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Port Edward - It took six years and four months, but Andrew Curlewis finally won his second Sunshine Tour title when he took the R600 000 Wild Waves Golf Challenge at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on Thursday.
“It was some of the best golf I have played in years,” he said of the victory which moved him to 21st on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit after 15 tournaments.
He carded a final round five-under-par 65 on the 5 807-metre par-70 layout for a final total of 16-under-par 194 to hold off Desvonde Botes and Titch Moore by one stroke.
“It was tough to keep the belief over the last few years,” said Curlewis. “There have been lots of downs, and some ups, but my mom and dad, my girlfriend Tammy, other friends – they have kept me going.”
When asked how he felt. Curlewis said, “Just relief. It’s been a few long years, so to give myself a chance and then hold the others off coming down the last three holes feels very special.”
He carded rounds of 66-63-65 for his win.
“I played fantastically all week,” he said, “only making one bogey in the first round, which is always helpful.”
With three contenders who were each years away from their last victory, it was always going to be a tight affair in the final group.
“I was always one or two behind the guys, when I managed to get my nose in front just in time and keep it there,” he said.
Moore and Botes faltered first with a bogey each on the first hole. But it didn’t give Curlewis too much of an advantage as he was only able to make his first birdie of the day on the seventh hole. After that, it became a war of attrition, with no-one willing – or able – to make mistakes, and each of them searching for every single opportunity they could find to make birdies.
Botes broke out of the deadlock at the 14th. The 401m par-four was the third-most difficult hole of the tournament, and Botes continued his trend of hitting his approaches close for a birdie which took him to 15-under-par heading down the stretch.
Then Curlewis struck back with a birdie on 15 as Botes let it slip with a bogey, and the tables had been turned. And the Margate professional pressed home the advantage with a second consecutive birdie on 16 to stretch into a two-stroke lead with two to play.
It got a little nerve-racking on the 18th, as first Botes sank a 30-footer to move within one, and then Moore followed his birdie on 17 with another on 18 to join Botes.
“I didn’t feel nervous walking onto the 18th, because I didn’t think both of them would make those putts,” said Curlewis.
“But then I left myself about 18 inches for par and the win, and it wasn’t on the side of the hole I would have preferred for that kind of pressure.”
But it went in and Curlewis breathed a sigh of relief as he took a win he thought might not come.
Scores (RSA unless specified):
194 - Andrew Curlewis 66 63 65
195 - Desvonde Botes 65 65 65, Titch Moore 65 63 67
199 - Christiaan Basson 64 69 66, Ulrich van den Berg 67 66 66
201 - JJ Senekal 68 65 68, Oliver Bekker 64 69 68
202 - Ruan de Smidt 64 72 66, Merrick Bremner 66 69 67, Alex Haindl 69 65 68, Wallie Coetsee 66 68 68, Stuart Smith (BOT) 67 67 68
203 - Shaun Norris 70 68 65, Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 66 68 69, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 65 67 71, Trevor Fisher Jnr 70 62 71
204 - Jaco Ahlers 66 73 65, Jacques Blaauw 66 71 67, Doug McGuigan 66 68 70
205 - Danie van Tonder 67 69 69, Daniel Greene 65 71 69, Lyle Rowe 67 67 71
206 - Neil Schietekat 67 72 67, Clifford Howes 73 66 67, Andre Cruse 66 72 68, Ryan Strauss 69 69 68, Jared Harvey 69 68 69, Mark Williams 68 68 70
207 - Grant Muller 67 72 68, Dean O'Riley 67 72 68, Bryce Easton 69 69 69, Michael Hollick 68 70 69, CJ du Plessis 70 68 69, Toto Thimba jnr 67 69 71, Justin Harding 70 66 71, Pieter Moolman 69 66 72
208 - Martin du Toit 72 67 69, Vaughn Groenewald 67 71 70, Tyrone Ferreira 69 68 71
209 - Prinavin Nelson 67 72 70, Mark Murless 69 68 72, Colin Nel 70 67 72
210 - Attie Schwartzel 67 70 73
211 - Jean Hugo 70 69 72
212 - Jacques Kruyswijk 70 69 73, JG Claassen 70 67 75
213 - Jake Roos 70 69 74
214 - Drikus Bruyns 69 70 75
215 - Coenie Stoop 66 73 76
216 - Louis Calitz 71 68 77
217 - Matthew Carvell 66 73 78
218 - Stefan Engell Andersen (KEN) 71 68 79
“It was some of the best golf I have played in years,” he said of the victory which moved him to 21st on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit after 15 tournaments.
He carded a final round five-under-par 65 on the 5 807-metre par-70 layout for a final total of 16-under-par 194 to hold off Desvonde Botes and Titch Moore by one stroke.
“It was tough to keep the belief over the last few years,” said Curlewis. “There have been lots of downs, and some ups, but my mom and dad, my girlfriend Tammy, other friends – they have kept me going.”
When asked how he felt. Curlewis said, “Just relief. It’s been a few long years, so to give myself a chance and then hold the others off coming down the last three holes feels very special.”
He carded rounds of 66-63-65 for his win.
“I played fantastically all week,” he said, “only making one bogey in the first round, which is always helpful.”
With three contenders who were each years away from their last victory, it was always going to be a tight affair in the final group.
“I was always one or two behind the guys, when I managed to get my nose in front just in time and keep it there,” he said.
Moore and Botes faltered first with a bogey each on the first hole. But it didn’t give Curlewis too much of an advantage as he was only able to make his first birdie of the day on the seventh hole. After that, it became a war of attrition, with no-one willing – or able – to make mistakes, and each of them searching for every single opportunity they could find to make birdies.
Botes broke out of the deadlock at the 14th. The 401m par-four was the third-most difficult hole of the tournament, and Botes continued his trend of hitting his approaches close for a birdie which took him to 15-under-par heading down the stretch.
Then Curlewis struck back with a birdie on 15 as Botes let it slip with a bogey, and the tables had been turned. And the Margate professional pressed home the advantage with a second consecutive birdie on 16 to stretch into a two-stroke lead with two to play.
It got a little nerve-racking on the 18th, as first Botes sank a 30-footer to move within one, and then Moore followed his birdie on 17 with another on 18 to join Botes.
“I didn’t feel nervous walking onto the 18th, because I didn’t think both of them would make those putts,” said Curlewis.
“But then I left myself about 18 inches for par and the win, and it wasn’t on the side of the hole I would have preferred for that kind of pressure.”
But it went in and Curlewis breathed a sigh of relief as he took a win he thought might not come.
Scores (RSA unless specified):
194 - Andrew Curlewis 66 63 65
195 - Desvonde Botes 65 65 65, Titch Moore 65 63 67
199 - Christiaan Basson 64 69 66, Ulrich van den Berg 67 66 66
201 - JJ Senekal 68 65 68, Oliver Bekker 64 69 68
202 - Ruan de Smidt 64 72 66, Merrick Bremner 66 69 67, Alex Haindl 69 65 68, Wallie Coetsee 66 68 68, Stuart Smith (BOT) 67 67 68
203 - Shaun Norris 70 68 65, Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 66 68 69, Jeff Inglis (ENG) 65 67 71, Trevor Fisher Jnr 70 62 71
204 - Jaco Ahlers 66 73 65, Jacques Blaauw 66 71 67, Doug McGuigan 66 68 70
205 - Danie van Tonder 67 69 69, Daniel Greene 65 71 69, Lyle Rowe 67 67 71
206 - Neil Schietekat 67 72 67, Clifford Howes 73 66 67, Andre Cruse 66 72 68, Ryan Strauss 69 69 68, Jared Harvey 69 68 69, Mark Williams 68 68 70
207 - Grant Muller 67 72 68, Dean O'Riley 67 72 68, Bryce Easton 69 69 69, Michael Hollick 68 70 69, CJ du Plessis 70 68 69, Toto Thimba jnr 67 69 71, Justin Harding 70 66 71, Pieter Moolman 69 66 72
208 - Martin du Toit 72 67 69, Vaughn Groenewald 67 71 70, Tyrone Ferreira 69 68 71
209 - Prinavin Nelson 67 72 70, Mark Murless 69 68 72, Colin Nel 70 67 72
210 - Attie Schwartzel 67 70 73
211 - Jean Hugo 70 69 72
212 - Jacques Kruyswijk 70 69 73, JG Claassen 70 67 75
213 - Jake Roos 70 69 74
214 - Drikus Bruyns 69 70 75
215 - Coenie Stoop 66 73 76
216 - Louis Calitz 71 68 77
217 - Matthew Carvell 66 73 78
218 - Stefan Engell Andersen (KEN) 71 68 79
