Play-off joy for Coetzee

DOMAINE DE BEL OMBRE: George Coetzee played the 18th at Heritage Golf Club three times yesterday and he made birdie each time. But it was only on the third attempt that his birdie was enough to win the inaugural Mauritius Open.

He carded a two-under-par 69 in regulation play in the final round, and then beat Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen on the second play-off hole to take the first tournament sanctioned by three of the world’s major tours – the Sunshine Tour, The European Tour and the Asian Tour.

“Being in the play-off was the most comfortable I felt today,” said Coetzee. “I just had to get the job done.”

He started the final round as if he was in cruise control, and it looked for all the world as if he was going to run away with the title when he made his third birdie by the time he had reached the fifth hole.

But a bogey on seven seemed to dent his confidence, and he followed it by eight consecutive pars, before dropping another shot on the 16th – almost at the same time as Olesen made a great birdie on 17.

“Leading is probably one of the main reasons it was so tough out there,” said Coetzee. “It’s much easier to play when you’re a couple back than it is when you’re a couple ahead. I made a couple of mistakes.”

Despite that analysis of his round, this was the second of his three European Tour victories where he has led or shared the lead going into the final day. He shared the lead after 54 holes of this year’s Tshwane Open and led on his own going into the final day in Mauritius. He made up five shots to win the 2014 Joburg Open.

Going into a play-off on a par-five hole – they were slated to replay the 18th until a winner emerged – meant Coetzee was going to rely on being straight and safe off the tee.

“I felt very worried about my driving at the start of the round,” he said, “and at the end of the day, it was my driving that won it for me.”

It seemed appropriate that an Asian Tour player joined Coetzee from South Africa and Olesen from Europe in the fray on the final day, and Singapore’s Mardan Mamat closed with two birdies in his final three holes to claim third place.

Thomas Aiken was fourth after his putter went cold on him in the final round, during which he carded a one-under 70 to finish just two strokes back. – ANA