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Harare - He didn’t know he had a two-shot cushion until he saw the leaderboard behind the 18th green, and it showed Jbe’ Kruger’s final round 65 had given him victory in the Africom Zimbabwe Open.
“I saw a leaderboard at 15,” he said, “and I saw Jaco van Zyl and Andrew Curlewis were on 16-under just behind me, and I thought I’d have to start making birdies.”
He did just that on the 15th and then again on the 524-metre par-five 16th, where he hit the green for two and narrowly missed an eagle putt. But he was safely down for his birdie and, at 19-under, it was all but wrapped up. Van Zyl moved to 17-under with a birdie on 17 and eventually finished second, two shots off the pace. He, too, had a final round of seven-under-par 65.
Curlewis, however, had an agonising three-putt on the 18th green for double bogey – his par putt and his bogey putt lipped out – and that saw him drop down the leaderboard to a share of fourth with Trevor Fisher Jnr and Anthony Michael at 15-under.
Fisher closed with a five-under-par 67, and, for the first time during the tournament, his card didn’t have a double bogey (or two) on it.
Michael had led through halfway at 15-under, and into the final round on the same score. He closed with a second successive even-par 72 to conclude a good tournament.
In third place was Zimbabwean Marc Cayeux, who put in a valiant effort at taking his home open championship to finish at 16-under. His opening bogey didn’t help matters, and he simply could not reproduce the kind of golf which saw him make eight-under 64 in his first round.
Kruger’s win was all the more remarkable because he has been tinkering with his grip, and he claimed that it still wasn’t right. “It held together on the front nine, and I wasn’t hitting the ball 30 yards left like I was during the early rounds,” he said. “But it started to get a little shaky on the back nine.”
With an eagle and three birdies on the back nine, that was kind of hard to believe. “It was my putting that did it,” he said. “And the greens here were so good that I was in a position to make some of those putts. I was able to see the line and then start it on the line most of the time. Putting was the difference.”
The 23-year-old champion played the round with Ulrich van den Berg, a relative veteran of 35, playing in his 209th tournament on the Sunshine Tour. “I have never seen a professional close out a victory as well as that,” he said to Kruger as the pair exited the scorers’ tent.
The victory gives Kruger the second Southern African title of his career – he won the Zambia last year. “I love Africa,” he laughed.
Final scores (RSA unless specified):
269 - Jbe' Kruger 68 69 67 65
271 - Jaco Van Zyl 70 70 66 65
272 - Marc Cayeux (ZIM) 64 67 72 69
273 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 66 66 74 67, Andrew Curlewis 69 69 67 68, Anthony Michael 67 62 72 72
274 - Theunis Spangenberg 70 66 72 66
276 - Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 69 73 66 68, Jaco Ahlers 70 66 68 72, Ulrich van den Berg 68 70 66 72
277 - Josh Cunliffe 73 68 69 67, Eugen Marugi 64 70 70 73
278 - Hennie Otto 66 69 76 67, Ignatius Mketekete (ZIM) 70 71 69 68, Adilson da Silva (BRA) 69 67 72 70
279 - Christiaan Basson 70 73 69 67, Andre Cruse 71 70 68 70
282 - Mohamed Tayob 73 69 69 71, Divan van den Heever 70 69 71 72, Peter Karmis 66 69 71 76
283 - Bennie van der Merwe 71 74 72 66, Albert Pistorius 72 72 71 68, Merrick Bremner 72 67 74 70, Bradford Vaughan 73 69 70 71, Steven Ferreira 71 71 69 72, Daniel Greene 69 74 68 72, Michael McGrady 68 71 69 75
284 - Neil Schietekat 71 74 70 69, Ross Wellington 69 74 70 71, Des Terblanche 71 72 69 72, Grant Muller 69 69 71 75
285 - Titch Moore 66 74 77 68, Doug McGuigan 71 72 73 69, Irvin Mazibuko 72 72 72 69, Charl Coetzee 70 69 75 71, Lindani Ndwandwe 70 72 72 71, Louis Calitz 71 71 72 71, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 71 73 69 72
286 - TC Charamba (ZIM) 75 70 71 70, Phillip Tshuma (ZIM) 71 73 71 71, Ryan Clarke 67 77 71 71, Attie Schwartzel 74 71 70 71, Prinavin Nelson 72 71 71 72, Darren Blair 71 70 70 75, Robson Saurombe (ZIM) 70 73 68 75
287 - PH McIntyre 73 72 71 71, Chris Williams 72 72 70 73, Tyrone Mordt 72 73 67 75
288 - Johan du Buisson 69 73 74 72, Thabang Simon 73 71 71 73, Shaun Norris 68 75 71 74, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 67 73 71 77
289 - David Hewan 76 65 77 71, Oliver Bekker 69 69 76 75, Grant Veenstra 69 76 69 75
290 - Nicol van Wyk 71 73 74 72, Darren Bismark(ZIM) 67 71 78 74, Mark Smith (MAW) 71 73 70 76
291 - Francois van Vuuren 74 70 75 72, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 71 73 75 72, Don Black 75 70 70 76
293 - Omar Sandys 71 73 75 74
295 - Brian Gondo (ZIM) 71 74 79 71, Ryan Lang (GER) 74 71 78 72, Christian Ries 72 73 74 76
300 - Roy Mugglestone (ENG) 74 69 79 78
303 - Bradley Hudson (ZIM)(AMA) 69 76 75 83
“I saw a leaderboard at 15,” he said, “and I saw Jaco van Zyl and Andrew Curlewis were on 16-under just behind me, and I thought I’d have to start making birdies.”
He did just that on the 15th and then again on the 524-metre par-five 16th, where he hit the green for two and narrowly missed an eagle putt. But he was safely down for his birdie and, at 19-under, it was all but wrapped up. Van Zyl moved to 17-under with a birdie on 17 and eventually finished second, two shots off the pace. He, too, had a final round of seven-under-par 65.
Curlewis, however, had an agonising three-putt on the 18th green for double bogey – his par putt and his bogey putt lipped out – and that saw him drop down the leaderboard to a share of fourth with Trevor Fisher Jnr and Anthony Michael at 15-under.
Fisher closed with a five-under-par 67, and, for the first time during the tournament, his card didn’t have a double bogey (or two) on it.
Michael had led through halfway at 15-under, and into the final round on the same score. He closed with a second successive even-par 72 to conclude a good tournament.
In third place was Zimbabwean Marc Cayeux, who put in a valiant effort at taking his home open championship to finish at 16-under. His opening bogey didn’t help matters, and he simply could not reproduce the kind of golf which saw him make eight-under 64 in his first round.
Kruger’s win was all the more remarkable because he has been tinkering with his grip, and he claimed that it still wasn’t right. “It held together on the front nine, and I wasn’t hitting the ball 30 yards left like I was during the early rounds,” he said. “But it started to get a little shaky on the back nine.”
With an eagle and three birdies on the back nine, that was kind of hard to believe. “It was my putting that did it,” he said. “And the greens here were so good that I was in a position to make some of those putts. I was able to see the line and then start it on the line most of the time. Putting was the difference.”
The 23-year-old champion played the round with Ulrich van den Berg, a relative veteran of 35, playing in his 209th tournament on the Sunshine Tour. “I have never seen a professional close out a victory as well as that,” he said to Kruger as the pair exited the scorers’ tent.
The victory gives Kruger the second Southern African title of his career – he won the Zambia last year. “I love Africa,” he laughed.
Final scores (RSA unless specified):
269 - Jbe' Kruger 68 69 67 65
271 - Jaco Van Zyl 70 70 66 65
272 - Marc Cayeux (ZIM) 64 67 72 69
273 - Trevor Fisher Jnr 66 66 74 67, Andrew Curlewis 69 69 67 68, Anthony Michael 67 62 72 72
274 - Theunis Spangenberg 70 66 72 66
276 - Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 69 73 66 68, Jaco Ahlers 70 66 68 72, Ulrich van den Berg 68 70 66 72
277 - Josh Cunliffe 73 68 69 67, Eugen Marugi 64 70 70 73
278 - Hennie Otto 66 69 76 67, Ignatius Mketekete (ZIM) 70 71 69 68, Adilson da Silva (BRA) 69 67 72 70
279 - Christiaan Basson 70 73 69 67, Andre Cruse 71 70 68 70
282 - Mohamed Tayob 73 69 69 71, Divan van den Heever 70 69 71 72, Peter Karmis 66 69 71 76
283 - Bennie van der Merwe 71 74 72 66, Albert Pistorius 72 72 71 68, Merrick Bremner 72 67 74 70, Bradford Vaughan 73 69 70 71, Steven Ferreira 71 71 69 72, Daniel Greene 69 74 68 72, Michael McGrady 68 71 69 75
284 - Neil Schietekat 71 74 70 69, Ross Wellington 69 74 70 71, Des Terblanche 71 72 69 72, Grant Muller 69 69 71 75
285 - Titch Moore 66 74 77 68, Doug McGuigan 71 72 73 69, Irvin Mazibuko 72 72 72 69, Charl Coetzee 70 69 75 71, Lindani Ndwandwe 70 72 72 71, Louis Calitz 71 71 72 71, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 71 73 69 72
286 - TC Charamba (ZIM) 75 70 71 70, Phillip Tshuma (ZIM) 71 73 71 71, Ryan Clarke 67 77 71 71, Attie Schwartzel 74 71 70 71, Prinavin Nelson 72 71 71 72, Darren Blair 71 70 70 75, Robson Saurombe (ZIM) 70 73 68 75
287 - PH McIntyre 73 72 71 71, Chris Williams 72 72 70 73, Tyrone Mordt 72 73 67 75
288 - Johan du Buisson 69 73 74 72, Thabang Simon 73 71 71 73, Shaun Norris 68 75 71 74, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 67 73 71 77
289 - David Hewan 76 65 77 71, Oliver Bekker 69 69 76 75, Grant Veenstra 69 76 69 75
290 - Nicol van Wyk 71 73 74 72, Darren Bismark(ZIM) 67 71 78 74, Mark Smith (MAW) 71 73 70 76
291 - Francois van Vuuren 74 70 75 72, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 71 73 75 72, Don Black 75 70 70 76
293 - Omar Sandys 71 73 75 74
295 - Brian Gondo (ZIM) 71 74 79 71, Ryan Lang (GER) 74 71 78 72, Christian Ries 72 73 74 76
300 - Roy Mugglestone (ENG) 74 69 79 78
303 - Bradley Hudson (ZIM)(AMA) 69 76 75 83
