A comment from the television commentators about Colin Montgomerie helped England’s Simon Wakefield to victory at the Dimension Data Pro-Am golf tournament at the par-72 Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.
Wakefield signed for a three-under-par 69 on Sunday, to end the tournament on a nine-under total of 279.
That left him three shots clear of South Africa’s Nic Henning, whose one-under 71 put him on 282 and four clear of Tjaart van der Walt. Louis Oosthuizen, who finished at one-under, was the only other player to finish the tournament below par.
Defending champion Darren Fichardt had a disappointing 76 on Sunday, which saw him end the event on level par, along with Englishmen Andrew Butterfield and Phillip Archer.
”I was watching the Singapore Open on television and the commentators mentioned that Colin Montgomerie played the course for the first three rounds and then on the final day, if he finds himself in a match-play situation, plays his opponent,” said Wakefield.
By the seventh hole, Wakefield realised that he and Henning were pretty much in that position and the comments about Monty kicked in.
”I thought I could play that way and my aim was just to keep the pressure on him as much as I could.”
In his three rounds at the Gary Player course, Wakefield dropped twice — a bogey in Saturday’s round at 14 and a double drop on Sunday at the second.
But he soon got his round on track with birdies at holes five and six to turn on one-under 35. He picked up two more shots on the back nine — at 11 and 16 — for his 69.
Wakefield had an extraordinary start to his round when his second shot on the par-five hole hit a spectator on the shoulder and drifted off into the long grass on the right of the bunker.
”When I knew the ball hit somebody, it was the worst feeling,” said Wakefield. ”I was once playing a round with Jarrod Moseley when his ball struck a spectator on the head and floored him. He could hardly hit a ball after that. Fortunately, in my case it hit her on the back of the shoulder.
”She was a bit tearful and still in shock but she was otherwise okay. When I went off to the second tee, I wrote ‘sorry’ and put a smile on the ball and gave it her.
But then a photographer on his way to the hole in his golf cart, oblivious that Wakefield’s ball was in his path, drove over the ball, imbedding it in the grass. As a result, the Englishman was given a free drop and went on to birdie the hole.
”I was fortunate to make a birdie. Luckily, someone drove over my ball and I was allowed a drop,” he said, with a knowing look at the photographer in question.
The experience of having hit somebody, however, did leave Wakefield a little shaken and he had a poor drive at the second, had to take a penalty drop, and ended up with a double bogey.
”After that I had to work hard to get my score back on track,” he said.
He made a good up-and-down at eight while Henning dropped, but the South African came back strongly with birdies at 11, 13 and 14 to put close the gap to two and put the pressure right back on Wakefield.
”I felt that if I could have a two-shot lead with two or three holes to play, I was in a good position. He would have to go for the birdies and that could prove tough to do.”
The Englishman, though, virtually secured the victory when at the par-three 16th, his tee shot landed just two feet from the pin for an easy birdie. On 17, when his drive went wide, hit a tree and came back on to the fairway, Wakefield knew it was his day.
This is Wakefield’s second tournament win, his first coming on the Challenge Tour in 2002 when he captured the Tessali Open in Italy. He also finished second at the European Tour School last November to earn his card.
”I want to take this week’s experience on to the European Tour and hopefully I can win a tournament there so I don’t have to qualify again,” said Wakefield.
Play was stopped for more than an hour on Sunday due to lightning around the course. — Sapa