Keegan Maclachlan pulled off his fifth Bushveld Tour victory of the season on Thursday when he took the Kagiso Tarp and Net Series #3 at Reading Country Club in a play-off.
Maclachlan added a four-under-par 67 to his opening six-under-par 65 to draw level with Chris Long after regulation play. Long opened with a 67 and had a 65 in the second round as the pair reached 10-under through 36 holes. They finished one ahead of Michael Kok, with Keagan Thomas and Werner Deyzel in a share of fourth on eight-under-par.
Maclachlan nearly blew it after a fast start in which he made five birdies in the first six holes, including four in a row from the third to the sixth. That took him to 11-under, four clear of Long at that stage. But Long was on a birdie run of his own from the sixth, from where he made three in a row to move to nine-under. Then Maclachlan made a double-bogey six on the ninth to slip to nine-under, and Long took it to 11-under with two more birdies on 11 and 12.
Maclachlan regrouped with four pars, and then he got it to 10-under with a birdie on the 14th. Long held on to that one-stroke lead until he made bogey on the 17th. Neither player was able to pick up a shot on the final hole, and it was decided by the play-off in Maclachlan’s favour.
