Hennie Otto shot a final-round par-72 on Sunday to win the South African Open for his second win on the EPGA Tour.
The 35-year-old South African — whose previous win was the 2008 Italian Open — held off Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger by one shot after a mixed back nine.
“I’ve been close a few times a couple of years ago and couldn’t pull it off,” Otto said after the win at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Otto carded a final 14-under-par total of 274 and he was delighted to have added his name to the rollcall of winners.
“I said it yesterday: ‘There’s some good names on there and I would like to have it on there one day,’ and today’s the day,” he said.
Otto went into day four with a three-stroke lead and held onto the top of the leaderboard over former double champion Retief Goosen, Swede Magnus A Carlsson, England’s Richard McEvoy and Thomas Aiken.
On the back nine, he hit three bogeys and two birdies to end the day’s round on par.
“I made it tough for myself,” he said after parring the final hole following a crucial birdie on the 17th. “They had to catch me today and I worked it out if I make four-under, they have to make seven-under. It didn’t work out that way. I needed to birdie 17 and two putt 18.”
Wiesberger carded a final round of four-under 68 to come in second in the co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour event.
In joint third were McEvoy, Ockie Strydom and Aiken, who ended on 11-under-par.
Goosen carded a 73 and dropped into a tie for sixth, while five-time champion and defending title holder Ernie Els hit a 79 and ended the tournament in joint 69th.
The contest, the second-oldest national championship after the Open, turns 101 this year.
Notably absent from the tournament were locals and Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who were competing at the Mission Hills World Cup in China.
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