Tjaart shows SA golf's depth
30 August 2005
After losing out to Brad Faxon in a playoff at the Buick Championship, South Africa's Tjaart van der Walt left many people wondering where he had appeared from. Prior to his showing in Connecticut, he had missed six cuts and made only four.
Playing on a major medical exemption after a wrist injury limited him to only 12 events in 2004, Van der Walt made a major leap forward with his second-place finish, far bettering his previous best result of a tie for twenty-first in last year's Byron Nelson Championship.
His runner's-up cheque was worth a cool US$464 400, approximately R3-million, easily the biggest of his career. Maybe more importantly, it convinced the 30-year-old that he belongs alongside the big guns playing on the US PGA Tour.
'I know I can play out here'
"I know I can play out here," Van der Walt said. "I've just got to do it. You've just got to believe a little harder."
The quietly spoken
Durban Country Club golfer came within a whisker of an astounding victory, but even in the manner of his eventual defeat he did himself proud, displaying grit and passion.
Faxon was first in the clubhouse after carding a spectacular nine-under-par 61 to finish at 14-under. He was forced into playing a waiting game with the charging field behind him.
Van der Walt was in with a shout but, after completing the sixteenth with a double bogey, it looked like all the hard work had come down to nothing.
However, the tall South African threw down the gauntlet with a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to force a playoff with Faxon.
The 44-year-old Faxon took the title on the first extra hole with a superb seven-iron approach from the left-side bunker that landed two feet from the cup.
Van der Walt matched that as his approach hit the flag and rolled to 10 feet from the hole. Unfortunately for him, he missed his putt while Faxon made his.
'I got
lucky'
"Unbelievable," Faxon said. "I got lucky and hit a good shot. I wasn't going to take a whole lot of time with that one (putt), just get it over with."
Incredibly, Faxon almost missed the cut on Friday, making it on the number after shooting a 71 in the second round. He played his final two rounds in 14-under par.
Faxon's final round 61 equalled the course record at the TPC at River Highlands, while Van der Walt shot a 64 on Sunday.
"I gave it a good shot," Van der Walt said. "I am disappointed, but I am not going to be hard on myself."
Challenging from the start, a very determined Van der Walt strung together rounds of 68-66-68 to force his way into contention on the final day. The rest, as they say, is history.
Van der Walt's runner-up position came with a few other perks, too: exemption into the Deutsche Bank Championship and a massive improvement off 114 spots to 115th on the official PGA Tour Money
List.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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