Sticking to the plan pays off for Hansen

WHEN Joachim Hansen left the sixth green during the final round of the Joburg Open at Randpark Golf Club yesterday he was three shots behind South Africa’s Wilco Nienaber, but by the time he reached the 18th tee he had a one-shot lead.

The Dane went round in 67 to claim his first European Tour victory.

He didn’t drop a shot on the final day and that consistency is what got the job done for the 30-year-old.

Hansen was a little wild off the tee, but his powers of recovery were on display as he hit some amazing shots to get out of trouble and his putting was solid as a rock.

While Nienaber seemed in total control after birdying four, five and six he didn’t put another red number on the card.

He couldn’t do better than par on either of the par-5s on the back nine, holes that he had dominated throughout the week.

Hansen, on the other hand, birdied 10, 12 and 14 to go level at the top.

The par-3 17th made all the difference as Hansen hit the middle of the green and Nienaber was inches away from the water.

The 20-year-old could only make a bogey, while Hansen two-putted to take the lead at 19 under-par.

On the last hole, a deflated Nienaber made bogey after driving into a fairway bunker to shoot 70 and Hansen made four from the greenside sand to secure a two-shot win. Before an emotional Hansen spoke his family back home he talked about what it meant to win his first tournament.

“This is what we have worked for,” Hansen said with tears in his eyes.

“Wilco got in front early, but I just stuck to my plan and tried to do what I’d done on the first three days and it paid off.”

SA’s Shaun Norris was third after a 66 to finish at 16 under-par.

Steve Surry, Aaron Cockerill and Brandon Stone shared fourth place on 13 under-par.

Meanwhile, since the inception of the tournament in 2007 the City of Johannesburg has always used its sponsor invitations to contribute to the growth and development of transformation players in South Africa.

“Over the years while we may have silently hoped for players to do well, this was never about adding any pressure to their performance.

“It has always been about giving the players a chance to come and experience what it is like to play at an international tournament and get accustomed to settling down quickly in order to get on with (the) business of golf,” Bongi Mokaba, City of Johannesburg Event Management Director and Tournament Promoter said.

This year, the

City of

Johannesburg

extended invitations to 27-year-old Thabiso Ngcobo from Centurion who had a good learning experience although he did not make the cut, 2017 Joburg Open third-place finisher Norris – to boost the South African’s chances of retaining the trophy on home soil and Heinrich Bruiners.

“We selected Heinrich because while he kept his tour card last season, the sponsor invite removes the process of having to qualify for the tournament.

“This allowed him to immediately focus on the four days ahead by simply ensuring he prepared himself well during the practice rounds,” said Mokaba.

Bruiners finished on 2 under-par in 51st spot after rounds of 70, 65, 78 and 69.