A lightning start to his back nine helped Jaco Ahlers storm to a three-shot win at the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt on Sunday, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
A crowded leaderboard at the start of play dwindled to just a few before Ahlers separated himself in the space of four holes.
The 35-year-old, who’s highest finish at the event was seventh position five years ago, got himself into the mix with a tidy front nine that began with a birdie and included two further gains before a par on the 9th to go out in -3. That was enough to see the six-time Sunshine Tour winner find himself in the bunch that contained the likes of JP Strydom and Ockie Strydom with Vaughn Groenewald also lurking.
Up stepped Ahlers.
An eagle on the 10th was backed up by three straight birdies with no player in the field able to cope with that firepower. Now in front by four and with over 10 years on the tour, there would be no mistakes on the way in to deny him a superb win.
Ahlers controlled the nerves and his game to finish with five straight pars and the title as well as a checque of R752,875.
JP Strydom was three back (R524,875) and Ireland’s Neil O’Briain (R332,025) one adrift of second.
Dean Burmester was left to rue a slow start – his 74 on The Links too much to comeback from try as he might. The European Tour campaigner roared home in 65, including 10 birdies, to finish in the pack at -14.
For Ahlers, it was a week where everything aligned as he finished -8, two better than Saturday and a completion of the trend going two shots better every day.
‘Those five shots I picked up as I started the back nine were unbelievable,’ said Ahlers.
‘I started with a great second shot with a rescue on 10 which I hit to three feet for the eagle. It was flushed perfectly, and I couldn’t have asked for a better shot.
‘Then I made the putts on 11, 12 and 13 and from there it was almost cruise-mode. I could get away with hitting fairways, the middle of the green and two-putting all the way home. That made the difference.’
In the team competition, it may have taken them all week but Ahlers and Proteas icon Jacques Kallis came out on top after working their way past George Coetzee and Johann Rupert.
The eventual winners had it all to do over the weekend but managed to get themselves into a share of the lead going into the final round with a -10 effort on Saturday and got over the line after an even more impressive -11 on Sunday.
Photo: Sunshine Tour
