• Credits or Article Source: Lali Stander
• Posted on: 11 February 2008, Last updated on: 11 February 2008
• Search for: GOLF, SUNSHINE TOUR, Shaun Norris
GOLF – SUNSHINE TOUR - Norris tames the wind for victory at Africa Open
Final Wrap – Final Round – Africa Open at Fish River Sun Country Club
From Lali Stander (TEL: +27 82 990 7150)
PORT ALFRED, 10 February 2008 - While the rest of the field battled the powerful easterly for the second place, a composed Shaun Norris cruised home to a regal victory and his debut win on the Sunshine Tour at the inaugural Africa Open.
The powerful Pretoria professional had the tournament sewn up at the turn and ended with the final round with the low round of the day, a four-under-par 68 for a winning total of 13-under-par 275.
Norris finished a dozen shots better than Nic Henning, who carded a 69 to sneak past the field for sole second on seven-under 281, and two better than Marc Cayeux, Jean Hugo and a hugely disappointed Grant Muller.
Warren Abery, Hennie Otto, Jake Roos and England's Jeremy Kavanagh were next best on 283.
“I set myself a goal at the beginning of the week to stay calm and collected and to stick to a well-laid gameplan,” said Norris.
Norris credits his father Patrick for teaching him how to play wind-cheating golf.
“My dad was a member at Humewood in Port Elizabeth in the 1970s and 80s. He taught me all I know about playing in the wind and is hugely responsible for this victory today.”
As the easterly steamed across the exposed expanses of this picturesque coastal layout, Norris showed patience and maturity well beyond his years that truly made him stand out from the rest.
With the windspeed reached up 95km per hour, Norris picked his lines to perfection and executed his shots with the precision of a brain surgeon.
“I only adapted my game plan once, due to the fierceness of the wind,” said Norris, who opted for a driver at the 14th instead of the 3-wood that he used in earlier rounds.
“The wind was really pumping on that stretch and I thought, with such a lead, I could go for it, even if I came away with a bogey. But I pulled the shot off and walked away with a birdie.
“One of the biggest plus-factors out there today was the near-perfect pace on the greens and the fact that they roll so true. That’s always helpful in the wind,” added Norris, who won most of his amateur titles at the coast.
To truly understand the effect the wind was having on the field, consider the 473m par-five second, a downwind dream that yielded nine eagles and 41 birdies on Sunday, while the 391m par-four 13th only delivered three miserly birdies and punished the 72-strong field with 28 bogeys or worse.
Norris started the final round with a one-shot lead and wasted no time, rattling in a birdie at the first and eagle-3 at the second. While he dropped shots at the fourth and sixth, he erased the deficit with a birdie at the seventh before the turn.
“I really felt the pressure the most on the 10th tee, a hole I have the greatest respect for,” said Norris. “It was one of the toughest holes this week, especially so today in these conditions.
“So I took a four-iron off the tee, knowing I wouldn’t reach the green in to – playing straight into the wind like that. I told myself to relax, not to think ahead. I wanted to play the hole smart, take a bogey and get out of there, because if you take that hole on, you will pay the penalty.”
“Luckily, I hit a really good third shot just a foot from the flag and made par.”
Playing partner Merrick Bremner from Cullinan, who took the 10th on, wasn’t so lucky. After losing his ball in the bush, the young gun walked away with ghastly seven.
A disaster for Bremner, but a turning point for the tall Silver Lakes pro, who effectively closed the gate at the 14th with a birdie three and put the lock on it with two more at the par-5 16th and par-4 17th – both holes playing downwind.
Norris took on the 18th with a seven shot cushion, but his tiger-line drive at the 337m dogleg par-4 closing hole found the thick undergrowth. Norris had to take a drop behind the bushes, but pitched his third perfectly on the green and nearly holed the putt to save par.
Norris took home a cheque worth R190 200, a single payday, which eclipsed his best season's earnings on the entire Sunshine Tour for any on the six seasons he has campaigned on the South African circuit.
More often than not a golfer needs time to mature. Norris is an exceptional talent and showed exceptional course management skills under severe conditions.
And this win was surely no one-off fluke.
He campaigned on the satellite Tarheel Tour in the United States last year, winning the 54-hole Southern Open in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an outstanding 20-under-par total of 196 that included an opening 63.
Muller, who had charged into second at nine-under, saw his dreams shatter when his tee shot at the 18th hit an advertising board and veer sharply into the bushes. He retrieved his ball and took a brutal penalty shot before getting to the dance floor, which was reachable in one for many of the longer hitters in the field today.
The resultant six and loss of nearly R80,000 in prize money was a bitter pill for Muller to swallow.
The Sunshine Tour now travels to Blue Bull country for the Vodacom Championship at Pretoria Country Club, which offers an increased purse worth R2,4-million and tees off from 14 to 17 February 2008.
| 
