Steven le Roux needed sudden-death to win his first Sunshine Tour-sanctioned tournament as he defeated a spirited Samuel Simpson in the first playoff hole of the Blue Label Development Tour’s one-day event held at Observatory Golf Club on Thursday.
The tournament was the sixth and final one in the Blue Label Development Tour series for the season.
Le Roux was first in the clubhouse with his flawless 64 and while many players were posting some low scores, Simpson was just as impressive on the day. With both players tied for the top spot, the winner had to be decided via a playoff.
“Doing it in a playoff makes it feel a little better,” said an elated Le Roux. “My first year on Tour [2023] was just pure struggle; nothing went my way. But, I knew from my peers and my friends that it takes time. You need to get the experience and that’s what I have been patient for. I have always known that I can play this game. It is nice to finally get it done.
“We practice for these types of moments; we are professionals and this is our job. So, when it comes to clutch moments like a playoff, you need to remember that you’ve been doing the work. If it’s your time to win, you will win. So, it’s about patience and belief in your process and ability.”
In the playoff, Simpson’s tee shot found the left of the fairway on the par-four 1st hole and his second shot dropped some 40-feet behind the flag. He narrowly missed his birdie-putt and it was advantage to Le Roux.
The Wanderers Golf Club member, Le Roux, had found the middle of the fairway with a perfect driver. His second shot dropped to about 10-feet of the pin and he was left with a tricky but easy enough tap-in for a birdie and a win.
“Sam is an excellent player and whenever you play with these kinds of players, your own game also improves,” he said, giving credit to the level of competition that the Altron Big Easy Tour fields provide.
“Today, my only aim was to enjoy myself and try to keep improving. The key for me was keeping the bogeys off the card and luckily I was able to do that while making a few birdies along the way. There were a couple of putts out there that I felt I should have or could have made but I’m not complaining.
“I gave myself a lot of chances today,” he added. “This is a good golf course and you need to place it well off the tee. The approach shots are also very important here if you want to give yourself a chance on the greens. But the key for me was in and around the greens. I rolled in a few nice putts today and that was down to creating good opportunities for myself.
“That was my goal today; to create as many opportunities for myself, and I did that well.
With this win, Le Roux moves to second on the Blue Label Development Tour’s Order of Merit and with the top two players on those standings earning their Sunshine Tour cards for next season, Le Roux has sealed his spot among the elite of professional golf.
He becomes the second member of the Papwa Sewgolum Transformation Class to grace the winner’s circle in the past two weeks.
In the Sunshine Tour’s Stellar Artois Players Championship held at Dainfern Golf Estate last week, it was a fellow member of that transformation initiative, Heinrich Bruiners, who walked home with the victory.
The Blue Label Development Tour is another Sunshine Tour initiative designed to afford players more playing opportunities while also providing pathways to the Sunshine Tour.
