Van Dyk goes wire-to-wire for maiden Big Easy title

Orkney Golf Club’s Andre Van Dyk carded a blemish-free seven-under-65 to claim a wire-to-wire victory in the fourth Altron Big Easy Tour tournament at Huddle Park Golf Club on Wednesday.

That score took his tournament total to 18-under-par to give the 22-year-old his maiden professional win while also earning his first Altron Big Easy Tour title.

“It was really tough to lose my Sunshine Tour card earlier in the year and this win just means so much to me,” said Van Dyk.

“And then, coming to the Big Easy Tour, I missed all the cuts in the first three tournaments. I then told myself that coming into this one, I would not be playing to make the cut but I wanted to try to win.

“It was a challenging week from the get-go but I was lucky to start well on the first day because I feel like the week gets easier when you score well on the first round; you have little pressure and you are not chasing. And then, it got really tough in round two but I was happy with the way I played because I was still in the lead and I knew what to do today to get the victory.”

PLAY WITH CAUTION

The Potchefstroom resident got off to a great start on Wednesday; going four-under after six holes thanks to birdies on the first, the fourth, fifth and sixth holes.

To solidify his place atop the leaderboard, Van Dyk made further gains on the ninth.

From there on, Van Dyk knew he had to play with caution to avoid big numbers ruining his scorecard and threatening his march toward victory.

Four straight pars after the turn followed before Van Dyk birdied both the par-fives on the homeward stretch – the 14th and 16th – to seal a sparkling round of 65 and claim his first-ever win on this developmental circuit of the Sunshine Tour.

“This win means so much to me because now we have a break and it was important that I played well before that break,” said Van Dyk.

“The break will give me an opportunity to work on a few things I feel will improve my game and get me ready to go for the rest of the season.”

Van Dyk will now want to build on his confidence-boosting win in an effort to regain his Sunshine Tour status. But for, now, the 22-year-old will go on a much-needed break to recharge.

FINAL SCORES

198 - Andre Van Dyk 62 71 65

203 - Xander Basson 68 66 69

204 - Ethan Smith 69 69 66, Jason Roets 67 69 68

205 - Paul Boshoff 69 69 67, Stals Swart 66 70 69

206 - Ruan Groenewald 69 68 69

207 - Andrew Williamson 70 69 68, Dylan O'Leary 66 73 68

208 - Gerard du Plooy 74 66 68, Nicholaus Frade 71 68 69, Luke Trocado 66 72 70

209 - Andrew McLardy 68 72 69, Matthew Rushton 67 73 69, Coert Groenewald 71 68 70, Visitor Mapwanya 70 66 73

210 - Andre De Decker 70 70 70, Wade Jacobs 72 68 70, Werner Deyzel 69 71 70, Musiwalo Nethunzwi 72 66 72, Luan Steenkamp 70 64 76

211 - Harry Konig 73 68 70, Ronald Rugumayo 70 71 70, Travis Ladner 69 70 72

212 - Philip Geerts 69 71 72

213 - Caylum Boon 71 70 72, Jabulane Mabilane 72 68 73

214 - Francois Van der Walt 70 70 74, Rigardt Albertse 71 68 75

216 - Jacquin Hess 70 69 77

217 - Alphius Kelapile 72 69 76

219 - Evance Vukeya 74 66 79