Fichardt’s final flourish
BIG CARROT: FICHARDT QUALIFIES FOR BRITIISH OPEN New claw grip putter proves the answer for winner.
Darren Fichardt said he almost lost an eye in the celebrations led by Brandon Stone armed with a bottle of champagne, but it was a moment of profound joy when the 41-yearold sank the birdie putt to win the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club yesterday.
In the process, Fichardt qualified for the Open Championship, putting to bed his poor record in the tournament and also fully justifying major changes to his putting before the event.
Fichardt claimed a thrilling one-shot victory over Welshman Stuart Manley and England’s Paul Waring, with South Africans Jacques Kruyswijk and Stone, as well as Englishman James Morri- son, a further stroke back.
It all came down to the 54th and final hole thanks to all the rain interruptions that inundated the course, with Waring recovering from a wayward drive on the 504-metre par-five 18th hole to give himself a birdie chance, while Kruyswijk bombed a magnificent drive but then, needing an eagle, found the greenside bunker and had to settle for par.
Waring was desperately unlucky to see his tricky eight-foot downhill putt lip out, leaving Fichardt with a one-metre putt for victory after he had played a wonderful chip shot for his third.
In it went and moments later Stone, who Fichardt has known since he was a young boy, was racing through the bunker to spray champagne over the victor, who had played in all 10 previous editions of the tournament without ever cracking the top-15. “The first face I saw was that
snotneus Brandon Stone shooting champagne in my face and I almost lost an eye! But I’m thrilled because I thought it was a tournament I would never win, the long hitters normally do well here. But I’ve been really swinging well and I putted very well, I think before I tried to hit the ball really hard here off the tee because I felt it was a bomber’s course. But I remember the advice Mark McNulty once gave me – to play your own game,” Fichardt said.
The five-time European Tour winner probably now regrets waiting eight years before making the change to his putting, which saw him come into the tournament with a new grip and a new short stick.
“I knew that if I could just figure out my chipping and putting then I would be back in the winner’s circle, so it’s a relief. I had a lot of nerves before that final putt because I haven’t tried that new grip under pressure before.
“But the claw grip really works and I think I’m going to stick with it for a while. I’d never tried it before but Sam Hackner said I was a dying breed last week at the Dimenson Data because I’m the only guy not using it. I putted horrendously that day, so maybe it was a sign,” Fichardt said.