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Cape Town - Jean Hugo took a record 10th win on the Vodacom Origins of Golf presented by Samsung after he scored 74 at San Lameer Country Club on Saturday, according to the Sunshine Tour website.
“If I look back at 10 years there are a lot of memories and you learn from these things. It wasn’t a simple win today and I’m glad it turned out well for me. It doesn’t get easier as time goes by,” he said.
“It was a struggle out there today and the guys didn’t let up. The groups in front of us were playing well and we knew what to do, and managed to do it, but only just,” he added.
The 39-year-old was appropriately dressed in ‘Tiger colours’ for the final 18 holes and closed out the week on six-under-par, one shot clear of Derick Petersen and Peter Karmis.
“I could see what score would win and really needed a birdie,” said Hugo. “With four holes to go I decided to do something and not leave it until 18. The third shot on 17 set up a birdie for me and I took a one-shot lead down the last hole.
“You try to play the shots that you can and eliminate the mistakes. I don’t shoot 62s anymore, because I’m more conservative on the course. I’d rather walk away than try a shot that doesn’t come off.”
Since 2006 Hugo has been winning on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series and this week’s victory was a special milestone for him.
“A huge thank you to Vodacom, because they have been supporting us for a long, long time. The events that I won eight or 10 years ago felt like they just happened naturally. Now I have to make it happen, which is different. We’re getting older and it’s one of those things. It’s a different ball game for me these days, but more consistent,” he said.
It took serious grit for the 17-time Sunshine Tour champion to fend off the charge of his rivals. The breeze picked up throughout the day and hampered any chance he had to make birdies, so it took plenty of self-belief for him to produce the victory.
“If you look even at the highest levels of golf there are youngsters like Jordan (Spieth) and Jason (Day) with so much confidence. That’s the main game, and with confidence even difficult shots become easier. At this stage of my career I need to have so much faith in my ability, because so many young guys are coming through on this tour,” he said.
Hugo will look to add more trophies to his cabinet in the coming weeks, but for the time being he was content to have a 10th Vodacom Origins of Golf trophy for his cabinet.
“We’ve got a few more events before summer. For now I’m trying to get through winter and get the confidence up. Maybe this is the start, because I know that I am progressing and taking steps forward,” he said.
SCORES (RSA unless otherwise specified):
210 - Jean Hugo 67 69 74
211 - Derick Petersen 74 69 68, Peter Karmis 70 72 69
212 - Jacques Blaauw 70 72 70
213 - JC Ritchie 71 71 71
214 - Justin Turner 75 70 69, Shaun Smith 68 75 71, Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 73 67 74
215 - Jared Harvey 70 74 71, Ruan de Smidt 71 71 73, Christiaan Basson 70 71 74
216 - Michael Hollick 71 73 72, Neil Schietekat 69 75 72, Shaun Norris 71 72 73, Ulrich van den Berg 75 68 73, Chris Swanepoel 72 70 74
218 - Tyrone Ferreira 70 76 72, Mark Williams (ZIM) 74 72 72, Gert Myburgh 75 71 72, Tyrone Mordt 72 73 73, Mark Murless 73 72 73, Keith Horne 71 73 74, Desvonde Botes 69 74 75, Allan Versfeld 70 73 75, Keenan Davidse 73 69 76
219 - Grant Muller 71 73 75, Titch Moore 72 71 76, Andrew Curlewis 67 74 78
220 - Neil Cheetham (ENG) 74 70 76, Wallie Coetsee 72 71 77, Jaco Prinsloo 70 71 79
221 - Steven Ferreira 73 73 75, Le Roux Ferreira 74 72 75, Roberto Lupini 71 73 77, Warren Abery 72 71 78
222 - Vaughn Groenewald 73 73 76, Tyrone Ryan 75 71 76, Maritz Wessels 71 75 76, Justin Harding 72 73 77, Divan Gerber 76 68 78, Ryan Tipping 71 73 78, Erik van Rooyen 68 72 82
223 - Ockie Strydom 69 75 79, Greg Bentley (ZIM) 73 71 79
224 - Dongkwan Kim (KOR) 71 75 78, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 73 73 78, Grant Veenstra 73 73 78, Bryce Bibby 75 70 79
225 - Thanda Mavundla 74 71 80, Werner van Niekerk 71 73 81
