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Cairns wins Big Easy event

Johannesburg - Ryan Cairns took every shot as it came, on the way to pulling off a two-stroke victory at the Sunshine Big Easy Tour Observatory golf tournament on Wednesday.

The Zimbabwean shot 63 in round one, and added 66 on Wednesday to move to 15-under-par and claim a victory over runner-up Jeff Inglis.

The 28-year-old raced around the par-37 front stretch in 32 after an eagle at the second secured him the lead.

Cairns said he was determined to better Tuesday's showing by not becoming content with what he had produced.

"It was weird going into the second nine, because I was two ahead at the turn and shot 28 on that nine yesterday. I didn't want to get stuck into 'yesterday' mode, because then expectation comes into it, and that's a killer," he said.

"I was very diligent with my routine, and that was the difference this week.

"This week really came out of nowhere, because I've been playing well, but I haven't been scoring well."

While 61 players finished the tournament below par, Cairns' good showing around the greens was the key to his success.

"My short game was very sharp. I chipped in twice this week, I feel very confident around the greens, which feeds into the rest of your game," he said.

"You know that if you miss a green you can chip and putt, so you have far more confidence off the tee."

Inglis shot 62 on Tuesday, but could not maintain his pace, shooting 69 in the second round to take second place.

A further stroke back were Thabang Simon, Ruan de Smidt and Danie van Tonder.

Van Tonder and De Smidt are two of the Sunshine Tour's leading rookies and showed their dominance among the youngsters of the Tour with their share of third.

Cairns said he was elated with his victory and set his sights on even higher goals.

"It was very special to win and I take a lot of confidence away from this," he said.

"The Zimbabwe Open starts in three weeks... it's at my home course and that's the one I really want to prepare for.

"There is a lot of sentimental value to the Zim Open for me, and this is a great way to go into it."

Scores (RSA unless otherwise specified):

129         Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 63, 66
131         Jeff Inglis (ENG) 62,69
132         Ruan de Smidt 66,66, Thabang Simon 66, 66, Danie van Tonder 63, 69
133         Drikus van der Walt 67, 66, Johan Bekker 67, 66
134         Thabo Maseko 68, 66, Coenie Bester 68, 66, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 66, 68
135         Haydn Porteus (AMA) 68, 67, Jacques van Tonder 69, 66, Teboho Sefatsa 65, 70
136         Garry Hill 70, 66, Mark Williams 68, 68
137         Irvin Mazibuko 68, 69, Graham van der Merwe 69, 68, Martin du Toit 64, 73, Sipho Bujela (AMA)
138         Riekus Nortje 71, 67, Vickesh Singh 68, 70, PG van Zyl 68, 70, Derik Ferreira 68, 70, Tyrone Ryan 67, 71, Brett Liddle 67, 71, Callie Swart 66, 72
139         Hendre Celliers 72, 67, Jake Redman 72, 67, Fared Harvey 71, 68, Louis Calitz 70, 69, Mark Fensham 70, 69, Chris Williams 68, 71, Juan Langeveld 68, 71, Kenneth Dube 69, 70
140         Dean Burmester 72, 68, Coenie Stoop 69, 71, Morne Buys 69, 71, Dayne Moore 69, 71 (ZAM)
141         Michael McGrady 72, 69, Stuart Clark (WAL) 72, 69, John Bele 71, 70, Michael du Toit 71, 70, Ross Wellington 71,70, Ryan Hood 71,70, Michael Hollick 74, 67, Ignatius Mketekete (ZIM) 70, 71, JP van der Walt 68, 73, JJ Senekal 69, 72, Wynand Dingle 69, 72
142         Thomas Lovett 72, 70, Greg Petzer 72, 70, Henk Alberts 71, 71, Walter Els 75, 67
143         Steven Ferreira 72, 71, Wandile Gininda 72, 71, Rocky Tlhabanyane 71, 72, Mikhail Tewary 70, 73, Thanda Mavundla 68, 75, Micky Hough (ZIM) 67, 76, Grant Veenstra 69, 74, Ryan Thompson 70, 73
144         Heinrich Bruiners 71, 73, Beyers Smith 71, 73, Roberto Lupini 74, 70, Blanche Lamprecht 74, 70, Zuko Sangqu 67, 77
145         Patrick Spindler 72, 73, Pieter Moolman 73, 72, Derick Petersen 74, 71, Conway Kunneke (AMA) 71, 74, Willie Steyn 70, 75, Divan Gerber 68, 77, Allister de Kock 70, 75, Brendan de Lange 70, 75
146         Alpheus Kelapile 72, 74, George Brown 71, 75, Cameron Esau 71, 75, Neo Thubisi 73, 73, Steven van Heerden 75, 71
147         Jack Kutumane 71, 76
148         Albert Tsai 76, 72
149         Stuart Smith (BOT) 73, 76, Langley Perrins 75, 74, Elvis Sithebe 76, 73
150         Michael Dreyer 72, 78
151         Nathan Waghorn 73, 78, Francois Coetzee 77, 74
155         SV Nhlapho 78, 77
158         Makgetha Mazibuko 78, 80

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