MICHAEL VLISMAS, East London | Monday 12.25pm.
RYAN Reid claimed his maiden professional victory when he edged out Ulrich van den Berg by one stroke for the Vodacom Series: Eastern Cape title at the East London Golf Club on Sunday.
The two players were locked together at 11-under par playing the last after a fiercely contested final round wherein both golfers led for brief periods.
Reid managed a brilliant up and down for par from the greenside bunker at 18 to give him a final round 69 and total of 11-under par 208.
Van den Berg was forced to lay up from a drive that left him no clear shot at the green, and a wedge took him to within three metres from the hole.
But the par putt that would have forced a play-off lipped the hole, with Van den Berg signing for a 72 and total of 209.
Hennie Walters and Gary Thain shared third place on 211 after respective rounds of 69 and 73.
For Reid, the victory not only saw him break into the top 10 on the Southern Africa Tour’s Order of Merit, but was also fitting revenge for the many times he was beaten into second place by Van den Berg during their amateur years.
“That’s why I was so determined not to let down my guard, because Ulrich has often beaten me on the closing holes,” Reid said.
The 25-year-old from Port Elizabeth started the day two shots behind Van den Berg, who led for two rounds of this event.
But the turning point came at the eighth and ninth holes.
Van den Berg double-bogeyed the par-four eighth and then parred the ninth.
Reid saw the gap and took it, birdieing both holes to go from three behind Van den Berg to one shot ahead.
“I knew I just had to hang on from there, especially when Ulrich drew level with me on 10-under at the 15th.”
Both players birdied the 16th to move to 11-under par and forcing the tournament to be settled on the last.
Van den Berg’s defeat is a crucial one. The East London-born professional suffered a similar fate when he lost last year’s Zimbabwe Open to Jean Hugo on the 17th hole of the final round at the Chapman Golf Club.
He was under pressure to produce a win in front of his home crowd, and played the shots that suggested a triumph for him.
But nobody banked on Reid settling a few past scores first.