Van Tonder wins Vodacom Championship Unlocked
The Rise-Up series now moves to Huddle Park
Daniel van Tonder added on to his African Bank Sunshine Tour Championship victory when he emerged victorious by one stroke during the Vodacom Championship Unlocked Rise-Up Series at ERPM Golf Club on September 25.
Van Tonder (29) made a late surge to spoil early leader MJ Viljoen’s party after closing with 67 to win on 13 under par 203, just one clear of Viljoen who had led for 36 holes of the 54-hole tournament.
Viljoen had opened proceedings during round one on September 23 with an eight-under-par 64, making one bogey as he mastered his way to the top of the leaderboard.
He maintained his good start during round two the following day but could not hold on amid van Tonder’s challenge.
The early leader needed a birdie in the end to make it a play-off game but settled for a par and a closing 73 as van Tonder emerged as the victor.
“It feels awesome. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work and just doing my own thing. My whole game from tee to green feels good, and I think that just comes from the all the practise I’ve been doing,” said van Tonder.
He said he would like to use his victory to raise awareness for mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that his wife’s grandfather has recently been diagnosed with.
“It was fun out there. The wind was blowing quite a bit, but I had checked the weather the night before so I expected it to blow. In a way I was looking forward to it because I knew that in the wind, five shots back wouldn’t be too much to make up.
“My game is suited to the wind and I play quite aggressively when it’s blowing,” continued the man who produced five birdies in eight holes en route to victory.
Pieter Moolman completed the podium alongside van Tonder and Viljoen on 11 under par with a final round of 67.
Jaco Ahlers still leads the Betway Birdie Challenge through four tournaments on the Rise-Up Series with 57 birdies.
The last and fifth stop of the Rise-Up Series took place at Huddle Park Golf Club in Linksfield, Johannesburg between September 30 and October.
Also Read: Viljoen bursts out of the blocks at ERPM
Also Read: Golfers ‘ready to rumble’ in Rise-Up Series
