ANDY CAPOSTAGNO, Johannesburg | Sunday 6.30pm.
SWEDEN’S Mathias Gronberg overcame a three hour lightning delay to win his third European Tour event by birdying the final hole of the South African Open at Randpark. In a breathless finish Gronberg’s score of 274, 14 under par pushed him a shot ahead of Nick Price and Ricardo Gonzalez, both of whom had briefly held the lead.
But the drama was not yet over, for there were two groups still out on the course. John Mellor’s chance came and went with a par five at the last, but the overnight leader Darren Fichardt could still force a playoff with an eagle at the last. The South African youngster was 100 metres short of the green in two and Gronberg was being miked up by television for his acceptance speech.
Fichardt then hit the wedge shot of his life a foot past the hole and as Gronberg watched with eyes as big as dinner plates, a spike mark deflected the ball half an inch from the hole as it spun back. It was enough to stop it dropping and a visibly relieved Gronberg had another title to add to the European Masters of 1995 and the European Open of 1998.
Des Terblanche and Fichardt, the lead two ball, threw the tournament wide open by making terrible starts to their final rounds. 34 year old Terblanche, hit his second shot to the first into a hazard behind the green and began with a double bogey six on his way to a five over par 77. Fichardt, hit his tee shot at the short second onto a cart path and thence into the river to make a double bogey five. He followed that with a bogey five to drop from 14 to 11 under par and struggled to a one over par 73.