Keegan Mclachlan announced on Wednesday that his only intention going into the final round of the Altron Big Easy Tour tournament at Reading Country Club is to win the event and he stayed true to his word when he claimed a 10-stroke win on Thursday.
Mclachlan, 24, carded a final-round 65 for a tournament total of 15-under-par 198, 10 shots clear of the chasing quartet of Philip Geerts, England’s Harry Konig, Rigardt Albertse and Therion Nel.
Taking a two-shot lead into the final round thanks to rounds of 66 and 67, Mclachlan made light work of this parklands layout. He was two-under through his first four holes, having birdied the third and fourth holes to create some distance between himself and the chasing field. He made further gains on six and eight and after the turn, the Silver Lakes Golf Club player dropped his first shot of the day.
Mclachlan immediately shrugged that bogey off, however, and birdied the 11th before making an eagle on the only par-five hole on the homeward stretch; the 12th hole. He was not done yet as he fired in another birdie on 14. His second drop of the day came on the 16th hole but it was of no consequence as he closed off with a brace of pars.
“To win, you have to have the belief that you can win,” said Mclachlan following his win. “In previous times when I have been in the same situation, I didn’t have the belief and I have learned from those experiences.
“DK Kim started quite nicely because after seven holes I was still three or four ahead and when I turned after nine holes, I was six ahead. After I made that eagle on 12, I just wanted to make the winning margin as big as possible.”
While this may be his maiden Altron Big Easy Tour win, Mclachlan has been in great form this season, claiming wins in two other local tours in the last three months. Having scooped his first win on this Sunshine Tour feeder circuit, he will go into the Sunshine Tour’s Sunbet Wild Coast tournament with renewed confidence as he seeks to make a name for himself on the main stage of South African golf.
“My game is feeling good,” he said, “and I am looking forward to Wild Coast. I feel like there’s not much difference between the Sunshine Tour and the Big Easy because it’s the same golf. I just have to have that mentality and I think I should do just fine.”
The Altron Big Easy Tour was formed in 2011 as a developmental tour of the Sunshine Tour and continues to attract some of the big-name players from the main circuit.