Stefan Wears-Taylor claimed his maiden win on the Sunshine Tour with a one-shot triumph in the Mediclinic Invitational at Centurion Country Club on Saturday.
Wears-Taylor went into the final round three shots off the lead held by George Coetzee and he surged through the field with an incredible eight-under-par 64 on the final day – including four consecutive birdies over the turn – to win on 25 under par overall.
“I feel on top of the world. The calibre of player out here on the Sunshine Tour is so good, and to be able to say I’m a winner is surreal,” said Wears-Taylor.
Jake Redman finished second on 24 under par with a final round of 67, while Coetzee was third on 22 under par with a closing 70.
Playing his home course, Wears-Taylor teed off in the final group and immediately made his presence felt with a birdie at the par-five 1st hole. He played incredibly composed golf as he added a further seven birdies and not a single bogey on his way to victory.
“I didn’t even know what I was on in terms of score. I was just sticking to my gameplan. Being my home course I’ve got a good idea of where I want to hit it. So my focus was to just stick to the process and play the best golf I can, and to make good decisions and commit to them. But yes, for me to be able to shoot 17 under for the weekend is very pleasing.”
Wears-Taylor said he felt like his game was headed for a breakthrough before this week.
“I started feeling that I’ve got the game to win, but it was just about piecing four days together. That’s been the difficult part to do. Behind the scenes, I’ve been working hard on consistency in all areas of my game, whether it be mental or technical. And it’s paid off.”
By Michael Vlismas
