Warwick Purchase overcame a double-bogey on the front nine and a bogey on the back on Friday as he played his way to a one-stroke victory in the Betway Big Easy Tour Final at the Els Club Copperleaf.
His closing three-under-par 69 for a 10-under-par total edged out Graham van der Merwe, who closed with a two-under-par 70 for his nine-under. Joe Knox of England, the 36-hole leader, was only able to card a level-par 72, which put him in third place on seven-under. Drikus Joubert was fourth after his 71 took him to four-under, and first-round leader Ulrich van den Berg battled to a closing four-over 76 to finish fifth on three-under.
Purchase’s victory kept him at the top of the Order of Merit, and Knox finished the season in second place. Van der Merwe was third after playing just six events, and those three led the top 12 in qualifying for their Sunshine Tour playing privileges next season. The others were Paul Boshoff, Xander Basson, Van den Berg, Slade Pickering, Luke Mayo, Ryan van der Klis, Musiwalo Nethunzwi, Leon Vorster and Eric Wowor.
Purchase started the final round well enough with a birdie on the first hole, but he made his double-bogey on the par-three third. He picked up two more birdies ahead of the turn on the fourth and eighth. He birdied the 11th ahead of dropping a shot on the 12th, but he sealed the deal with birdies on the 14th and 16th.
