David Drysdale's top ten

finish in South Africa

Dunbar's David Drysdale earned 41,580 Rand for a joint ninth place finish today in the Sunshine Tour's Dimension Data pro-am 72-hole tournament at Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa.
Drysdale, pictured right, who not got get a place in the Qatar Masters field, had rounds of 70, 72, 68 and 71 for seven-under-par 281.
All the way winner of the title was 41-year-old South African Deane Pappas with rounds of 65, 66, 69 and 68. He won by eight shots from defending champion James Kamte.
FROM THE SUNSHINE TOUR WEBSITE
Deane Pappas sprinted to a comfortable eight-shot victory in the Dimension Data Pro-Am on the Gary Player Country Club course as lightning flickered all round the 18th green.
“It was a good thing we ran up the 18th,” he said. “I didn’t have time to over think anything.”
He and his amateur partner Murray Winckler, a former international squash player and now director of Laurium Capital, also won the team segment of the competition. Their better-ball score for the tournament was 33-under, and it took a 20-foot downhill putt from Pappas to secure the victory.
“It was great playing with Deane,” said Winckler. “There were times during his first round and this final round when I was along for the walk, but I contributed with a birdie on the 10th today, which happened to be the only hole where he dropped a shot.”
Even with that drop, there was no real cause for concern for the 41-year-old Pappas, as last year’s champion James Kamte was having a good round from simply too far back.
Kamte shot a five-under 67, endured an insect sting on the left shoulder at the fifth, scored six birdies and a bogey, but was unable to get any closer to the winner.
Pappas shot a four-under 68 for the final round, and, together with his opening 65, 66 and 69, he led from start to finish. He started the final round six shots clear of the opposition, and even with that cushion, felt the pressure.
“Around this course, things can go badly wrong he said. “You stand on every tee box knowing you must hit the fairway, because often from the rough, you have no shot at all.”
And it was his play from difficult situations off the fairways in the final round that stamped him as a champion on the Sunshine Tour for the first time since his PGA Championship victory in 2001.
On the fifth, he hooked his tee shot into the thick rough, played a provisional which was only marginally better, and was only able to hack his first out sideways. He saved par with a rifled two-iron approach, a delicate lob wedge and a six-foot putt.
And on the 15th, he pushed his tee shot right, and had no shot to the green from the rough behind a tree. But he got his second close from under the branches, and chipped to within five feet for his par.
A birdie on 16 sealed the deal, and his 20-footer on 18 was the cherry on top.
“I got a lesson from Hendrik Buhrmann at last week’s Africa Open for my irons, and that really transformed my game,” said Pappas.
Behind him and Kamte, Dawie van der Walt came through the field with a five-under 67 for third, while Peter Karmis’ 68 was good for fourth.

Leading final totals
Par 288 (4 x 72)
Players from South Africa unless stated
268 Deane Pappas 65 66 69 68.
276 James Kamte 72 67 70 678.
277 Dawie Van der Walt 65 73 72 67.
279 Peter Karmis 69 69 73 698.
280 Jbe Kruger 70 68 73 69, Jake Roos 71 72 66 71, Martin Maritz 65 73 68 74.
281 David Drysdale (Sco) 70 72 68 71, Garth Mulroy 67 72 75 67.