A final-round 64 on Friday was enough for veteran Darren Fichardt to claim a one-stroke victory at the Betway Championship as the first event on the Sunshine Tour’s Rise-Up Series concluded at Killarney Country Club.
Fichardt started the final day’s play six shots behind overnight leader Alex Haindl but blew the rest of the field away with the lowest round of the week.
READ: Haindl leads by one at Killarney
Congratulations to the Betway Championship winner – Darren Fichardt. @Darrenfichardt1 #Gr8nessBeginsHere #RiseUpSeries pic.twitter.com/qOq5mWYWay
— Compleat Golfer (@CompleatGolfer) August 21, 2020
A bogey-free six under saw the 45-year-old move to the top of the leaderboard during the afternoon, while Haindl, who played alongside other contenders Anton Haig and Ulrich van den Berg struggled to make headway.
Haig in particular found the back nine daunting, making five bogeys and a double bogey on the final nine holes – settling for a disappointing five-over 75.
In the end Van den Berg proved to be the biggest challenger in the final few holes, while Fichardt waited in the clubhouse for proceedings to end.
Van den Berg, who was on two under with two holes remaining, let a good opportunity go by as he missed a birdie putt on the 17th before another testing birdie chance on the final hole, narrowly slid past the cup.
His one-under-par 69 meant he unfortunately had to settle for second place, while Jaco Prinsloo, Ruan Korb and Haindl finished in T3 on one under for the week.
It was Fichardt’s second triumph of 2020 after he won the Eye of Africa PGA Championship back in January, while it was his 18th career win on the Sunshine Tour.
Photo: Justin Sampson/Sunshine Tour
