England’s Lee Slattery and Retief Goosen of South Africa had reason to celebrate on day two of the Volvo Golf Champions, taking place at the Links at Fancourt, George, after they partnered Volvo World Golf Challenge finalist Mark Vandenberghe from the United Kingdom to victory in “Playing with the Pros”.
The winning trio combined for an 18 under par total in the 18-hole team competition to beat their nearest challengers – Austrian amateur Henning Frech and pros Charl Schwartzel and Simon Dyson – by three shots.
Vandenberghe, already the proud owner of a Volvo XC60, was thrilled to see his professional partners drive off in a Volvo V60 each. “It was an absolutely great experience,” he said. “This is obviously their event and it’s their job and it’s my hobby. I was very conscious about that all the way around. But both the guys made me feel very comfortable. I felt like I relaxed more quickly than I would have done in a normal tournament. It was great. Absolutely great!”
Goosen, who only realised he won the V60 after the round, added: “Mark hit some better shots out there than me. It was a very good experience. Winning the Volvo was a great added bonus. The other guys in the field can still win their own Volvo V60; they just need an ace at the par-three 17th in the next two rounds.”
Goosen’s previous Volvo win was during the 2009 Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City where Goosen famously won a Volvo S80 by making an eagle on the 17th. The 17th on the Gary Player Golf course at Sun City is notoriously tricky and Goosen’s eagle was only the second ever in the history of this prestigious tournament.
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