Pappas wins on Nationwide Tour
7 June 2006
The last week proved to be a good one for South African golfers around the world, especially for Brendan Pappas who claimed his first victory on the United States Nationwide tour.
Nationwide Tour
Birdie putts at the last two holes of the Rex Hospital Open, including a 25-footer on the eighteenth, helped Pappas edge out Charli Wi by one stroke to capture his first career Nationwide Tour win on Sunday.
Pappas, the third-round leader, shot a final-day 69 and finished at 16-under par 268 at the Tournament Players Club at Wakefield Plantation. His entry into the winner's circle for the first time on American soil was an emotional one for the 36-year-old from Phalaborwa.
He collected $81 000 for the victory to push his earnings to $135
492 after making four cuts in eight starts, including a runner-up finish at the season-opening Movistar Panama Championships, and three other top-25 finishes.
US PGA Tour
While Carl Pettersson completed a memorable day for Swedish golf, South Africa's Trevor Immelman continued to impress, claiming yet another top-10 finish at the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament on Sunday.
Immelman started the day on five-under 211 and closed with a final round 69 - including birdies at the fifth, eighth, ninth and seventeenth and a lone drop at the par-four sixth - around the par-72 Muirfield Village layout.
His share of seventh on eight-under-par 280, alongside the American duo of Vaughn Taylor and Woody Austin, was just four strokes off the pace from Pettersson's winning score.
Although his $179 208 share of the $5 750 000 tournament purse secures Immelman's sixteenth place ranking on the PGA Tour money list, more importantly his
continued run of form bodes well for the 25-year old ahead of the US Open in two weeks.
Tim Clark finished six shots behind Immelman on 286, tied with Rory Sabbatini. Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel were a little off song, ending on 296, while Ernie Els fired a shocking final round 81 to finish on 298.
European Senior Tour
South Africa's Bobby Lincoln and Zimbabwe's Tony Johnstone continued their strong run of form, finishing just one shot off the pace behind Scotland's Sam Torrance, who completed a unique Irish double by winning the European Senior Tour’s AIB Irish Seniors Open on Sunday.
Gavin Levenson ended on 213 after closing with a 71, while Bertus Smit followed one shot worse off, and John Mashego completed the three-round event in 217 shots.
European Tour
Having set new records for 36 and 54 holes, Sweden's Robert Karlsson went on to capture his sixth European Tour title at The
Celtic Manor Resort, winning the Celtic Manor Wales Open on 16-under-par 260.
The top performer among the South African challengers at the par-69 Roman Road course was Richard Sterne, who signed for a 69, a pair of 67s and a final round 70, that left him tied for thirty-fourth at three-under-par 273.
Andrew McLardy started strongly with rounds of 67 and 68. However, he fell off the pace with a 77 in the third round, and a final round 72.
A number of South Africans missed the cut, including Michael Kirk, Warren Abery, Darren Fichardt, Titch Moore, and James Kingston.
European Challenge Tour
Spain's Alvaro Quiros produced a fantastic winning final round performance of six-under-under par 64 at the Morson International Pro-Am Challenge to stun Welshman Mark Pilkington into second place.
South Africa's Michiel Bothma fired an opening 69 and got himself into contention with a second round 66 at the Marriott Worsley Park
Hotel and Country Club, but faltered in the third and final rounds to drop to a tie for thirty-eighth on 282.
Anton Haig and James Kamte failed to make it beyond the halfway mark, with both missing the cut.
US Champions Tour
American Gil Morgan made a stunning final-round charge with a 67 to earn the Allianz Championship title, his first Champions Tour win since the 2004 season.
John Bland finished well off the pace on 211, after slipping to a 75 over the final 18 holes. Hugh Baiocchi was even further back on 220, after a final round 77.
Official World Rankings
Winner of The Memorial Tournament, Sweden's Carl Pettersson, moves up 22 places to twenty-ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings.
On the South Africa front, the rankings remain largely unchanged, with Tim Clark up one spot to number 14, Rory Sabbatini up three to 25 and Charl Schwartzel one up to 105.
Nationwide
Tour
Rex Hospital Open
268 Brenden Pappas 66-68-65-69
US PGA Tour
The Memorial Tournament
276 Carl Pettersson 69-67-69-71
280 Trevor Immelman 72-70-69-69
286 Tim Clark 69-69-75-73; Rory Sabbatini 74-68-71-73
296 Retief Goosen 74-72-75-75; Charl Schwartzel 71-75-80-70
298 Ernie Els 74-70-73-81
European Senior Tour
The AIB Irish Seniors Open
207 Sam Torrance SCO 70-68-69
208 Bobby Lincoln 67-67-74; Tony Johnstone ZIM 68-71-69
213 Gavin Levenson 69-73-71
214 Bertus Smit 73-73-68
217 John Mashego 71-72-74
European Tour
The Celtic Manor Wales Open
260 Robert Karlsson SWE 61-63-65-71
273 Richard Sterne 69-67-67-70
284 Andrew McLardy 67-68-77-72
Missed cut
138 Michael Kirk 72-66
139 Warren Abery 70-69; Darren Fichardt 66-73
140 Marc Cayeux ZIM 71-69; Titch Moore 73-67
143 James Kingston 70-73
European
Challenge Tour
The Morson International Pro-Am Challenge
267 Alvaro Quiros ESP 67-68-68-64
282 Michiel Bothma 69-66-73-74
Missed cut
141 Anton Haig 71-70
142 James Kamte 71-71
US Champions Tour
The Allianz Championship
197 Gil Morgan USA 66-64-67
210 Mark McNulty 65-76-69
211 John Bland 71-65-75
220 Hugh Baiocchi 72-71-77
World Rankings
SA Players in the World Top-200
1. Tiger Woods USA 16.55
3. Retief Goosen 8.03
6. Ernie Els 6.04
14. Tim Clark 4.09 (up 1)
25. Rory Sabbatini 3.49 (up 3)
34. Trevor Immelman 3.14
105. Charl Schwartzel 1.35 (up 1)
155. Richard Sterne 1.00 (down 4)
180. Darren Fichardt 0.89
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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