4 July 2006

While Rossouw Loubser sealed his maiden Sunshine Tour title with victory on Friday, another Pretoria professional wrote his own bit of history on the other side of the pond at the Nationwide Tour's Peek 'n Peak Classic.

Sunshine Tour winner Jaco van Zyl capped his first Nationwide Tour appearance with a top-20 finish on Sunday, while Cape Town's Craig Lile finished in a tie for eighth to claim his first top-10 finish for the 2006 season.

In Europe, Jean Hugo, a double Sunshine Tour winner this season, continued ihs build-up to The Open, qualifying with a share of eleventh at the Challenge Tour's Open Mahou de Madrid, while on the PGA Tour, former Eisenhower teammate Trevor Immelman finished joint sixteenth in his debut appearance at the Buick Championship.

Sunshine Tour
Rossouw Loubser won lots of golf tournaments in a storied amateur career, but on Friday he shed tears of joy as a winner on the Sunshine Tour, less than three months after earning his pro card at Q-School.

Playing in the final grouping, the SA Air Force colonel from Pretoria tapped a nervous two-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to deny Brazil's Adilson da Silva and recent Origins' winner Vaughn Groenewald - waiting in the wings - a chance to challenge in a play-off.

Loubser closed with a final round three-under-par 68 to claim his maiden pro title at the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour KZN at the Selborne Country Club with a total score of eight-under-par 205.

In doing so, the 44-year-old became the first rookie winner on the Sunshine Tour since Trevor Fisher Jnr at the 2003 Botswana Open, and added his name to an honours board that includes David Frost, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman and Charl Schwartzel, among others.

Nationwide Tour
A five-hour rain delay, threats of cutting to 54 holes, and not getting on to the Peek 'n Peak Resort Upper Course until late afternoon did little to deter South Africans Jaco van Zyl and Craig Lile playing in the Peek 'n Peak Classic on the Nationwide Tour.

Van Zyl managed to collect half-a-dozen birdies against two bogeys for a final round 69 and a share of sixteenth in his first start. He also entered the Nationwide Tour money list in 155th position with his first pay-cheque of $9 240.

Cape Town's Craig Lile climbed to twenty-third on the money list, courtesy of a tie for eighth, marking his first top-10 finish for the 2006 season.

American John Merrick claimed his first Nationwide Tour victory when he calmly tapped in a two-foot par putt on the third playoff hole to defeat compatriot Gavin Coles.

US PGA Tour
Connecticut native JJ Henry became the first player from his home state to win the Buick Championship on Sunday with a winning total of 266.

South Africa's Trevor Immelman, making his debut at the Buick, tied for sixteenth after a final round 72. Immelman, who charged into contention with a second round 65, suffered a mystifying meltdown on the final day, carding a final round 73 that included four birdies, four bogeys and a double-drop at the 17th hole.

European Tour
John Bickerton survived a late wobble on Le Golf National course's infamous closing stretch to claim the centenary Open de France ALSTOM title by a stroke.

The Englishman carded a two-under-par 69 for an 11-under-par total of 273, 12 shots ahead of Darren Fichardt, who tied for seventeenth on the final leaderboard.

The former double Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner was still in with a chance on the final day and erased an early bogey at the second with birdies at the fourth and tenth. But, for the second successive day, he fell foul of the seventeenth, this time dropping three shots at the par-four for a seven. A par at the eighteenth saw Fichardt sign for a final round 73.

European Challenge Tour
Juan Parron won his first Challenge Tour title when he triumphed in an all Spanish three-way sudden-death play-off at the Open Mahou de Madrid. After a third place finish in Guatemala, a fifth spot in Italy, and a fourth place finish at the dual ranking Aa St Omer Open, Parron's win, worth €19 200, elevated him to second place on the 2006 Challenge Tour Rankings.

South Africa's Jean Hugo finished three strokes off the pace on 10-under-par 274 at the Club de Golf La Herreria.

Canadian Tour
American Stephen Gangluff holed a birdie from the fringe on the first playoff hole to defeat overnight leader Brendan Steele for his second title at the TELUS Edmonton Open.

South Africa's Alan McLean finished 15 shots off the pace.

European Seniors Tour
Italian Giuseppe Cali produced a nerveless display to defeat Delroy Cambridge of Jamaica on the fifth hole of a sudden-death play-off to scoop the Bendinat London Seniors Masters title at The London Golf Club.

Bobby Lincoln finished four shots back, with Bertus Smit a further shot off the pace, and John Mashego eight back.

US Champions Tour
A sensational final-round 63 powered defending champion Dana Quigley to the Champions Tour's Greater Kansas City Golf Classic title on Sunday.

John Bland ended way off the pace, 20 shots back on 218, while Hugh Baiocchi ended on 220.

World Golf Rankings
SA Players in the World Top 200

	Selborne Country Club

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