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Vodacom hat-trick for Pieters
Brandon Pieters
Pieters closed with a 69 for an eight under par total that gave him a one-stroke victory over Doug McGuigan and Jaco van Zyl and made him only the second man to win three times in the same saeson on the Vodacom Origins Tour.
Van Zyl stepped up the pressure with a final round of 67 to set the clubhouse mark at seven under, but unfazed, Pieters parred his way home with the eight under tally he needed, using his putter with telling effect.
"I wouldn't say my putter was that hot," Pieters said afterwards, "but rather that I made some crucial putts at the right times, and that made the difference."
McGuigan had his chance of cranking up the pressure and possibly forcing Pieters into a play-off when he stood over a seven-foot birdie putt on the last, but he missed it and had to watch Pieters lift up the winners trophy
"Doug is a great player so I was getting ready for the playoff. Unfortunately he missed and here I stand as the winner."
Pieters's win put the cherry on top of his best-ever season and lifted him out from among the journeyman professionals who don't seem able to win.
"It's like a dream come true for me, and I don't mind making a habit of this. It's certainly a wonderful feeling,"
"For me to win three out of the six (Vodacom) events is an unbelievable achievement."
The Vodacom Business Origins of Golf Tour forms the backbone of the winter schedule of the Sunshine Tour, and as such serves as good preparation for the main summer schedule which tees off in November.
And Pieters would love nothing more than to carry this kind of form into those bigger-money events.
"I really want to perform well in the summer tournaments, particularly those that are co-sanctioned by the European Tour. I'm aiming to get my card on one of the big tours, and this is great preparation for that."
ALL THE FINAL ROUND SCORES
208 - Brandon Pieters 70 69 69
209 - Jaco Van Zyl 69 73 67, Doug McGuigan 73 66 70
210 - Tyrone Ferreira 70 71 69
211 - Darren Fichardt 71 72 68, Trevor Fisher Jnr 67 72 72, Andrew Curlewis 69 70 72, Mark Murless 70 68 73
212 - Alex Haindl 70 73 69
214 - Ulrich van den Berg 73 70 71, Des Terblanche 72 71 71
215 - Prinavin Nelson 72 74 69, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 71 73 71, Titch Moore 72 72 71, Jacques Blaauw 71 73 71, Alan Michell 75 68 72
216 - Divan van den Heever 66 72 78
217 - Clinton Whitelaw 72 73 72
218 - Brett Liddle 74 73 71, Steve Basson 73 72 73, Ryan Tipping 72 73 73, PG van Zyl 71 71 76, Derick Petersen 70 71 77
219 - Theunis Spangenberg 73 73 73, David Hewan 69 76 74, Jaco Ahlers 68 77 74, Neil Cheetham (ENG) 73 72 74, Nic Henning 75 69 75, Grant Veenstra 72 71 76, Kevin Stone 69 73 77
220 - Oliver Bekker 75 71 74, Shaun Norris 72 74 74
221 - Josh Cunliffe 70 76 75, Dewald Smit 73 72 76, Warren Abery 70 75 76, Albert Pistorius 75 70 76
222 - Johan du Buisson 76 71 75, Louis de Jager 73 73 76
223 - Michael du Toit 75 71 77, Keenan Davidse 72 73 78
225 - Ockie Strydom 72 74 79
