Sunday 22 March 2015 00:07, UK
South Africa's George Coetzee put home advantage to full use to win his second European Tour title at the Tshwane Open on Sunday.
Coetzee carded a flawless final round of 65 to finish one ahead of compatriot Jacques Blaauw at Pretoria Country Club, the course where he has been a member since taking up the game and won his first junior competition aged 10.
Blaauw had charged through the field with a stunning birdie-filled 61 to equal the course record and set the clubhouse target at 13-under, with the final groups still having nine holes to play.
However, Coetzee – who was one of six players sharing the lead overnight – was just one behind after finishing his front nine with three birdies in four holes, picking up two more shots on the back nine to seal victory.
The decisive moment came on the 17th after Coetzee had tried to drive the green on the short par four. His tee-shot came up in the trees, short of the green but with a clear path between two bunkers, and the world No 87 took full advantage, chipping to five feet and holing for birdie.
"I think I've got this course down after 18 years of playing golf," Coetzee said, whose previous win also came on home soil at the Joburg Open last year. "I know when I am comfortable hitting drivers and going for par fours or being aggressive and attacking flags.
“I think today played to my advantage knowing when to be aggressive and when not to. I drew on my experiences of winning club championships here.
"To win at your home club, in front of all your friends and family, it's a great experience and a very special day for me. The crowds were amazing. I could just feel the momentum building and the crowd felt like it was getting bigger and bigger the closer we got to the end."
Scotland's Craig Lee was just adrift when he carded his fourth birdie of the day on the 14th, but bogeyed the next and then took a double-bogey on the last to drop back to nine-under alongside South African pair Dean Burmester and Tjaart van der Walt.
Second-round leader Adrian Otaegui kept in contention with four birdies in his first six holes to move to 12-under, but faltered with four dropped shots on the back nine to end tied-sixth with Jaco Ahlers.
Four birdies from Matthew Fitzpatrick saw the English sign off with a final round 67 and post his highest postion since the opening tournament of the season, one of eight players including Morten Orum Madsen and Jaco Van Zyl tied-15th on five-under.
