Consistent Sullivan edges out Schwartzel in playoff
Sullivan was a cheerful, chirpy presence throughout the tournament, even on a bad third day when he tumbled down the leaderboard, but he also played the most consistent golf over the four days, finishing on 11-under–par after rounds of 66, 70, 74 and 67.
Schwartzel’s implosion in the closing holes, wasting a four-shot lead with a bogey on the par-three 14th after finding the greenside bunker; a double-bogey on 16 after driving into a bunker, flying the green and then three-putting; and then a bogey on the par-three 17th after an awful tee-shot, meant the SA Open had its first playoff since Scotsman Richie Ramsay won at Pearl Valley in 2009.
Schwartzel had been ropey all day off the tee and with his irons, but had scrambled well as he putted superbly from distance. He produced another poor drive in the playoff, going way right of the fairway. Sullivan was left of the fairway, but not as far away, although the Englishman said afterwards that he felt he had a tougher approach shot than the South African.
Sullivan was in cloying grass, with the low branches of a tree obstructing his way to the green, but the jovial 28-year-old was able to make something of a bad situation with a tremendous shot worthy of an SA Open winner.
“I only had 131 metres to the pin, but I had low branches in front of me so I had to hit a nine-iron to keep under those. I was aiming at the grandstand and trying to cut it back, and I hit it perfectly. I thought I’d still be 20 feet from the flag, but instead I was 12 feet and pin-high, it’s without a doubt one of the best shots I’ve ever hit,” Sullivan said.
He still had to make an awkward, curling putt as Schwartzel played a superb third shot to within a couple of feet of the hole, but Sullivan showed his mettle by ramming the winning putt home.
“I’ve never been that nervous over a putt before, I was literally shaking. You never know in golf, but the unbelievable happened and I’m going to really enjoy it and milk it for everything,” the likeable lad from the English midlands town of Nuneaton said.
Sullivan started the day eight shots behind Schwartzel and knew he had to go low. But he only had two birdies and a bogey in his cart by the turn, before chipping in for eagle on the short par-four 12th. Another birdie on the 16th lifted him into second and he admitted that he was about to leave the course to head off to the airport for his flight to Dubai when the world number 31 began unravelling.
Schwartzel was brought to his knees by the double-bogey on 16 and was fortunate to only drop one shot at the next hole as his first putt from 60 feet finished less than a metre from the hole, and he was able to regroup enough to par the last hole, despite having to two-putt from 80 feet.
His first putt was another gem, leaving him with just a tiddler for par and a place in the playoff.
Young Matthew Fitzpatrick, who was in the final group with Schwartzel, was out of contention after finding the bog on the 13th. A triple-bogey eight was the result, but England’s St George’s Cross was still flying high over Glendower thanks to Sullivan.