Dylan O’Leary will breathe a sigh of relief following his one-stroke victory over Ricky Hendler in the Altron Big Easy Tour Play-Off held at Irene Country Club.
The 33-year-old Riyal Johannesburg and Kensington player brought a one-stroke lead into the final round of this penultimate event of the season and knew that only a strong performance would get him over the line.
Lying 29th on the Order of Merit ahead of this 54-hole event, and with 12 Sunshine Tour cards up for grabs come the end of the season, O’Leary had needed to show up and he did.
He signed for four-under-par 68 on Friday to total 13-under-par 203 and win his first Sunshine Tour-sanctioned tournament.
“This is huge for me, man,” exclaimed a visibly emotional O’Leary after his win.
“I’ve had three wins on the Bushveld Tour, but this is the big one for me. It’s been such a long season for me, and I have had my fair share of personal issues to deal with. So, to win now and in the manner I did, is super special. I was 29th on the Order of Merit before this tournament and this win is going to bump me up. It feels like all the work is now paying off.”
Starting from the 10th, O’Leary opened with back-to-back birdies and parred the next three holes.
'HELPS TO STAY PATIENT'
Another birdie found its way into his card on the 15th – his sixth – before closing that stretch with another birdie for a blemish-free 32.
Coming home, and after making pars on 10 and 11, O’Leary’s progress was halted, no thanks to bogeys on 12 and 13.
He steadied himself once more and made three straight pars before closing with two birdies on 17 and 18.
“Things got a little wobbly on 12 and 13,” he noted, “and I had to quickly redirect my thoughts. Then, I got to the last two holes, and I just got this renewed energy because Ricky was playing solidly. That guy can play; he just refuses to give up and when you have a playing partner like that, it rubs off you and I just had to keep going.
“Winning on this Tour is so tough and competing against guys like Ricky; he won’t take his foot off the gas, so you also need to step up. But I am glad I managed to get it done, especially at this time in the season. It really helps to stay patient.”
Hendler was every bit as brilliant on Friday, popping up with a 68 of his own to make it a proper competition.
Having secured his card already for next season’s Sunshine Tour campaign, Hendler will have another opportunity for a win in next week’s Final at Blue Valley Golf Estate.
Only the top 30 players on the Altron Big Easy Tour Order of Merit are eligible for the Final at Blue Valley.
Scores:
203 - Dylan O'Leary 67 68 68
204 - Ricky Hendler 69 67 68
207 - Vaughn van Deventer 69 70 68
208 - Andre De Decker 73 68 67, Christopher Long 69 69 70
209 - Werner Deyzel 70 70 69, Andrew McLardy 69 70 70, Leon Vorster 71 66 72
210 - Dayne Moore 71 69 70, Samuel Simpson 70 69 71
211 - Stals Swart 75 68 68, Ruan de Smidt 71 70 70, Andrew Williamson 71 70 70, Ruan Groenewald 71 70 70, Conner Mackenzie 72 69 70
212 - Travis Ladner 74 68 70, Allister de Kock 69 72 71
213 - Warwick Purchase 70 73 70, Franklin Manchest 68 71 74, Xander Basson 70 68 75
214 - Musiwalo Nethunzwi 71 73 70, Pierre Pellegrin 71 72 71, Paul Boshoff 65 73 76
215 - Jordan Duminy 68 71 76
216 - Jason Roets 74 70 72
217 - LB Boshoff 74 70 73, Keegan Mclachlan 73 71 73, Therion Nel 72 71 74
218 - Sentanio Minnie 72 72 74
219 - Philip Geerts 75 69 75
Missed the cut:
145 - Christian Kriek 72 73, Slade Pickering 72 73, Makhetha Mazibuko 73 72, Reece Mc Kain 74 71, Leon Visser 74 71, Marthin Scheepers 74 71, Wade Jacobs 71 74, Francois Van der Walt 74 71, Rigardt Albertse 74 71
146 - Matthew Rushton 72 74, Nicholaus Frade 75 71
147 - Gerard du Plooy 74 73, Toto Thimba Jnr 75 72, James Pennington 76 71, Andre Van Dyk 76 71
148 - Harry Konig 74 74, Coert Groenewald 76 72
152 - Henning du Plooy 73 79
155 - Johan Theron 73 82
160 - Thabiso Ngcobo 81 79