HIGGO JUMPS TO CAREER BEST OF WORLD NO.65
Week 17

Garrick Higgo held off the challenge from Maximilian Kieffer to win his second European Tour title at the 2021 Gran Canaria Lopesan Open moving to a career best of World No. 65.

Brandon Stone birdied the first extra hole to win a four-man playoff for this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour Joint Sanctioned tournament at the Euphoria Golf and Lifestyle Estate moving from World No. 98 to 76.

Rikuya Hoshino won his fourth Japan Golf Tour title for the fourth consecutive year at the Kansai Open Golf Championship. Earning 16 Ranking points he moves up the Ranking 49 spots, back into the World Top 100 at World No.99.

29TH APRIL 2021 | 04:00 AM

European Tour - Gran Canaria Lopesan Open

Garrick Higgo held off the challenge from Maximilian Kieffer to win his second European Tour title at the 2021 Gran Canaria Lopesan Open moving to a career best of World No. 65.

The South African had carded the lowest round of his European Tour career with a 63 on day three to put himself in the driving seat and he had extended his lead to four shots by the turn.

Kieffer - fresh off a play-off defeat last week in Austria - came home in 30 to sign for a 62 and pile on the pressure but Higgo kept his cool and registered another 63 to get 25 under and seal a three shot victory.

Dane Jeff Winther picked up four shots in his last three holes to sign for a 64 and get to 21 under, two shots clear of England's Sam Horsfield.

Higgo's maiden victory at last season's Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos came in just his seventh event and this triumph at Meloneras Golf arrives in his 24th.

Sunshine and Challenge Tour - Limpopo Championship

Brandon Stone birdied the first extra hole to win a four-man playoff for this Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned tournament at Euphoria Golf and Lifestyle Estate on Sunday.

It was the fifth victory of his professional career. But more significantly, it was his first Challenge Tour victory, his first playoff victory, and a much-needed win amidst a frustrating and uncertain time of Covid-19 interrupted schedules and global travel restrictions.

“I’m very happy to have this trophy in my hands. Every victory is special, and to win at home even more so. I haven’t won in a few years. I’m a very proud boy today,” said Stone.

Stone made the perfect start in Sunday’s final round, and with two birdies and an eagle on the front nine he turned at 10 under par for the tournament and with a two-stroke lead. But three bogeys and a solitary birdie in five holes from the turn opened the door for the rest of the field. With the closing holes to come, Stone was suddenly in a four-way tie for the lead on eight under with Hennie du Plessis, Oliver Bekker and Daniel van Tonder.

That’s how regulation play ended, sending them all back to the par-five 18th for the playoff. And then Stone played the hole to perfection as he won with a birdie to the pars of the rest.

“Let’s just say that these 19 holes of golf kind of summed up professional golf,” he said. “I felt invincible on the front nine. I never hit a bad shot and found myself 10 under for the tournament and the lead. Before I wiped the dust out of my eyes I was back in a share of the lead and then standing on the 18th needing birdie to win.

“I played the 18th perfectly. I hit a perfect two iron followed by a great three wood and then a nice little up and down.”

Stone now travels to Cape Town for the second of these three Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned events, the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open which tees off at the Royal Cape Golf Club this Thursday.

Japan Golf Tour - Kansai Open Golf Championship

Rikuya Hoshino won his fourth Japan Golf Tour title for the fourth consecutive year at the Kansai Open Golf Championship. Earning 16 Ranking points he moves up the Ranking 49 spots, back into the World Top 100 at World No.99.

Korn Ferry Tour - Veritex Bank Championship

Tyson Alexander overcame a five-stroke deficit to start the round for a come-from-behind victory at 23-under at the Veritex Bank Championship jumping from World No. 635 to a career best of 313.

Alexander topped Theo Humphrey by one stroke to claim his first career Korn Ferry Tour win at Texas Rangers Golf Club in Arlington, Texas.

“Just because I haven’t done well in the past doesn’t mean I can’t do well today, that’s what I kept telling myself,” said Alexander. “Yeah what a week. Golf’s kind of been kicking my butt over the last couple of weeks, but I’ve kept fighting and somehow that worked out this week. I’m just thrilled that it’s my week.”

Alexander was 2-under through four before dropping a shot at the par-4 fifth hole. He went on to card six birdies through the rest of the round – including four in a row from Nos. 9-12 – to reach 23-under and edge Humphrey. Playing in the third-to-last group, Alexander waited out the finish on the putting green before celebrating.

“Theo still had to play the 18th so I was kind of still in game mode a little bit to prepare myself for a playoff,” said the 32-year-old. “I birdied the 12th hole and I think that got me to 22-under. I kind of knew then that I was close. And then I looked at a leaderboard on 13 and saw that I was right there. Just the last four or five holes I kind of knew. And then on 17 I saw I was actually in the lead and brought it home.”

The University of Florida alum comes from a long line of successful golfers. His father, Buddy Alexander, won the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship and coached the Florida Gators golf team for 27 years, winning the NCAA Division I Championship in 1993 and 2001. His grandfather, Skip Alexander, played on the 1949 and 1951 Ryder Cup teams and won three times on the PGA TOUR.

Alps Tour Golf - Abruzzo Alps Open

Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa raised his second trophy of the month after winning the Abruzzo Alps Open just two weeks after his win at the National Open Golf Championship on the very same course. Earning 4 Ranking points the Italian moves up the Ranking 266 spots to a career best of World No. 572.

Fossa started as joint-leader, said that he was “turbo-charged”. Today he was in over-drive as he finished with -15 (198) here at the Miglianico Golf & Country Club which seems to be a lucky course for him:

“It’s a really good course for my game and I also really like the place where we are, it’s incredible. I played very well, I putted very well also, in fact all aspects of my game worked. Today was a little bit harder because of the wind and I made a mistake on the 3rd with a double bogey, but I hit my best shots on the difficult holes from 10 to 13 which I played very solidly so I’m happy”.

With a double-bogey, bogey, and six birdies for a card today of 68 (-3), Vecchi Fossa’s win puts him at the top of the Alps Tour Order of Merit after three tournaments.

We had been expecting a closely fought final day and we certainly had one. The notoriously difficult back nine proved to be decisive.

David Ravetto in joint second place on -12 (201) had a flawless round and was the only one of the top six players to avoid the back-nine traps to have a bogey-free card. The French player who won the 2020 Alps Tour Qualifying School started for home at just one stroke behind the leader at this point on -10. He added two more birdies on the back nine to his four on the front nine to really make his mark in what looks like a promising rookie season.

He is joined by his compatriot Pierre Pineau who started the round at -8. The Le Vaudreuil based golfer turned for home at -10 after three birdies and a bogey. The uphill 11th par 4 saw another bogey followed by a birdie on the tricky 12th, then two more birdies to place him as joint runner-up.

Nordic Golf League - PGA Catalunya Resort Championship

The PGA Catalunya Resort Championship was decided by a three-man playoff between Mikael Lundberg, Lauri Ruuska and Jesper Kennegård.

Lauri Ruuska started the day in front of the PGA Catalunya Resort Championship in nine under par. In second place was Mikael Lundberg in eight under par, while Danish Peter Launer Bæk had taken a shared third place in six under par.

On the second playoff hole, both Lauri and Jesper missed the green giving Mikael Lundberg the opportunity, but with a long and difficult downhill putt to play. However, the Swede managed to stop the ball close to the hole and finished the hole for par winning the PGA Catalunya Resort Championship.

Pro Golf Tour - Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic 2021

Nick Bachem, a member of Golf Team Germany and reigning Vice European Amateur Champion, secured the Red Sea Ain Sokhna Classic title.

The 21-year-old sports soldier won on the course at Sokhna Golf Club in Egypt with rounds of 66, 67 and 70 strokes, beating Belgian Kristof Ulenaers (66, 71, 68/-11) by two strokes with 13 under par. After 54 holes Benedict Staben from Germany, Luca Galliano from Switzerland and Mathis Pansart from France shared 3rd place with 9 under par.

China Tour - Sanya Classic

Ye Wocheng won his first China Tour title at the Sanya Classic. Earning 6 Ranking points he moves up the Ranking to a career best of World No. 657th.

Big Easy Tour - Big Easy Road to # 10 - Wingate Park Country Club

Ian Snyman slept on the lead for two days before masterminding a bogey-free five-under-par 67 final round of the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour Road to the Sunshine Tour #10 to claim a five-shot victory at Wingate Park Country Club on Wednesday.

He’d signed for a stunning 62 on day one which gave him a five-shot lead and backed that up with a 70 for a tournament total of 12-under after 36 holes, and a shot clear of Matthew Rushton. With Rushton playing some solid golf to get in contention this week and with a very capable Gerhard Pepler making up the final group on Wednesday, Snyman knew that he had it all to do for his second title of the season.

“I really needed a win to get myself up into that top six,” said Snyman, referring to the Road To Sunshine Tour rankings where he was languishing outside (seventh) the top six players who will be eligible for their Sunshine Tour cards at the end of the season.

“I am really happy with the way I played this week. The goal is to get a Sunshine Tour card and I knew I had to get a win soon so that I can get into contention with that top six and it’s nice to get it done.

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