Bezuidenhout Earns Dimension Data Victory With Final Hole Magic

Christiaan Bezuidenhout completed a wire-to-wire victory at the Dimension Data Pro-Am thanks to a stunning eagle on the 72nd hole at Fancourt Golf Estate.

The South African stood on the par five 18th tee trailing countryman George Coetzee by one stroke but hit an incredible second shot to six feet and holed the eagle putt to card a five under par round of 67 and reach 25 under par for the tournament, one clear of Coetzee.

Bezuidenhout began the day two strokes ahead of his nearest challengers but was forced to produce his best golf until the end as he held his nerve to secure an emotional victory in a tournament which he has always wanted to win.

“To win it with an eagle on the last is really special,” he said. “This is a special event for the South African boys and I’ve always wanted to put my name on that trophy. I’ve done it now, so I’m pretty pleased.

“I actually thought I just needed a birdie on the last hole. I was going at the flag because I knew I needed to birdie or eagle to win it and it came out perfect. To have a six-foot putt to win was great.

“I’m just going to keep on going and keep doing my best. Me and my coach are working on some great stuff and I’m just going to keep on going.”

The 25-year-old now moves to inside the world top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career.

Coetzee, who could only par the final hole which left the door open for Bezuidenhout to take advantage, finished second on 24 under par, two strokes clear of Richard Sterne in third on 22 under par.

Spain’s Santiago Tarrio Ben finished as the highest-placed European player in fourth place on 17 under par, with Road to Mallorca Number One JC Ritchie a place and a shot further back to record his third successive top ten finish on the European Challenge Tour.

Bezuidenhout’s victory earns him a spot in the WGC – FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee, in July and he will tee it up in the first World Golf Championships event of the year in Mexico next week, a spot which he earned through his finish on the 2019 Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex.

Christiaan is sponsored by Callaway Golf, Galvin Green, Euro Select Golf and Voly Ltd.