Ruan de Smidt earns Rugby test match tickets with an ace in a golf tournament – Golf News
Ruan de Smidt pulled out nine-iron from his bag to tee off at the 17th hole during the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tournament at the Simola Country Club that helped him earning an ace on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.
When he reached the 17th-hole tee box, he was not sure about selecting the right club to hit his first shot. However, he thought of using nine-iron that, according to him, was a good choice.
At that time, he would never have thought off the fact that it will help him making the perfect shot of the day.
“Then I watched as it stuck, spun back and just dropped into the bottom of the cup,” gushed the 21-year-old Krugersdorp golfer. “When I saw the ball drop, I was so excited. Now I can’t even properly remember how it happened. I guess it doesn’t matter. After
all these years playing golf, I finally pulled the right club and nailed my first ace”.
The hole-in-one also allowed him to improve his score in the final part of his round, as he carded a four-under par 68 in the end. He is now just two strokes off the pace with two round left in the tournament.
Smidt was not only happy about the hole-in-one, in fact, he was also pleased to know that he won eight VIP tickets for a Springbok rugby test match, scheduled later in the year.
The announcement was made by the sponsor of the 17th hole, SAIL, which is also a leading hospitality provider and the promoter of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.
At the end of the round, he told that he was confused about which news is better, the confirmation of ace or the eight tickets.
“Right now I’m thrilled with getting my first ace but in September, when I’m watching the Boks play Australia at Loftus with my mates, I’ll probably think winning the tickets was way better”.
According to Smidt, Retief Goosen is the real inspiration behind his good performance in the opening round.
He told that he watched pictures of him all across the course, which helps him boost his morale of become one like him.
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