South Africa’s Martin Vorster claimed his first major international title in The Junior Open over the Eden course at St Andrews.
The 16-year-old member of the Louis Oosthuizen Academy was five shots clear of the field after opening rounds of 66 and 65 but after a solid start to his final round, he found sand off the tee on the 346-yard par-four 7th on his way to running up a triple-bogey seven.
The South African’s lead was suddenly cut to two but he showed composure beyond his years by hitting his tee shot on the 178-yard par-three 8th to eight feet and then playing the next ten holes in one over par to post a four-over-par 74 and become the first South African to win the championship.
‘That was a nervous moment,’ he admitted.
‘I made a very stupid triple-bogey but I told myself I was still in the lead and to forget about it and focus on the next shot. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good one, although I did miss the putt.
‘This win means a lot to me and especially because I came in here having finished second in my last two starts. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make the breakthrough so I admit I’m a bit emotional at the moment.
‘I don’t really know what to say. It’s very special to win The Junior Open and all the more so because it’s here at the home of golf. You can’t get much better than that.’
Vorster’s win came just a few weeks after his compatriot Jovan Rebula won The Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen and he went on to thank Rebula for his contribution toward his victory.
‘He watched me play the last few holes of the Dimension tournament and then came over to speak to me after I lost.
‘He is a big role model for me. I really look up to him so when he came up and told me I was a great golfer, that really meant a lot. He told me to stay patient and the win would definitely come.
‘That was the key this week. I tried to stay patient even when things weren’t going well and I think that contributed to my success.
‘You know you’re going to get the odd bad bounce in these hard conditions but you’ve just got to learn to live with them and get on with the job.’
Photo credit: R and A
