DURBAN – He knocked on the door for quite some time, and Louis Albertse finally got his victory on Saturday when he won the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf event at the Woods at Mount Edgecombe.
Albertse carded a four-under-par 66 in the final round to hold off a determined challenge from CJ du Plessis, who signed for a five-under 65 to finish second, just one shot behind.
“Trying to get it done on that final hole was tough,” said Albertse. “I don’t like either of the shots on 18, so when I got a good tee shot off, I was very relieved after a day that felt filled with pressure all the way.”
It was a day on which the weather was not as tough to deal with as it was on the first two days, but it was something that a player under the gun had to take note of. “It was certainly a lot easier,” said Albertse, “and the wind was not as tough to deal with as it was on the first two days, but it was certainly something that we had to deal with on the back nine.
“And, on top of that, I was very aware of the charge from CJ… every time I saw a scoreboard, I couldn’t help seeing what was happening ahead of me. So there was not a moment when I could let up, and devour what was going on.”
Besides the charge from Du Plessis, there was the lurking presence of the man with whom he shared the lead after both the first and second rounds, Adilson Da Silva. The veteran Brazilian knows what it takes to win on the Sunshine Tour, but he could get a scoring run going as he made three birdies and two bogeys for his one-under. That left him three shots behind Albertse, in a share of third with Riekus Nortje and Deon Germishuys, who each carded three-under-par 69.
“This is the culmination of a lot of work, and a good recent form,” said Albertse who has had three top-10s in 2021 ahead of this welcome victory.
“It’s going to mean a lot going forward, being able to play the big events later on confident in the knowledge that I was able to win under pressure,” said Albertse. “Of course, the big bonus is going to be able to play the events co-sanctioned with the European Tour with that confidence.”
The win has taken him to ninth on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, and that’s a good place to be as the Sunshine Tour season moves towards the big summer events.
SA Tour Golf