Henrik Stenson wins South African Open
Henrik Stenson successfully held off the challenge posted by George Coetzee to win his first title of the European tour since 2007. The Swede carded a one-under 71 on Sunday to win the title by three strokes.
His title at the Serengeti Golf Club means that the Dubai World Championship saga has now come to a close as the top 60 places are decided.
Stenson started this tournament at the 59th spot in the Race to Dubai standings but after his victory at the South African Open he sits comfortably at the 45th position.
It was by far the worst round Stenson had played over the course of four days. He started off poorly, carding 38 on the front nine, which also saw him double bogey at the par-3 ninth.
However, the Swede regained his composure and improved on the back nine, making sure there are no more hiccups for him.
“I hit a couple of loose ones out there, and obviously the one on nine was a bit like that. I left the club behind a little bit … wrapped it and hooked it into the hazard which wasn’t a great time to do that,” Stenson told reporters.
“Sometimes you need a poor one to wake you up and make you more determined so that you’re committed on the next one. I was in the driver’s seat for most of the week, so it was good the way it turned out. It’s nice to seal the deal and it wouldn’t have been
nice not to”.
As expected, Coetzee did give Stenson a tough time, as they were levelled going on to the 15th hole but the South African could only managed a bogey.
On the other hand, Stenson birdied the 16th and 17th holes to make sure there was no chance for a comeback.
Martin Kaymer improved on his third round’s performance, carding a 67 in the fourth. The German has improved, as the tournament has progressed.
Charl Schwartzel improved further from his last night’s performance, as he carded a 67 to finish for a fifth place.
Interestingly, Stenson is the first non South African to win the tournament since 2001.
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