Altin van der Merwe will take a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the SDC Open at the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa, and is chasing a dream that a few years ago he thought he might have to give up on. MICHAEL VLISMAS reports.
Having led from day one of this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned tournament, and admitting that he was nervous heading into Saturday’s third round, Van der Merwe instead looked in complete control of every part of his game as he posted a 65 to lead on 18 under par.
His nearest challenger is Sebastien Gros on 14 under par after the Frenchman birdied the last two holes for a 68. American Nick Carlson is currently third on 13 under par following a 67.
The work Van der Merwe has done over the festive season to keep himself sharp is clearly paying off. But in the bigger picture, the work he’s done mentally since almost giving up on his dream a few years ago has been just as impressive.
Van der Merwe was 19 years old when he made his first attempt at the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and missed out by a single stroke.
He admitted that, “I was pretty broken after Q School. We had a 10-hour drive the next day back to George and I decided we were going to drive through the night because I wasn’t going to stay there any longer. I didn’t say one word to my caddie or best friend at the time for 10 hours. The golf wasn’t the same for about two years after that. You get so emotional with this game.”
But he began a transformation of his game and became one of GolfRSA’s top amateurs. Last year he won the Sunshine Tour Qualifying School, and he hasn’t looked back.
There’s no doubt that Sunday will represent a major opportunity for both Van der Merwe and his wife and caddie, Minette, to finally realise their shared dream.
“It will mean everything,” he said. “I don’t even know how to explain it. We’ve been chasing this for a long time. Not just a win, but professional golf as a whole. I was close to giving up on the dream because it didn’t look like it would come. But my last two years as an amateur really helped, and I’m trying to carry that feeling through in my professional career. Let’s see if that works on Sunday.”
Photo: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour
