Andy Capostagno Golf
It’s nearly February and the major golf tours around the world have shaken off their winter torpor and are heading towards full swing. But a few big names have stayed on in South Africa for this week’s Dimension Data Pro-Am at Sun City.
Defending champion Scott Dunlap is absent, having earned his privileges on the US Tour, but Nick Price – the champion in 1997 and 1998 – and Mark McNulty – the inaugural winner in 1996 – are both here, along with Lee Westwood, European Ryder Cup captain Mark James, Costantino Rocca and Darren Clarke.
But sad to say, whatever happens this week, nothing can possibly match the breathtaking finish to last week’s South African Open at Randpark. For once a three-hour lightning delay enhanced the final day’s play instead of ruining it. With the overnight leaders, Darren Fichardt and Des Terblanche through only five holes there was still everything to play for when play recommenced at 4.45pm.
Rarely, if ever in the history of the tournament, can so many players have been in contention over the final half dozen holes. It was like one of the more boring stages of the Tour de France when the cyclists tread water for two hours before sprinting hell- for-leather to the line over the last 200m.
The first man to show signs of strain was Tjaart van der Walt, who had a great round going and had played 12 holes in seven under par before the break came. His time in the clubhouse gave him the chance to reflect on his position; tournament leader from nowhere. His problem was that he now had to play six more holes, including four of the toughest on the course to complete his round and set a target.
Once back in action, Van der Walt three- putted the 15th green at almost the same time that Price was holing his second shot to the 11th for eagle. The youngster never got back the shot he had dropped, but even so was the leader in the clubhouse at 12 under par.
Not for long. Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez hit a majestic shot to the final green and had an 2,5m putt for eagle which would have given him a score of -14. He missed it, but tapped in for birdie and now he was the clubhouse leader. Out on the course Price was short of the 16th green in two and produced the kind of duffed chip which gives hope to all of us hackers: “Hey, I can do that too.”
He made five to slip back to 12 under, then lipped out for birdie on the short 17th. He came to the par five 18th knowing that he needed at least a birdie, preferably an eagle. Then he produced another shot from the hacker’s box of tricks; he tried to hit his driver too hard and ended up pulling it into thick rough on the left.
He had a choice now: lay up ahead of the stream which crosses the fairway 150m from the green, or try to carry the stream and hope for the best. He opted for the latter, his ball just cleared the water and came to rest under a tree. “I was lucky,” he said. “A foot either way and I’d have had no shot, but I could make a full swing and I got it on the green.”
And having jousted with the golfing gods he revealed his enduring greatness by holing the birdie putt from 12m. Now there were two players in the clubhouse at 13 under par. Twenty minutes later there should have been a third, but Jeff Remesy of France left his 2m birdie putt short on the last and held his head in his hands for so long it seemed the marshalls might have to come and carry him away.
Next in was Mathias Gronberg of Sweden, a player capable of such brilliance that he once beat the best players in Europe by 10 shots at the K Club in Ireland. He squandered chance after chance on the back nine, but came to the last at 13 under par, smashed his second shot onto the green, almost holed the eagle putt, and made his birdie for 14 under. Champion elect.
But it was not over yet. Fichardt could get to 14 under with an eagle at the last. As Gronberg stood behind the green, a look of pure mortification on his face, Fichardt’s third shot, a pitch from 100m out, landed a foot behind the hole, spun back and then decided not to fall in. Fichardt was the only person on the hole without a good view of what happened, which is no bad thing. People have become hermits on less tangible evidence that the fates have conspired against them.