He fought like a terrier, and an eagle early in his final round gave Jbe’ Kruger the impetus he needed to fight for the lead and eventually win the Sunshine Tour’s Gauteng Championship presented by Betway at Ebotse Links.
He started the day one behind 54-hole leader Neil Schietekat, and an audacious approach to the par-five seventh saw him make an eagle-three. Schietekat made birdie, and two birdies on five and six had kept him ahead of Kruger.
They turned still one stroke apart, with Schietekat ahead. One birdie each in the first three homeward holes kept the status quo. And then the terrier in Kruger came out. From the fringe on the drivable par-four 13th, he rammed home a 15-footer to save par as Schietekat opened up a two-stroke edge with his birdie.
To the 14th, and in went another 15-footer from Kruger, this time for birdie to cut the gap to one. And, on the downhill par-three 15th, and the terrier rode a lucky bounce off the back of a greenside bunker to put a seven-footer away for another birdie and a share of the lead.
On the 16th, Kruger got it safely on the green for two, and Schietekat went right of the green into a collection area, leaving himself a difficult lob-wedge which he couldn’t get close enough to save par – and suddenly, Kruger was ahead.
After an exchange of pars on the difficult 17th, it was clear that Schietekat needed to do, especially after Kruger hit his 18th tee shot into the middle of the fairway. Schietekat tried to give it a little too much, turned it over, and dumped it into the no-play area left of the fairway. His reload just crept over the danger and back into it, so he ended up giving away his chances of winning there and then and he made a double-bogey seven to Kruger’s par.
“I don’t think I’ve been as nervous ever in my life,” said Kruger after his fifth Sunshine Tour victory. “Neil is such a strong competitor and he pushed me all the way.
“I was happy to make a few putts. I still hit a lot of shots that were not that great, but under pressure, I managed to keep it together, and that’s probably all that matters.”
With Schietekat’s descent into third, Martin Rohwer’s final round of six-under 66 became more significant as he finished in second, to behind Kruger on 19-under. Hennie Otto and MJ Viljoen shared fourth at 17-under.