Louis Albertse was all smiles after winning the Kit Kat Cash and Carry Pro-Am and R320 000 at Irene Country Club on Sunday, but he said even though he triumphed by a comfortable four strokes it felt like he had been climbing mountains all day.
Albertse finished in style by sinking a 30ft putt for birdie on the 18th hole, completing an impressive four-under 68 in the final round, and a total of 23-under-par for the R2 million event, well clear of Kyle Barker in second place on 19-under.
But both playing partner Malcolm Mitchell and Barker had put Albertse under pressure through the final day.
Mitchell was four-under-par through the front nine as he closed to within two strokes, but then a horror run from the 12th hole saw him drop four strokes in three holes, including a double-bogey on the par-three 13th hole, when his tee-shot hit a tree and he then three-putted.
Barker produced excellent golf on the last day in a bogey-free 67, which could have been even better and would have put Albertse under even more pressure had a couple of late birdie putts not missed the hole by an inch or two.
Nevertheless, Albertse was not to be swayed on Sunday. He made a pair of crucial birdies around the turn and then played solid, error-free golf to par his way to the last hole.
“It’s always really hard to win, it never gets easier. Everyone here is extremely talented and the pressure can get to you; 18 holes is a long time,” the representative of Dundee Golf Club, in the foothills of the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, said after his second Sunshine Tour victory.
“Malcolm Mitchell played extremely well out of the blocks and that motivated me because I knew if I make mistakes then he will overtake me. I just tried to stay in it, focus on my own game as much as I could.
“The birdies at nine and 10 were crucial, with Malcolm missing a birdie putt at 10. I hit some good shots around the turn and I just tried to play good shot after good shot,” Albertse said.
Far from being insipid golf, Albertse’s run of pars from the 11th hole was a calculated strategy by the 26-year-old to eliminate risk, on a course he loves, having finished third in the same event last year.
“Having a good lead is nice because it means you can hit conservative shots, especially on holes 14 to 16. It also showed on my choice of club off the 18th tee when I hit a five-iron.
“I scored my first nine-under here at Irene, back in my amateur days. I just really enjoy the course and coming back here, I feel comfortable here,” Albertse said.
Sean Cronje, the 22-year-old from Durbanville, hit the big time on Sunday as his phenomenal eight-under 64 lifted him into third place on 17-under-par, his first top-10 finish on the Sunshine Tour.
Mitchell finished with a 71 to share fourth place on 16-under with Wynand Dingle (67).
SCORES:
265 - Louis Albertse 66 64 67 68
269 - Kyle Barker 70 64 68 67
271 - Sean Cronje 69 68 70 64
272 - Wynand Dingle 65 69 71 67, Malcolm Mitchell 68 67 66 71
273 - Jovan Rebula 65 70 68 70
274 - Ruan Korb 73 64 70 67, Stefan Wears-Taylor 68 67 69 70, Adam Breen 72 67 64 71
275 - Jack Hawksby 66 76 68 65, Dan Erickson 71 67 68 69, Merrick Bremner 72 67 68 68
276 - Estiaan Conradie 69 67 72 68
277 - Jacques Kruyswijk 69 70 67 71, Yurav Premlall 69 65 75 68
278 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 67 70 66 75
279 - CJ du Plessis 72 71 69 67, Matthew Spacey 71 71 68 69, Martin Rohwer 68 67 70 74, Jacques Blaauw 71 68 70 70, Luke Jerling 75 66 68 70, Robin Williams 69 68 68 74, Dylan Naidoo 72 69 68 70
280 - Quintin Wilsnach 73 68 72 67, Darren Fichardt 68 70 72 70, Keegan Mclachlan 72 70 65 73, Ruan Conradie 70 67 71 72
281 - Ulrich van den Berg 73 70 68 70, Rupert Kaminski 74 68 69 70, Callum Mowat 68 72 70 71, Anthony Michael 75 67 68 71, James Mack 71 69 68 73, Hennie O'Kennedy 74 66 68 73
282 - Jonathan Broomhead 74 69 69 70, Jared Harvey 73 69 70 70, Heinrich Bruiners 69 72 72 69, Sean Bradley 70 73 70 69, Luca Filippi 72 69 68 73
283 - Jean Hugo 73 69 71 70, Christiaan Basson 69 71 72 71
284 - Steve Surry 71 70 71 72, Ryan Van Velzen 72 71 72 69, Chris Cannon 74 69 71 70, Jaco Van Zyl 71 71 69 73, Franklin Manchest 72 70 69 73, Jason Smith 75 67 68 74, DK Kim 72 72 67 73
285 - Neil Schietekat 67 72 73 73, Madalitso Muthiya 71 70 72 72, Hennie Otto 74 69 70 72, Michael Hollick 74 70 69 72
286 - Keagan Thomas 69 72 69 76, Reinhardt Blaauw 72 72 73 69
287 - Vaughn van Deventer 71 71 76 69
288 - Toto Thimba Jnr 72 72 69 75, Nikhil Rama 72 70 72 74
290 - Jacques P de Villiers 73 71 74 72, Gerhard Trytsman 72 72 73 73
291 - Luke Brown 75 67 76 73, Danie Van Niekerk 73 69 76 73, Lyle Rowe 75 68 71 77
292 - Robson Chinhoi 76 67 75 74
293 - Richard Joubert 75 68 71 79
294 - Clancy Waugh 68 76 78 72