– Will Enefer (-14) has finally broken through. After three seasons on the HotelPlanner Tour and a full season on the DP World Tour, the 29-year-old English golfer has claimed his first victory. He triumphed at the CIRCA Cape Town Open in Cape Town after defeating veteran South African Hennie Otto with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Enefer has had a solid track record in the second division. In fact, in 2023 he achieved promotion to the top tier despite not having been able to win. However, in 17 tournaments he managed to finish second twice, third twice, and secured another top 10. He is a consistent player who delivers results but struggled to win. His Achilles’ heel was closing out the weeks. At least until today…
– The truth is, it didn’t seem like victory was his today at the Royal Cape Town Club. With five holes to go, Santi Tarrio (-13) was the favourite to win. After all, the Galician had managed to take the lead with a two-shot advantage after posting an even-par score in the first 13 holes. It was a challenging day in South Africa. The wind was blowing, and anything at par or under could be good.
– Tarrio couldn’t find a way to finish the job when he was in a good position. In fact, he was the only player in the tournament to reach -15 with nine holes to go. Precisely from there, he struggled the most. He made two bogeys on holes 14 and 15 and added another on 17. He went into the last hole two shots off the lead, as Enefer and Otto had finished earlier. It was a sort of elimination race.
– Despite the disappointment of not being able to win, Tarrio at least managed to finish with a valuable birdie on the 18th, the only one made in the final matches, to finish third on his own, a result that will allow him to climb high in the Road to Mallorca. Specifically, he is in fifth place, behind winners MJ Viljoen and Enefer, Germishuys, and Giboudot.
– Interestingly, in sixth place on the Road is Pablo Ereño (-12). The Madrid native managed to finish fourth in a final round where he also faced difficulties. He started with two bogeys in the first three holes, so victory began to slip off the radar. And not only that, but even the top 10 was in danger. Just when the pressure was on, Pablo’s response was excellent. He made no more mistakes and finished with two birdies in the last nine holes, allowing him to finish in the top 5.
– Ereño’s result also has symbolic value. By finishing in the top five, he earns his place by right next week in the NTT Data Challenge, the third stop of the season on the calendar. He was going to play the tournament anyway because he had already received an invitation, but with his performance this week in Cape Town, he eliminates the invitation and enters by right. Considering the maximum number of invitations on the HotelPlanner Tour is seven, saving them for when needed is very valuable.
– As for the rest of the Spaniards, Borja Virto (-5) finished in the top 40, Víctor Pastor (-1) was top 50, and further back was Lucas Vacarisas (-1).
– The worst part of this Sunday was for the leader after the third round, veteran Trevor Fisher Jr. He finished with a round of 76 strokes, ruled out early in the day from the fight for victory.
