Follett-Smith wins the Cape Town Open
Zimbabwean Benjamin Follett-Smith won his maiden Sunshine Tour title when he claimed a two-shot victory over Zander Lombard and Jean-Paul Strydom on a total of 13-under-par 275 at the RAM Cape Town Open on Sunday.
Still in his rookie season on Tour, Follett-Smith admitted that he came into the final aiming for a top-10 finish but got more than he’d expected at Royal Cape.
“I am happy to be able to show that I can win,” Follett-Smith said. “It is a great thing for me, at least, and not to prove anything to anyone else that I can win. I will be able to establish myself on Tour and be able to say I am actually worthy of being here. I came out here today thinking that I just need to finish in the top-10 so that I can get into next week at the Dimension Data Pro AM so I won’t have to play pre-qualifiers next week. It is really great for me to win this at this stage of my career.”
On a day when the wind was up and swirling for most of the time, it looked as though either of Lombard, Strydom or Peter Karmis would go on to win at Royal Cape, but a brilliant back nine catapulted the young Zimbabwean to the top spot.
This video is not available in your region
He opened his round with a bogey and four pars later, made his first birdie. At the turn, he made another par as the wind made things difficult but from there on, there was no stopping him. He made three consecutive birdies from the 11ththrough to the 13th before taking a par on the 14th. Another three birdies on the trot got onto his card as he carded a bogey-free 30 on the homeward stretch.
“I played the back nine so well,” he noted. “My putter was hot and everything. I could read the lines and everything was just going well for me. It all started on the par-five eleven, where I made a birdie. I made a good up-and-down, which was nice. I made a good putt there and two more on 12th and 13th then made a par. After that I made three birdies and the last hole I was driving, I hit it on the left, it actually bounced when it hit the flag and I had to up-and-down.”
Tied for second on 11-under-par, Lombard and Strydom will feel they were in with a real chance at winning but when it’s not your week, it’s not your week.
Follett-Smith will now look forward to the rest of the season with a degree of confidence after his display at the oldest golf club in the country.
FINAL ROUND SCORES
275 - Benjamin Follett-Smith
68 69 72 66
277 - Zander Lombard
68 67 69 73;
Jean-Paul Strydom
62 72 69 74
278 - Peter Karmis
63 66 77 72
279 - Hennie Otto
71 64 76 68;
Jack Harrison
71 70 68 70;
Jaco Ahlers
70 71 68 70
280 - Jacques P de Villiers
73 64 76 67;
Adilson Da Silva
71 63 75 71;
Herman Loubser
71 71 67 71;
Jacques Kruyswijk
67 72 69 72;
Andrew Curlewis
67 64 76 73;
Thriston Lawrence
66 68 72 74;
Madalitso Muthiya
67 69 70 74
281 - Victor Lange
71 70 70 70;
Daniel Greene
67 71 72 71;
Justin Walters
66 69 73 73
282 - Richard Bland
66 69 73 74
283 - Dawie Van der Walt
71 67 76 69;
Keith Horne
69 71 70 73
284 - Rhys Enoch
67 73 76 68;
Scott Campbell
67 70 76 71;
Tyrone Ryan
70 70 72 72;
Jbe' Kruger
69 67 75 73;
Lyle Rowe
67 71 70 76
285 - Anthony Michael
71 71 69 74;
MJ Viljoen
66 70 73 76;
Ockie Strydom
69 70 70 76;
Daniel van Tonder
66 70 72 77;
Michael Palmer
68 70 69 78
286 - Doug McGuigan
68 72 72 74;
Vaughn Groenewald
67 71 73 75;
Wallie Coetsee
69 73 69 75;
Neil Schietekat
70 72 69 75;
Ross McGowan
68 72 68 78
287 - Mitch Waite
68 72 78 69;
Trevor Fisher Jnr
69 71 75 72;
Damon Stephenson
67 72 74 74;
Jacques Blaauw
68 72 72 75;
Keenan Davidse
72 69 71 75;
Martin Rohwer
74 67 71 75;
Luke Jerling
72 69 71 75;
Luke Joy
72 70 70 75;
JC Ritchie
66 72 73 76
288 - Stephen Ferreira
69 70 72 77
289 - Ian Ansett
70 72 78 69;
Jake Roos
71 70 78 70;
Kyle McClatchie
65 72 78 74;
Jacquin Hess
71 70 73 75;
David McIntyre
71 69 71 78
290 - Andrew van der Knaap
71 71 75 73;
Tyler Hogarty
67 72 77 74;
Teboho Sefatsa
69 70 75 76;
Jason Viljoen
68 74 72 76;
JJ Senekal
67 71 75 77;
Harry Ellis
69 71 73 77
291 - Michael Hollick
68 71 77 75;
Wynand Dingle
67 70 76 78;
Christiaan Basson
69 70 72 80
292 - Matias Calderon
67 75 75 75;
Rhys West
70 72 74 76;
Estiaan Conradie
68 71 76 77;
Garth Mulroy
72 68 75 77;
Ruan Conradie
67 71 72 82
293 - Pieter Moolman
70 71 79 73
294 - Heinrich Bruiners
68 70 73 83
295 - Allister de Kock
70 72 77 76;
Philip Geerts
70 72 77 76
296 - Bennie van der Merwe
69 73 74 80
298 - Anton Haig
71 70 78 79