Concentration was the name of the game as Keith Horne managed a five-under-par 67 with a birdie on the final hole to pull off a one-stroke victory worth R600 000! News24 reports that Horne chased down Ulrich van den Berg who was unable to take advantage of the run of four birdies in the first five holes of his homeward nine and make the final push for a victory which has been elusive on the 2014 Sunshine Tour.
Instead, after a single bogey on his second hole, Horne held his nerve and picked up six birdies at regular intervals for the rest of the round – and, in the end, he had a little two-footer for birdie on the last to give him the final edge.
“That was probably as badly as I have putted for a long time,” said Horne, “so it was a good thing that I was hitting it close all day. I kept finishing inside 10 or 12 feet, and that made things a little easier for me.
“My ball-striking was excellent this week, especially the last 27 holes. I hit the ball so well that I put myself under no pressure. I missed one fairway in two days and two greens in two days. Thank goodness for that, because the putter was diabolical,” he said of the day on which he had 34 putts in his 67.
The victory gave Horne his second Vodacom Origins of Golf victory for the year after he won at St Francis Links in August, and lifted him to seventh on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. It was also his seventh victory on the Sunshine Tour.
The scores for the first three golfers were 203 - Keith Horne (RSA) 65 71 67, 204 - Ulrich van den Berg (RSA) 73 66 65 and 205 - Dylan Frittelli (RSA) 69 67 69.
Photo: Lloyd Carter.
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