Hennie Otto added his name to one of the most historic trophies in golf when he won the South African Open at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate on Sunday.
Otto survived a tense back nine in which he dropped three shots in four holes but eventually won by one stroke on 14 under par with a closing 72.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger finished second on 13 under with a 68, while Richard McEvoy, Ockie Strydom and Thomas Aiken shared third place on 11 under. Retief Goosen finished a stroke behind them with a closing 73. Ernie Els signed for a 79 to finish on five over par.
Otto’s victory gave him the rare double of having won the Freddie Tait trophy for finishing as the leading amateur in the 1997 South African Open, and the professional title.
“Your first win is always the most memorable, but this one is really special because it’s our national Open. The names that are on that trophy – I am very proud to be one of them. You dream of these things, you see them happen, so when it comes your way you must enjoy it,” said Otto.
But it came close to unravelling for Otto on the back nine. He was two strokes clear of his nearest challenger Wiesberger, who was already in the clubhouse.
Otto then bogeyed the short 15th and the par-five 16th to be tied for the lead with Wiesberger.
He made a good birdie on 17 to go one ahead, and then parred the 18th for the title.
“When I holed the putt on 17 I thought I’d done it then. My caddie kept telling me it’s there for the taking and I mustn’t get ahead of myself.”
Pretoria amateur Brandon Stone ended a remarkable year by winning the Freddie Tait trophy for finishing as the leading amateur.
Stone posted a final round of 73 to finish the week on three under par. Jared Harvey, the only other amateur to make the halfway cut, finished at two over par with a final round of 77.
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Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate will host the South African Open Championship in 2011 and 2012. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Serengeti is the first 27-hole golf course in Gauteng and was recently named “Best New Golf Course” by Golf Digest.
The 18-hole course called Masai Mara, which means “wide open plains” in the language of the Masai, has a rugged grassland and dune-scape look. One of the unique features on the course is the par-five eighth hole with its island green. The nine-hole course called Whistling Thorn has a more classic feel.
The courses were constructed in accordance with USGA specifications, with cool season grass that provides green vistas all year round. Designed as a strategic and technical masterpiece that will test today’s best players, the sunken design of the course with its wide corridors is ideal for tournament purposes and provides optimal spectator value on almost every hole.
