Albert Venter completed an inspired three days of golf as he won the SunBet Challenge at Wingate Park Country Club by six strokes on Friday.
Going into the final round with a five-stroke lead, the 26-year-old said his approach was to think he was actually tied for the lead, and that saw him get the job done on an even more blustery, and colder, day in Pretoria.
Venter offset two bogeys on each nine with five birdies, and always looked in complete control of affairs, especially after birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes.
“Even with a five-shot cushion I knew I could take nothing for granted because there have been a lot of cases where someone has a big lead and they don’t get over the line,” Venter said.
“So my mindset was that I was tied for the lead and just needed to play as solidly as I could. Starting off the tournament with a 63 put me in a really good position, so the last two rounds were just about maintaining that and trying to increase my lead.
“But you never know what could happen at the next hole if you make a mistake, so it’s really important to have that cushion.”
Venter’s one-under 71 on Friday lifted him to 13-under for the tournament, with Ruan Korb also shooting a 71 and finishing second on seven-under-par.
Estiaan Conradie was alone in third on six-under after a 73 on Friday, with Michael Palmer (five under) and Jean Hugo (four under) completing the top five.
Venter has now claimed two titles on the Sunshine Tour this year following his triumph in the Zimbabwe Open in May, and he said from now through October, he will be honing his game in preparation for the co-sanctioned events in the summer.
“I just try to play as good as I can in every tournament, but my main focus at the moment is on peaking at the end of the year in those big events, the four co-sanctioned tournaments. Those are like the Sunshine Tour Majors. Knowing that I’m playing well will give me a lot of confidence. All of this is prep work for the end of the year.”
