Van der Merwe secures Sunshine Tour card with third Big Easy victory

Jacques Van der Merwe secured his Sunshine Tour card for this season in spectacular fashion after he claimed a come-from-behind victory in the ninth Betway Big Easy Tour event of the season, held at Krugersdorp Golf Club.

Thursday’s triumph was the third of the current campaign for Van der Merwe and thus, as Tour regulations stipulate, a direct pathway to the main Tour of which the Betway Big Easy Tour is the feeder.

Van der Merwe started the final round at nine-under par and a stroke off the pace set by Andre van Zyl, setting up what would be a sizzling final round. With Van Zyl struggling to maintain his momentum and eventually signing for an even-par round, Van der Merwe seized the moment with a brilliant 69 to total 12-under par 204.

“Life happens quickly, hey,” Van der Merwe mused, reflecting on his hat-trick of victories this season. “I was thinking about it four holes ago; walking on the fairway and thinking how quickly things can happen, especially in this sport. If you work hard and forget about tournaments and results, things can happen on a blink of an eye.

"Being in contention for eight weeks in a row and then missing two cuts and then coming back, makes it way more nerve-wracking than it usually is. I was definitely shaking a bit but I’ve got that Delmas-boy confidence and I could deal with it nicely.”

With his win in Krugersdorp, Van der Merwe became the first player to win three times this season, marking a sensational season even before it ends next year.

“It means a lot to me,” he said of his extraordinary achievement. “I don’t think that I would have been able to say I’d achieve all that by now. But if you work hard and focus on growth rather than the result, then the sky is the limit.”

Van der Merwe also praised the Betway Big Easy Tour for carving out pathways for professionals to elevate their game and for the incentives with which success comes on this circuit.

This ninth event of the season was the last tournament of the year before the Christmas break. The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.

Scores

204 - Jacques Van der Merwe 67 68 69

205 - Oliver Goldhill 70 73 62, Vaughn van Deventer 67 72 66

206 - Andre Van Zyl 68 66 72

207 - Therion Nel 70 66 71

209 - Wandre Snyman 71 67 71

211 - Joe Sullivan 67 73 71, Dillon Germshuys 67 72 72

213 - Liam Ross 73 69 71, Keagan Crosbie 69 70 74

214 - Adam Breen 70 75 69, Jake Bolton 74 70 70, Matt Millar 70 74 70, Kian Rose 72 69 73, Rigardt Albertse 73 67 74

215 - LB Boshoff 72 69 74, Andre De Decker 70 71 74

216 - Brandon Pieters 72 73 71, Travis Procter 72 72 72, Travis Ladner 70 72 74

217 - Joshua Koekemoer 71 72 74, Kyle Kistensamy 74 68 75, Romano Saincic 74 68 75

218 - Philip Geerts 71 73 74

219 - Louis Liebenberg 73 72 74, Tiger Adams 72 72 75

220 - Brandon Gildenhuys 72 73 75, Hannes Strooh 69 76 75

221 - Jaden Deltel 71 72 78

222 - Ricco Motsa 71 73 78

DSQ - Lwazi Gqira 69 75 DSQ