Publications
Partners
Da Silva’s score equals the best ever achieved around the 7 162-metre Gary Player Country Club, Swede Henrik Stenson’s 63 from 2008.
However, the Nedbank Golf Challenge uses some different tee positions, so Da Silva’s is the best off the professional markers at the famous resort course.
He ended up with a total of 202, 14-under-par.
“From the beginning, I felt wonderful,” said Da Silva, “and somehow, I managed not to get ahead of myself.
“I’ve been hitting the ball really well for quite a while now, and I think the last two rounds – and today especially – the putting started to fall into place,” he added.
Not that he needed his putter on a couple of occasions: He chipped in on 16 in the middle of a sequence of three consecutive birdies which took him out of the reach of the chasing pack.
In the end, second-round leader Trevor Fisher Jnr carded at two-under-par 70 to finish in 207, and rookie Dean O’Riley closed with a six-under-par 66 to secure third place alone with 209, one stroke ahead of Vaughn Groenewald.
To put Da Silva’s round into some sort of context, only eight players of the 40 who made the 36-hole cut were able to finish the final round under par.
He was immaculate on the day, picking up his first birdie on the second and making three more before the turn to reach halfway at four-under and already in a very strong position.
He made that position impregnable as he birdied 10 and 12 before his closing burst of three in a row from the 15th.
“It was impressive to watch,” said Fisher.
Veteran Andre Cruse, who started the day in a share of third at four-under-par, got stung by a bee on his right hand at the fifth. It was still swollen as he came in with a seven-over-par 79, and his hand was shaking.
“It’s shaking because of the way Adilson played,” he laughed.
It has been a quiet start to 2011 for Da Silva, who has his Asian Tour card: After his 2010 which had 10 top-10 finishes, including two victories, he had only one top-10 in 2011 before the victory at Sun City.
“I’m enjoying my golf now,” he said. “I’m really feeling like I can win again.”
That sounds ominous for his fellow Sunshine Tour professionals.
SCORES (RSA unless specified):
202 - Adilson da Silva (BRA) 70 69 63
207 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 70 67 70
209 - Dean O'Riley 70 73 66
210 - Vaughn Groenewald 69 73 68
213 - Darren Fichardt 72 68 73
214 - Callie Swart 72 74 68, Lyle Rowe 70 73 71, Louis de Jager 69 73 72
217 - Stuart Clark (WAL) 77 70 70, Desvonde Botes 74 71 72, Albert Pistorius 75 70 72, Neil Schietekat 73 72 72
218 - Josh Cunliffe 77 70 71, Daniel Greene 74 71 73
219 - Michael Scholz 71 77 71, Doug McGuigan 70 77 72, Andre Cruse 71 69 79
220 - Neil Cheetham (ENG) 72 73 75
221 - Lindani Ndwandwe 74 75 72, Chris Swanepoel 71 74 76
222 - PG van Zyl 77 73 72, Brandon Pieters 74 75 73, Jake Roos 76 72 74, Jean Hugo 75 72 75, Christiaan Basson 73 72 77
223 - Johan du Buisson 74 76 73, Jaco Ahlers 73 76 74, Andrew Curlewis 74 74 75
224 - Ulrich van den Berg 78 72 74, Steven Ferreira 75 74 75, Adrian Ford 78 71 75
225 - Merrick Bremner 76 71 78, Prinavin Nelson 71 76 78
226 - Dion Fourie 75 75 76
228 - David Hewan 79 70 79, Theunis Spangenberg 70 78 80
229 - Bryce Easton 76 73 80, Ryan Tipping 71 77 81, PH McIntyre 74 73 82
DSQ - Bradford Vaughan 74 72
