Ahlers gets the job done

PORT EDWARD: Patience was the key yesterday as Jaco Ahlers took his fifth Sunshine Tour title, winning the R700 000 Sun Wild Coast Sun Challenge by three strokes.

While all about him were dropping shots, he made four birdies and no bogeys in his final round of four-under-par 66 at the 5 807metre par-70 Wild Coast Sun Country Club, finishing on 17-under 193 ahead of Ruan de Smidt and Danie van Tonder.

“I hit the ball well all day,” said Ahlers. “I didn’t make any amazing putts but I birdied all the par-fives and that’s what you want – problemfree golf.

“Winning’s never easy but it was nice to get on 17 and see that I had a three-shot lead; that made a bit of a difference. And a win’s a win! I’m chuffed.”

For much of the day, it looked as though Van Tonder was going to run away with things. He reached the turn in five-under 30 but immediately dropped two shots in a row on 10 and 11. He recovered with an eagle on 12 and a birdie on 13 but finished with three bogeys in a row to fall out of contention.

While he was undoing all the good work of his earlier charge, Ahlers was hanging in there, and having made birdie on 12, he then made his fourth of the day on the par-five 16th and that was the beginning of the end.

“I had a three-wood in for two into the wind with water everywhere,” said Ahlers, “and I hit a pretty decent shot and made a twoputt birdie, and that turned things around because Danie made bogey at about the same time up ahead.”

Ahlers’ round was all the more impressive when it’s borne in mind that only one other player kept a clean sheet – Rourke van der Spuy, who also made four birdies and climbed to 10-under for the tournament and a share of seventh place.

For Ahlers, the win has turned a year that started off pretty average into a good one.

“It didn’t go well in the beginning of the year,” he said, “but then I won in Zambia and since then I’ve played pretty well without finishing one off. It’s nice to get that done.” – Sunshine Tour