MJ Daffue enjoyed a profitable week at Muirfield Village but SA’s No 1, Louis Oosthuizen, was left pondering what might have been after his third-round implosion at the Workday Charity Open, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
READ: Daffue reflects on his big week
On Saturday, Oosthuizen was in the top 10 and looking to catch up to the leaders. Little-known Daffue was just delighted to make the cut and add some dollars to his bank account.
The country’s best golfer dunked four balls into the water on the back nine for a 45 and a 79 that had him plummeting down the leaderboard. Daffue’s day was significantly better … his 65 was the best the field offered up.
He closed with a 73 and a share of 22nd place but enjoyed a 500+ lift in the latest Official World Golf Ranking to the mid-800 mark. A cheque of nearly $60,000 helped matters, too.
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More importantly, he is closer to the top 200 as he looks to make his way on to the Korn Ferry Finals list. Daffue (pronounced Duffy) is a 31-year-old South African who has played in only one previous PGA event where he finished tied for 52nd in this year’s Puerto Rico Open. He has made only $41,088 in 10 career events on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Oosthuizen closed with a 75 and ended in 65th alone. He left with a cheque for $13,268 and a ranking drop of three places to 24th.
Erik van Rooyen is down one to 42nd and Christiaan Bezuidenhout down one to 48th to round out South Africa’s top three players.
