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Ramsay claims SA Open in a playoff

21 December 2009

Scotland's Richie Ramsay birdied the first hole of a playoff to defeat Shiv Kapur of India and win the 99th South African Open Championship on Sunday at the 6 681-metre par-72 Pearl Valley Golf Estates.

The 26-year-old Scot got himself into the playoff with a superb final round of seven-under 65 to chase down overnight leader Pablo Martin of Spain, as well as Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner Anders Hansen of Denmark, and finally, Kapur.

It was a 15-foot putt on the 17th which clinched him his playoff spot, and it an approach shot that had Ramsay worried: "I hit an eight-iron in and I couldn't believe it cleared the water," he said. "My heart was in my mouth."

He had a shot at winning the championship on the 18th green, but his putt went fractionally left and he and Kapur had to go back up the 18th for the playoff.

Playoff

Kapur - so straight all day - pulled his drive into the sandy rough on the left, and was left without a shot to the green on the 550-metre (601-yard) par-five finishing hole.

Ramsay, on the other hand, was right of the fairway, and he just knew his approach shot would reach the green: "I had no thought of laying up because I was so sure of myself over the shot," he said.

He had another 15-footer for eagle on the playoff hole after Kapur's chip from the fringe – his fourth shot – came up just two feet short.

Ramsay's eagle attempt didn't go in, but it finished close enough for him to tap in for birdie and raise his arms in triumph.

'Fearless golf'

Reflecting on his charge to victory, Ramsay said: "I talk about the power of positive thinking. I didn't think about a low round. The go pins, I went for them. I just picked a shot and went for it. It was a day for fearless golf."

Martin, who won last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship, ran out of steam after a roller-coaster third round, and he seemed rather deflated when he bogeyed the third in the final round.

The Spaniard never recovered and managed a single birdie on the 15th. A final bogey on the 17th hole saw him share sixth with hard-charging South African Darren Fichardt, who closed with a bogey-six on the 18th to spoil what was nonetheless an excellent six-under-par 66.

Fichardt was, however, the leading South African after 2008 champion James Kingston carded a level-par 72 in the final round, which left him in a share of eighth with Chris Swanepoel, Michiel Bothma and the Swedish pair of Michael Jonzon and Soren Hansen.

LEADERBOARD

SAinfo reporter