Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Jake Roos slotted a 15-footer for birdie on the second playoff hole on Sunday to win the inaugural Lion of Africa Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club.
“As I walked up to the green on that second playoff hole, I had a good feeling about the putt,” he said.
“I saw the line immediately, and I told myself that I could hole it.”
The putt gained him his fifth Sunshine Tour title, and his third for the year, and every one of his victories has come in a playoff.
“There’s nothing to lose when you get into playoffs. So you can just relax and let yourself go. Other than that, I don’t know how to explain how I’ve won so many.”
He defeated Tyrone van Aswegen, Mark Williams and Jaco van Zyl in the playoff after all four had finished at nine-under-par 279 in regulation play.
Things came together nicely for Roos, who had his father on the bag for the first time, and they will be travelling together to the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School in January.
Van Zyl was the first to drop out when he made bogey on their first return journey down the 18th, and Roos managed to close the deal with his putt from the fringe just right of the flag.
Roos probably could have finished things off in regulation, but the putts seemed intent on staying out of the hole. His chances seemed to have slipped away when he made bogey on 15 with a missed three-footer, but he clawed his way back with a birdie on 16.
It was not the first time he missed a short one and bounced right back in the final round - he also missed a four-footer for par on six, but he rebounded with an eagle-three on the seventh.
“I hit a three-wood which pitched about pin-high and then rolled through the green, about 20 feet away and in the fringe," he said.
“It was the same feeling for me when I walked onto the green there as I got later on 18 in the playoff.
“I saw the line immediately, and I just knew I could make it.”
But there was more tension to come for him, and after the bogey on 15, and the recovery on 16, it was a sublime approach to within centimetres on the 18th in regulation which set up his finishing birdie and got him into the playoff.
Williams had a chance to win it, holding a one-stroke lead at 10-under as he teed off on 18, but he was overly cautious and sliced his tee-shot to the base of a tree in the rough.
He advanced his ball diagonally over the fairway and his approach left him too much work for the par he needed to win.
It was a third title for Roos in 2012, but the first in a major summer event on the Sunshine Tour over four rounds.
“It took something more than it took to win those three-rounders,” he said, “and it’s making me feel pretty confident ahead of the rest of the big summer events.”
Scores after the fourth and final round of the R2m Lion of Africa Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club on Sunday: (RSA unless specified)
279 - Jake Roos 71 67 73 68 (won on 2nd play-off hole)
279 - Jaco van Zyl 67 72 74 66, Tyrone van Aswegen 72 72 68 67, Mark Williams 66 67 75 71
281 - Keenan Davidse 73 68 70 70, Colin Nel 69 72 68 72
283 - Darren Fichardt 69 74 73 67, Hennie Otto 75 66 74 68, Keith Horne 71 68 73 71, Darryn Lloyd 70 71 71 71, Christiaan Basson 70 70 70 73
284 - Matthew Carvell 72 71 74 67, Attie Schwartzel 73 66 77 68, Bradford Vaughan 73 68 71 72
285 - Riekus Nortje 76 71 72 66
286 - Ruan de Smidt 70 72 76 68, Steve Surry (ENG) 70 71 72 73, Dean Burmester 71 67 74 74
287 - Ulrich van den Berg 72 74 74 67, Ross Wellington 70 71 73 73, James Kamte 71 71 72 73
288 - Peter Karmis 78 66 74 70, Andrew Georgiou 70 73 74 71, Wallie Coetsee 71 73 73 71, Jared Harvey 72 68 75 73, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 72 68 74 74
289 - Peter Wilson (ENG) 72 70 76 71, Daniel Greene 71 74 73 71, Martin du Toit 71 71 73 74
290 - Johan du Buisson 70 75 75 70, David Hewan 72 73 74 71, Louis de Jager 70 72 76 72, Heinrich Bruiners 72 72 73 73, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 72 72 73 73
291 - Merrick Bremner 78 68 79 66, Allan Versfeld 72 72 79 68, Brandon Pieters 75 70 78 68, Jake Redman 74 71 77 69, Jacques Blaauw 78 69 74 70, Desvonde Botes 72 74 74 71, Tyrone Ferreira 76 68 75 72, PH McIntyre 72 70 76 73, Warren Abery 71 71 74 75
292 - Michael du Toit 73 74 77 68, Brett Liddle 72 75 77 68, Derik Ferreira 73 74 74 71
293 - Francois Coetzee 73 69 81 70, JG Claassen 76 68 78 71, Andrew Curlewis 76 71 75 71, Francois Haughton 73 74 73 73, Graham van der Merwe 71 71 77 74
294 - Lyle Rowe 73 71 79 71, Kevin Stone 74 71 78 71
295 - Teboho Sefatsa 74 71 76 74, Chris Swanepoel 70 75 75 75
296 - David Ryan 72 75 78 71, Langley Perrins 73 73 78 72, Pieter Moolman 73 74 77 72, Andre Cruse 69 77 77 73, Callie Swart 76 69 77 74, Henk Alberts 70 72 79 75
297 - Francois van Vuuren 72 71 79 75, Dean O'Riley 76 69 77 75, Michiel Bothma 73 72 77 75
298 - Ryan Tipping 74 73 81 70, Doug McGuigan 73 71 78 76
299 - Grant Veenstra 74 73 79 73
300 - Andre van Zyl 77 70 80 73, Brent Kirstein 75 71 80 74, Alan McLean (SCO) 69 72 78 81
301 - Juan Langeveld 70 75 79 77, Ryan Strauss 73 73 78 77
