While he already has his maiden professional win under his belt, Martin Vorster feels that his play-off win on Wednesday in the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour’s Race to Q-School #7 at Blue Valley Golf & Country Estate will be more deeply etched in his memory.
During a tough closing round when scoring just didn’t seem to be easy, he carded a two-under-par 70 with a birdie on the last to draw level with Gerhard Pepler on 13-under-par after the regulation 54 holes. Then the former South African amateur number one kept his cool, reached the green of the par-five 18th in two and, while Pepler was making a hash of things, calmly three-putted for par and the victory.
“Sharing my first professional win with Ryan van Velzen last week was good, but it came unexpectedly after just two rounds,” said Vorster of having to share the trophy with a former national amateur teammate in the Race to Q-School #6. “This time, I knew what needed to be done, and I was able to go and do it myself. Both wins will be special to me, but this one more so.”
His day started well enough, with consecutive birdies on the opening two holes, but a bogey on the sixth stalled his chase. He made birdie to get it going again on the ninth, but he gave that shot back again right after the turn with a bogey on the 11th. He had to grind his way to the finish, and was only able to get into the play-off with a last-gasp birdie.
“It was much colder this morning,” said Vorster, “and there was a two- or three-club wind out there. That made shot making much more difficult, and I just couldn’t get anything going down the stretch. I actually missed a birdie putt on 17 that would have got me tied for the lead a little earlier, but then things worked out well for me on the 18th.”
They worked out well twice, in fact. Pepler’s tee-shot in the play-off faded right and rode the wind out of bounds. His second with his second ball off the tee went into a penalty area, and Vorster could breath easy with victory within his grasp.
Behind the two leaders, the in-form Herman Loubser managed to play himself out of a possible play-off – or even a chance of an outright win – when he went out of bounds with his second shot on the 18th. The resultant bogey saw him finish third with a tournament total of 12-under-par after a closing level-par 72.
Ryan Tipping and DK Kim shared fourth on 11-under after rounds of 68 and 72 respectively, and amateur Willie Olivier was sixth on nine-under after he too closed with a level-par 72.
For Vorster, it’s time for a little rest as he gets ready for one more tournament in this 10-event series ahead of the Sunshine Tour’s Qualifying School Final Stage from 26-29 April. “I’m heading home, and I’ll get some work done with my coach, and prepare mentally for what lies ahead of me,” he said. “I was going to play the tournament in Centurion on April 4, but with school holidays on, flights are just so expensive, so I’ll play the last one at Pecanwood on April 11 instead.”
It shouldn’t be too much longer before the cost of flights will be the last thing on his mind after picking up his first individual professional victory.
