In a closely contested final round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Stellenbosch, where up to five players had a chance to walk away with the victory, it was Thriston Lawrence who claimed the win, albeit by a single shot on Saturday.
Trailing by five shots at the start of the round, the Nelspruit Golf Club representative had to dig deep to get himself into contention and he did just that. While many had their money on Jean-Paul Strydom and local men JJ Senekal and Deon Germishuys, Lawrence was quietly going about his business around the Stellenbosch Golf Club.
Three birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the front nine was always going to be a solid start to any round, but coming home and gaining confidence after each shot, Lawrence birdied the 12th and made another eagle, this time on the par-five 14th to get to 15-under-par for the tournament, a stroke ahead of Riekus Nortje, Germishuys, Strydom and Senekal.
“I’m quite speechless,” was the first thing he said after his round, “I was five shots back but I knew I was playing solidly all day. So, to get my first win is special.”
He has been playing solidly this calendar year and that is proven by the three runner-up finishes he had before this all-important victory.
“This win means a lot to me because not everybody wins,” he said, “and to get that breakthrough is special. I’ve been knocking on the door for quite a long time now. But it’s all down to staying patient. I knew this is not a sprint but a marathon, there’s a lot of events and I’m playing well, so I stayed patient and got it done.”
His win moves him to the top of the current Order of Merit, dethroning JC Ritchie who was not in the field this week.
