Van Zyl: Victory will open quite a few doors for me

JOHANNESBURG: Jaco van Zyl, ninth on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and enjoying a healthy spell on the greens, hopes his putter will be on song when he defends his South African PGA Championship title at the Eye of Africa Signature Golf Course from today.

Having shot a confidence-boosting 68 in the pro-am on Tuesday, Van Zyl knows it’s the putts that determine victors from the rest.

“I have been playing really nicely, you know, hitting it unbelievably,” he said.

“Unfortunately, to win an event you need to make the putts at the right time. I managed to do it the last time so hopefully I can repeat it this year.”

While winning this title at the Greg Norman designed course remains a dream for many golfers, the defending champion will be looking to match a 47-year-old record if he wins to become only the second player to have won four South African PGA Championships.

He lifted his third last year when his experience proved too much for Dean Burmester, who lost on the first playoff hole after a not-so-convincing approach shot allowed Van Zyl to slot home a birdie putt for a dramatic end to a dramatic round.

After a solid start to his European Tour season – where he finished in the top 20 at the South African Open, tied for 23rd at the Abu Dhabi Championship and was second at the Qatar Masters – a successful defence of this title will etch his name into the history books, and the 38-year-old Van Zyl is relishing the prospect.

“I’m still young so I have got youth on my side, so hopefully I can go get a couple more,” he said of the prospect of winning a record fourth title and going on to match Bobby Locke’s record of seven, achieved during the matchplay era of the tournament in 1930s and 50s.

He added: “I got my goals set for the next two weeks and if all goes according to plan, it (victory) will open quite a few doors for me for the rest of the season.”

Van Zyl will seek to join Harold Henning as the only player to have won the title four times since it became a strokeplay event in 1965.

Back in 1972, Henning lifted his fourth South African PGA title to place himself in the record books for the most South African PGA titles won.

He remains the most successful of the strokeplay champions, winning in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1972.

Van Zyl, if he wins, will eclipse such luminaries as Gary Player and Ernie Els among the greats who have won the title three times.

But victory will also do wonders for his confidence when he returns to Europe, especially after that close one at the Qatar Masters.

Van Zyl acknowledges the success he has had in the tournament, but he is not getting carried away and instead has found more motivation.

“This is an event at home and I really feel it is time to capitalise on that,” he said