Anton Haig of South Africa birdied the final hole – then repeated the feat for good measure in a sudden-death play-off – to capture his first title on The European Tour International Schedule in the Johnnie Walker Classic at Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket, Thailand.
The gifted 20 year old from Johannesburg rolled in a ten footer at the first extra hole, the 18th, which he had birdied just 20 minutes earlier, to edge out fellow countryman Richard Sterne and England’s Oliver Wilson after a dramatic final day shoot-out in the sun.
At a stroke, Haig stepped up from being an aspiring Affiliate Member of The European Tour to a Full Member with an exemption through to the end of 2009. And there is little doubt that the strapping 6ft 4in South African has the talent to follow in the illustrious footsteps of compatriots Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and the other 22 golfers from South Africa who have won on The European Tour.
Goosen finished fourth and Els tied sixth at the end of a glorious Johnnie Walker Classic which produced a climax worthy of that suffix. Haig, Wilson and Sterne shot 70, 71 and 72 respectively for a 13 under par total of 275. Wilson, the halfway leader, and 54 hole leader Sterne both had putts to beat Haig in regulation play but parred the last to set up a three-man play-off.
Earlier, Haig had delivered a remarkable finish to set the clubhouse target. After carving his tee shot at the 72nd hole, he was left with 98 yards to the flag over trees from a nasty downhill lie.
From there, he smashed a lob wedge to three feet and sank the birdie putt to achieve his first goal of securing his European Tour card for next season. However, he made it clear that there was other unfinished business to take care of.
The trio returned to the 18th tee for the play-off and all made the fairway. First Wilson, from 20 feet, then Sterne, from half that distance, saw their birdie attempts just miss the hole.
The stage was set for Haig and he judged his ten foot putt to perfection, punching the air in glee as the ball disappeared below ground.
Victory was worth €310,801 (£208,330) to Haig, who moved to eighth position on The European Tour Order of Merit with earnings of €380,998 (£255,376) and opened many doors previously closed to him.
The talented rookie savoured his moment of glory and admitted that he was somewhat shell-shocked to be clutching a trophy previously won by Els, Goosen, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods, to name but four.
“It feels absolutely amazing” he declared happily. “I didn’t think this would be possible, but after shooting 64 in the second round I knew I was hitting the ball well enough to win. The driver went straight for me today and the putts dropped. What a feeling it was on the 18th in the play-off. I am struggling to hit it into words.”
Haig admitted that his approach to the 18th in regulation play was the shot which teed up his victory. He said: “When I hit the drive, I thought ‘oh, oh, this is trouble’. I thought I had actually lost the tournament there. The ball was lying on a downslope, not too good, but I hit a great lob wedge – one of the best shots I’ve ever hit – to about three feet for birdie.”
Watched by his parents, who flew in from South Africa to follow the fortunes of their youngest son, Haig is now set to play more often on The European Tour where he will peg it up alongside his heroes, Els and Goosen, on a regular basis.
“Ernie and Retief have been my heroes. They are awesome players and put a bit of ‘oomph’ for me to get to the top. They have great fighting spirit. They never give up and are both incredible people as well.”
Wilson was naturally disappointed at losing the second play-off of his promising career, but is confident his game is heading in the right direction. The Mansfield-born former Walker Cup winner also lost to Paul Casey in extra time for the Volvo China Open 15 months ago.
However he said: “I had my chances but didn’t take them. I hit great tee shots at the 18th in regulation play and in the play-off but was disappointed not to be putting from less than 20 feet either time.
“The last time I was in this position against Paul Casey I made mistakes and didn’t do myself justice. I didn’t feel the same way this time. I was comfortable out there and knew what I was trying to do. I hope it won’t be long before I am back in this position. We’ll get there!”
The outcome was equally galling for the 2004 Open de Madrid champion Sterne, who had led until making a bogey four at the 17th. He admitted: “It was close but what can I do? I played my best but it didn’t go the way I wanted. I am disappointed but it’s great for Anton.
“Overall it’s been a good week and it shows that anything can happen in golf. I was ready to go home after my opening 75 but the back to back 64s on Friday and Saturday were great. I gave myself a chance, but that’s how it goes.”
Sterne moved to 18th on the Order of Merit and Wilson to 21st but by becoming only the sixth Affiliate Member to win a European Tour title – and the seventh first time champion in the 2007 season – Haig is now qualified to play in some massive tournaments such as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the HSBC Champions in China.
