Jacques Blaauw claimed his maiden professional victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Simola. Credit: Luke Walker.
It needed a moment of brilliance from Jacques Blaauw, and the ginger-haired professional delivered it on his way to a maiden victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Simola on Friday.
With at least eight players vying for the title over the closing holes, Blaauw turned a dismal front nine into a scintillating back nine. And it reached its peak on the par-four 16th, when he holed his wedge from 143 yards for eagle to take the lead and ultimately the title.
“I’m lost for words. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’ll probably do so on the flight home and I’ll smile to myself and be really chuffed,” Blaauw said after his closing 69 for a winning total of 12 under par. He finished one stroke clear of PH McIntyre, Danie van Tonder and Neil Schietekat.
Blaauw went into the final round as the leader, but had to fight his nerves on the front nine.
“Sleeping on the lead was something new for me. My roommate Vaughn Groenewald kept me out of sleep with his snoring. I’ll admit I was very nervous over the first three holes. Then on the fourth I missed about a one-and-a-half foot putt for par.” He followed that bogey with another on five and reached the 10th tee at two over for the day and seeing his title hopes fading.
“I was on the back foot and needed to play hard from there. I just went at it.” He did so with a closing 31 for one of the most exciting finishes in the 10-year history of the biggest series on the Sunshine Tour. “I had that lucky shot on 16, but you’re always aiming for the hole in any case.”
The win capped an incredible run of form for Blaauw, who came into this week with three top-10s in his previous three tournaments.
And it was justification for his new pre-round routine. “My new routine is to arrive an hour before tee off, have a few putts and then warm up on the tee box. I don’t go hit balls anymore. It’s working for now so we’ll see where it goes. I just want to build on this on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series and win as many of these as I can.”
The series also made history with this being the first time that the amateurs who compete in the pro-am teed it up alongside the professionals in the final round for the honour of finishing amongst the top six who qualify for the national final later this year.
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