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Strydom clinches victory in Singapore Classic with stunning comeback / Photo: © AFP
Strydom clinches victory in Singapore Classic with stunning comeback
Ockie Strydom staged a remarkable comeback at the Singapore Classic Sunday when he posted a final-round, nine-under-par 63 to become the first South African winner of a DP World Tour event held in the city-state.
Faced with the prospect of a playoff against Sami Valimaki at 18-under, Strydom conjured one of the greatest shots of the week with a deft chip onto the 18th green, where he would go on to sink his birdie putt for a one-shot victory over the Finn.
Valimaki, playing two groups behind Strydom, still had a chance to force the tournament into extra time, but his birdie putt on 18 stopped agonisingly close to the hole.
He was ultimately left to settle for an outright second place at the US$2 million tournament, the DP World Tour's first in Singapore since 2014.
South Korea's Wang Jeung-hun and Spain's Alejandro Del Rey, who had shared the third-round lead, posted matching 71s to finish tied for third alongside Marcel Schneider after the German closed with a 69 at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
Trailing Wang and Del Rey by four shots at the start of the day in 11th place, Strydom charged out of the gate quickly with five birdies on holes one, three, five, seven and nine for an outward 30.
The 38-year-old then parred his next three holes before picking up further gains on 13, 14 and 16. Strydom's superb up and down on 18 for his ninth birdie of the day would effectively seal his victory.
"It's a funny one. I said to Jaris my caddie, it's either going to go up in the air and land in the fringe, but if you hit a little bit behind it, it's wet. So, I took the safe shot, took a wedge, laid it up and it came out absolutely phenomenally," Strydom said of his make-or-break chip.
"I didn't even think it was going to come out that good."
Strydom's victory at the Singapore Classic is his second since his DP World Tour breakthrough at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December, which helped change his outlook on golf.
"It's a mindset that's changing at the moment. When you've been in that situation before and you know you can do it again," he said.
"I was thinking about not being here this week. I was hitting it so badly. My coach flew in and my wife said to me, 'Listen, maybe this is your week.' And look what happened, it's my week."
M. dos Santos--JDB
