James Kingston and Hennie Otto, undoubtedly two of the country’s favourite SA Golf Open winners, will join defending champion Henrik Stenson and two-time champion Retief Goosen in the 103rd edition of South Africa’s flagship event, the 103rd South African Open Championship, earmarked for Glendower, on November 21-24.<\/p>\n
Ekurhuleni’s own son looked to be cruising to victory, with a three-shot lead and six holes to play, in the 2011 edition.<\/p>
Then he bogeyed three of the next four holes to drop back to minus-13, equal to the score that Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger had signed for to post the clubhouse lead.<\/p>\n
Otto had to finish par-par merely to tie, but the man they call the “Boksburg Bomber” reached for his driver at the 17th and hit a shot so good, it actually ran through the green.<\/p>
He skilfully chipped to about four feet from the cup and, kneeling as if praying, carefully lined up the putt before rolling it in for birdie.<\/p>\n
He knew victory was within his grasp.<\/p>\n
After another big drive down the 18th, and a safety-first approach to the right side of the green, away from the water, he two-putted from 40 feet for victory.<\/p>\n
Otto was extremely emotional after winning the 101st edition in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n
“To win the SA Open, your own national open, is very special,” he said.<\/p>\n
“You just have to look at the names on the trophy – Els, Goosen, Player and Locke – to know you’re in esteemed company.”<\/p>\n
Kingston annexed the 2007 SA Open for his first European Tour victory.<\/p>\n
After 19 long and frustrating years of trying, often coming close and being told he wasn’t mentally tough enough, he proved everyone wrong at the ripe old age of 42.<\/p>\n
“You can’t put a price on what this means to me,” Kingston said after sinking the winning putt.<\/p>\n
“This is the greatest day of my career. I’m doubly emotional right now, because, to win this – my own national open against a world-class field – and to follow in the footsteps of a man like Gary Player is massive.”<\/p>\n
Kingston and Otto will be in esteemed company for the 103rd edition of the South African Open, on a course that has hosted the tournament on three previous occasions, with American Fred Wadsworth, South Africa’s own Clinton Whitelaw and the legendary Vijay Singh being the respective winners.<\/p>\n
This year’s line-up includes two-times US Open champion Retief Goosen, Kingston and Otto, as well as two-times Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Pablo Martin, and no fewer than 29 other Sunshine Tour winners.<\/p>\n
The 103rd edition promises to be a cracking tournament, full of emotion, because that’s what winning the South African Open does to the players.<\/p>\n