The tears flowed almost immediately after Haydn Porteous sank his par putt on the 72nd hole – as much in satisfaction of winning as it was in overcoming his ‘torrid’ last nine months.
READ: Porteous holds nerve to win in Prague
The 23-year-old South African justified his hype last year when he won the Joburg Open, but missed 14 of 16 cuts between the D+D Real Czech Masters last year and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
‘It’s been a really torrid time through the last eight, nine months and I’ve really started doing the right things, and slowly but surely the golf has got a little bit better,’ said Porteous.
‘To get my second European Tour win under the belt just feels amazing.
‘When you start playing on the European Tour you start to lose yourself, you lose how you got out here in the first place, and to then find yourself again and do the things you do to normally get on the Tour is key.
‘It’s just one tournament at a time, one shot at a time and just make sure I do the right things and be professional in the way I do everything. I’m sure this evening’s probably not going to be the most professional moment of my life, but there’s nothing wrong with having a bit of celebration.’
Porteous is the fifth South African to win on the European Tour this season after Brandon Stone, Darren Fichardt, Dean Burmester and Dylan Frittelli.
