The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Bradley Neil gets 2018 season under way in South Africa Open
Blairgowrie golfer gets his 2018 season under way
Bradley Neil gets his 2018 season under way in South Africa today.
The Blairgowrie golfer has had a few weeks off after securing his card at the end of last year and making the cut at his first European Tour event after that.
Marc Warren and David Drysdale are the only other two Scots in the BMW SA Open field.
Charl Schwartzel believes he can exorcise the demons of a “disastrous” collapse in 2015 and finally secure his first Open title in his home country.
Schwartzel took a five-shot lead into the final round three years ago and, despite an error-strewn display, still led by four strokes with five holes to play at Glendower GC in his native Johannesburg.
The former Masters champion failed to get up and down from a plugged lie in a greenside bunker on the 14th and three-putted the 16th to run up a doublebogey six.
A dreadful tee shot on the 17th led to another bogey and left Schwartzel having to make par on the 18th to finish alongside Andy Sullivan on 11 under, with Sullivan winning the title after a birdie on the first play-off hole.
Schwartzel also led after 54 holes in 2014 before finishing fourth, and has recorded four other top-five finishes.
He has not played in the SA Open since 2015, but is part of a strong South African contingent this week which includes Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman and Branden Grace.
“It’s great to be back,” Schwartzel said.
“I haven’t been here for a few years. Monday was the first time I played this course since I lost to Andy Sullivan in 2015 on that disastrous Sunday.
“There were glimpses of those memories that came back and it was nice to come back today and play in the pro-am and get over those memories. I never came back after that.
“That was one win I had in my hands but, with a couple of bad shots down the stretch, it got away from me.
“It’s definitely one of those that I want to get on to my CV.”
England’s Graeme Storm returns to defend the title he secured by beating Rory McIlroy in a play-off, a victory which came only 84 days after a missed par putt on the last hole of the Portugal Masters looked to have cost him his European Tour card by just 100 euros.
Storm, who was handed a reprieve when Patrick Reed failed to fulfil his membership requirements and dropped off the Race to Dubai, said: “I was more nervous during the last few holes of regulation than I was in the play-off, because I kind of knew the second place would give me a decent cheque.
“Obviously I wanted to win and obviously to come through against arguably one of the best players in the world right now is a great achievement for myself.”
With a couple of bad shots down the stretch, it got away from me. CHARL SCHWARTZEL