Sun City - Trevor Fisher Jnr has been working all year to stay calm under pressure, and it paid off as he claimed his third victory this season in the Nedbank Affinity Cup at the Lost City Golf Club on Thursday.
Fisher Jnr kept his head through a crippling two holes on the back nine and took the title by a single stroke on nine under par with a closing 71.
“It was a tough day out there and it became a real fight, so I’m glad to have come out on top,” he said.
The Johannesburg professional was tied for the lead with Dean Burmester going into the final round. And as Burmester faltered, Fisher Jnr took control to turn three ahead of the field.
But his resolve was tested when he dropped four shots in two holes early on the back nine. At the par-four 12th, Fisher Jnr pulled his drive, which finished in a divot in the rough. He chipped to just onto the green, but with the fringe between him and the hole. His putt then caught the fringe and trickled into the greenside bunker, and from there he made a triple bogey.
Then on the par-three 13th his tee shot found the water, and he did well to make a bogey.
“I just made a bad decision on the 12th. I wasn’t sure what to do - maybe I should’ve putted away from the hole, or even chipped it. It happened so quickly and I made a triple from nothing.
“Then on 13 I just had the wrong club into the wind. It was a good shot, but fell 15 yards short. But I made a great four.”
And it was at this point that the effort Fisher Jnr has put into not allowing his anger to get the better of him really paid off.
“I just tried to calm myself down, and I finished nicely.”
He closed his mind to the charges made by Desvonde Botes and Bradford Vaughan, who made it into the clubhouse on eight under. Botes stormed through the field with a 67, and Vaughan a 68 including four straight birdies on the back nine.
On the 17th Fisher Jnr hit a solid wedge to six feet and made the putt for birdie to join them on eight under. And then he birdied the last to take the win in a tournament he nearly never teed it up in.
Frustrated by his performance the week before, he withdrew from this event. When he later changed his mind, the entries had already closed. “I phoned the Nedbank guys and luckily they gave me a sponsor’s invite,” he said.
Fisher Jnr’s victory was also a triumph for the South African Golf Development Board, who was presented with a cheque matching the winner’s prize of R103 025 on behalf of the sponsor.
Scores (RSA unless otherwise specified):
207 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 69 67 71
208 - Desvonde Botes 71 70 67, Bradford Vaughan 68 72 68
209 - Grant Muller 69 72 68, Matthew Carvell 73 66 70, Grant Veenstra 68 69 72
210 - Tyrone Ferreira 72 70 68, Allan Versfeld 69 68 73
212 - Warren Abery 73 71 68, Jacques Blaauw 69 74 69, Justin Walters 69 71 72, Louis Calitz 68 69 75
213 - Chris Swanepoel 71 73 69, James Kamte 71 73 69, Brandon Pieters 67 76 70, Lyle Rowe 71 71 71, Andrew Curlewis 71 70 72,Ulrich van den Berg 72 68 73, Dean Burmester 66 70 77
214 - David Hewan 74 69 71, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 73 68 73
215 - Michael du Toit 74 71 70, Andre Cruse 72 71 72, Louis de Jager 70 73 72, Andrew Georgiou 69 73 73, Jared Harvey 68 69 78
216 - Derik Ferreira 69 72 75, Titch Moore 68 72 76, PH McIntyre 69 70 77
217 - Pieter Moolman 74 71 72, Prinavin Nelson 70 74 73, Steven Ferreira 70 73 74
218 - Stiggy Hodgson (ENG) 74 70 74, Alan McLean (SCO) 73 71 74
219 - Hendrik Buhrmann 71 73 75
220 - Ockie Strydom 74 70 76
221 - Albert Pistorius 72 72 77
222 - Ben Mannix (ENG) 71 74 77, Theunis Spangenberg 72 71 79
226 - Thabang Simon 72 73 81, Lindani Ndwandwe 72 73 81
Fisher Jnr kept his head through a crippling two holes on the back nine and took the title by a single stroke on nine under par with a closing 71.
“It was a tough day out there and it became a real fight, so I’m glad to have come out on top,” he said.
The Johannesburg professional was tied for the lead with Dean Burmester going into the final round. And as Burmester faltered, Fisher Jnr took control to turn three ahead of the field.
But his resolve was tested when he dropped four shots in two holes early on the back nine. At the par-four 12th, Fisher Jnr pulled his drive, which finished in a divot in the rough. He chipped to just onto the green, but with the fringe between him and the hole. His putt then caught the fringe and trickled into the greenside bunker, and from there he made a triple bogey.
Then on the par-three 13th his tee shot found the water, and he did well to make a bogey.
“I just made a bad decision on the 12th. I wasn’t sure what to do - maybe I should’ve putted away from the hole, or even chipped it. It happened so quickly and I made a triple from nothing.
“Then on 13 I just had the wrong club into the wind. It was a good shot, but fell 15 yards short. But I made a great four.”
And it was at this point that the effort Fisher Jnr has put into not allowing his anger to get the better of him really paid off.
“I just tried to calm myself down, and I finished nicely.”
He closed his mind to the charges made by Desvonde Botes and Bradford Vaughan, who made it into the clubhouse on eight under. Botes stormed through the field with a 67, and Vaughan a 68 including four straight birdies on the back nine.
On the 17th Fisher Jnr hit a solid wedge to six feet and made the putt for birdie to join them on eight under. And then he birdied the last to take the win in a tournament he nearly never teed it up in.
Frustrated by his performance the week before, he withdrew from this event. When he later changed his mind, the entries had already closed. “I phoned the Nedbank guys and luckily they gave me a sponsor’s invite,” he said.
Fisher Jnr’s victory was also a triumph for the South African Golf Development Board, who was presented with a cheque matching the winner’s prize of R103 025 on behalf of the sponsor.
Scores (RSA unless otherwise specified):
207 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 69 67 71
208 - Desvonde Botes 71 70 67, Bradford Vaughan 68 72 68
209 - Grant Muller 69 72 68, Matthew Carvell 73 66 70, Grant Veenstra 68 69 72
210 - Tyrone Ferreira 72 70 68, Allan Versfeld 69 68 73
212 - Warren Abery 73 71 68, Jacques Blaauw 69 74 69, Justin Walters 69 71 72, Louis Calitz 68 69 75
213 - Chris Swanepoel 71 73 69, James Kamte 71 73 69, Brandon Pieters 67 76 70, Lyle Rowe 71 71 71, Andrew Curlewis 71 70 72,Ulrich van den Berg 72 68 73, Dean Burmester 66 70 77
214 - David Hewan 74 69 71, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 73 68 73
215 - Michael du Toit 74 71 70, Andre Cruse 72 71 72, Louis de Jager 70 73 72, Andrew Georgiou 69 73 73, Jared Harvey 68 69 78
216 - Derik Ferreira 69 72 75, Titch Moore 68 72 76, PH McIntyre 69 70 77
217 - Pieter Moolman 74 71 72, Prinavin Nelson 70 74 73, Steven Ferreira 70 73 74
218 - Stiggy Hodgson (ENG) 74 70 74, Alan McLean (SCO) 73 71 74
219 - Hendrik Buhrmann 71 73 75
220 - Ockie Strydom 74 70 76
221 - Albert Pistorius 72 72 77
222 - Ben Mannix (ENG) 71 74 77, Theunis Spangenberg 72 71 79
226 - Thabang Simon 72 73 81, Lindani Ndwandwe 72 73 81