The 18th takes away, the 18th gives, or so must have thought today’s winner at the Royal Cape Golf Club. Mikael Lindberg wins the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open after two thrilling playoff holes against the 22-year-old South African, Ryan Van Velzen.
The 18th takes away. Mikael Lindberg woke up today leading the tournament and set out with the intention of claiming his second title on the Challenge Tour after the one achieved in his native Sweden in 2022. He started as the sole leader, but with a battalion of 23 players just three strokes behind. A timid start with a bogey and four pars in the first five holes made him drop a lot in the table. Patience and good handwriting must have thought Lindberg who stepped on the accelerator and recovered the lost ground with seven birdies in eleven flags. He returned to the solo leadership with a one-stroke advantage over the South African Van Velzen who had already handed in a great card of 66 strokes and a total of 16 under par a while ago. However, Lindberg complicated his life with a bogey on hole 18 and had to go out to dispute the tie against the local player.
The 18th gives. Mikael returned to the fateful hole just 20 minutes after not closing the victory in his favour. The Swede managed to calm the spirits and both players signed the par on the first playoff hole. They would play it again on that same hole. Lindberg would not let the opportunity slip away again, he found a long-awaited birdie that, together with the par signed by Ryan, gave the victory to the Swede. With this victory, Lindberg is placed second in the Road to Mallorca behind last week’s champion, Rhys Enoch.
On the Spanish side, Víctor Pastor could not finish the job in Cape Town although he closes the week with a very meritorious top 20 and above all with the grit and fight shown all week and especially with the final stretch of the tournament he has done this morning. Today a very low round was going to be necessary to win the tournament as Víctor himself acknowledged yesterday and the day did not start in the best way, bogey on hole one and double bogey on three. However, the Cordovan has by no means let himself go, he has clung to the course and has fought every hole despite being less fine from the tee. The Andalusian has persisted and has achieved five birdies that, added to another bogey, have allowed him to finish among the 18 best in the tournament. Perhaps it was not the dream round, but the learning and the finesse from the tee will surely bring many more joys soon.
Joel Moscatel has signed his fourth round under par in the tournament for a total of seven strokes below and finish within the top forty of the tournament. Alejandro Cañizares has played a great final round and with 69 strokes has made it into the top 50.
