Italy’s Francesco Laporta and France’s Frederic Lacroix.

The Boksburg born 22-year-old has now earned a place at the Masters in Augusta next month, and the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in the UK in July, which will be his first two appearances at Majors since turning professional four years ago.

“I feel absolutely incredible and on top of the world at the moment. To win in front of my home crowd at my home open is just absolutely fantastic, I’ve got no words,” said a beaming Jarvis.

“It has been my dream since I was a kid to play at Augusta. I thought about it in the morning, although I tried not to, but it was hard not to think about, and I just cannot wait to go there and see how my game compares to the best players in the world.”

Best of the rest

It was Lacroix who produced the best final round of the second placed finishers, striking a five-under-par 65, with an eagle on the par-five fifth, as well as five birdies and one double bogey, to end on 11-under.

Du Plessis will be kicking himself after starting the final hole in outright second, only to hit the water with his second shot, and finish with a bogey, for a one-under round of 69, which Laporta also hit.

England’s Eddie Pepperell enjoyed a strong final day to shoot an unblemished six-under-par round of 64, with six birdies and 12 pars, to finish in outright fifth place on 10-under-par.

The round of the day went to German Freddy Schott, as he equalled the course record set by Du Plessis on day two, shooting a seven-under-par 63, featuring eight birdies and one bogey, which saw him finish in a tie for 16^th on six-under.

Other players to shoot impressive final rounds were SA’s Wilco Nienaber, England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and Matthew Jordan, as well as Italy’s Matteo Manassero, who all shot rounds of five-under 65.

Three players finished in a tie for sixth, with SA’s Daniel van Tonder and Haydn Porteus, along with the UAE’s Adrian Otaegui, ending on eight-under-par, while a further five players finished on seven-under in a tie for ninth to round out the top 10.

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