Pretoria – Jean Hugo fired a course-record equalling 10-under-par 62 on Friday to pass Charl Schwartzel in the home stretch and win the Vodacom Business Origins of Golf event at Gardener Ross Golf and Country Estate.

Hugo made two eagles and six birdies on a blemish-free card for his 62 – in the process matching amateur Brandon Stone’s 2009 mark – and it was enough to overturn the three-shot deficit he had on Schwartzel going into the final round.

And it wasn’t as if Schwartzel rolled over and let himself get beaten either: The world number 22 went seven-under 65 himself, and a frustrating pair of bogeys bookending his round on the third and the 17th left him one shot adrift.

Both Schwartzel’s bogeys came on par-threes, and typified his own concerns with his game: His putting is not as precise as the rest of his game at the moment, even though there were moments when it looked impressive.

But Hugo’s putting was even more impressive, and that was underlined in no uncertain fashion on consecutive holes: He saved par with a downhill slider of 12 feet on the 14th, and then his three-wood approach to 15 nestled on the edge of the green, from where he sank a
looping 40-footer for eagle.

It was at that point that the amazing charge he had launched looked as if it would haul in Schwartzel, who made birdie himself on 15.
But, where Hugo hit his tee shot to within six feet and made birdie on 17, Schwartzel’s swing seemed to have deserted him and he left his tee shot well short and three-putted for bogey on the same hole.

Neither player was able to birdie the 18th, but Hugo’s 25-footer came closer, and when Schwartzel’s 20-footer slid five feet past, Hugo had won his third Vodacom Origins of Golf title. “I started off with Arabella and then I won at Selborne two years ago and now this one,” he said.

“I think Charl struggled a bit on the greens earlier on while I seemed to read a lot of greens perfectly,” said Hugo, who spent a lot of the break at the end of the summer events on the Sunshine Tour practicing – some of the time at Gardener Ross.

“I have played a lot here with Kevin Stone and his son Brandon and a few other pros, so we tend to be more comfortable on courses like this,” he said. “That’s true on the greens especially.”

James Kamte also came to light with a charge, making seven birdies and a bogey in his six-under 66. He occupied third place on his own, four shots behind Schwartzel.

Titch Moore carded a 69 to take fourth place, and Jaco Ahlers, Jaco van Zyl and second round leaders Vaughn Groenewald and PG van Zyl shared fifth.

Scores (RSA unless specified):
201 - Jean Hugo 69 70 62
202 - Charl Schwartzel 67 70 65
206 - James Kamte 67 73 66
209 - Titch Moore 73 67 69
210 - Jaco Ahlers 72 70 68, Jaco Van Zyl 70 72 68, Vaughn Groenewald 66 71 73, PG van Zyl 68 69 73
211 - Peter Karmis 72 72 67
212 - George Coetzee 70 71 71, Adilson da Silva (BRA) 69 72 71
213 - Johan du Buisson 73 72 68, Charl Coetzee 67 73 73
214 - Chris Swanepoel 73 74 67, Clinton Whitelaw 72 75 67, Eugen Marugi 74 72 68, Jacques Blaauw 74 72 68, Jake Roos 75 68 71, Des Terblanche 69 73 72
215 - Oliver Bekker 69 69 77
216 - Kevin Stone 74 73 69, Garry Hill 75 72 69, Neil Schietekat 72 73 71, Keenan Davidse 72 73 71, Bradford Vaughan 76 69 71, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 74 70 72, Dion Fourie 68 75 73
217 - James Kingston 71 74 72, Marc Cayeux (ZIM) 70 74 73, Merrick Bremner 71 67 79
218 - Brandon Pieters 72 74 72, Andrew Curlewis 72 74 72, Anthony Michael 71 72 75
219 - Willie van der Merwe 75 72 72, Mark Murless 73 73 73, Ryan Thompson 70 74 75
220 - Steve Basson 75 71 74, Ulrich van den Berg 72 72 76, Albert Pistorius 72 72 76, Tyrone Mordt 72 71 77
221 - Warren Abery 74 73 74, Doug McGuigan 74 71 76
225 - Adrian Ford 77 70 78, Ryan Tipping 74 72 79