Jeff and Sarah Rutherford, his parents who had flown out from England to support their son on the final day, broke down in tears as they watched him close out a composed final round of 69 in windy conditions to win on 14 under par.

“It’s been a long time coming. He’s been so consistent. Today’s such a great achievement for him. He works so hard,” said his father Jeff.

For Rutherford, it was indeed a moment to savour.

“I’m ecstatic. My family have supported me the whole way. To travel halfway around the world to come and watch me play shows you much they support me. And for me to win when they are here is really special,” he said.

South Africa’s Keenan Davidse finished second on 12 under par with a final round of 67.

It was a confident performance from Rutherford in very tricky conditions. He made three key birdies on the front nine and two on the back nine that allowed him the two bogeys he also made over the final nine holes.

“I’m really pleased with how I played in such tough conditions. I was very good off the tee, and my putting was really good as well. I made some really important putts coming down the stretch. I’ve worked really hard on not being too hard on myself during a round. I’ve worked on controlling my emotions and staying in the present, and I did that today,” he said

“I’ve had so many good finishes, top-10s and opportunities, but the win has been missing. I’ve been working hard and playing on the HotelPlanner Tour for a few years now, so to win now is brilliant. I love this golf course. I love Cape Town. And I love coming to South Africa. It’s a great way to start the year. The hospitality here is just so amazing.”

SCORES

274 – Jamie Rutherford 69 69 67 69
276 – Keenan Davidse 70 71 68 67
277 – Matt Oshrine 69 70 66 72
278 – Jovan Rebula 74 66 70 68, Sam Jones 70 69 69 70
279 – Jean Hugo 71 66 72 70, Lucas Vacarisas 71 68 70 70, Daniel van Tonder 69 67 72 71, Stefano Mazzoli 71 66 70 72, Lyle Rowe 71 68 68 72
280 – Quim Vidal 75 66 71 68, Calum Fyfe 69 70 70 71, Borja Virto 67 67 71 75
281 – Rhys Enoch 69 72 73 67, Nick Carlson 72 67 72 70, Martin Vorster 71 71 69 70, Vince van Veen 71 67 72 71, Daniel Young 73 69 67 72, JC Ritchie 70 71 67 73, Filippo Celli 66 67 72 76
282 – Michael Feuerstein 76 65 70 71, Jonathan Broomhead 72 66 72 72, Felix Mory 71 68 71 72, Michael Hollick 71 68 70 73, Pieter Moolman 73 68 68 73, Justin Walters 68 70 69 75, Bryce Easton 72 66 67 77
283 – Fredrik From 71 70 73 69, Jonathan Caldwell 72 70 71 70, Nikhil Rama 72 70 69 72, Sam Hutsby 72 70 67 74, Christoffer Bring 70 68 70 75, Adri Arnaus 75 65 68 75, Danie Van Niekerk 71 69 68 75, George Bloor 71 71 65 76
284 – Jacques Blaauw 70 72 73 69, Ricky Hendler 70 69 73 72, Hennie Otto 73 67 72 72, Lukas Nemecz 73 67 72 72, JJ Senekal 71 66 73 74, Kyle McClatchie 71 71 68 74, Christiaan Burke 73 67 69 75, Lars van Meijel 70 72 67 75, Benjamin Follett-Smith 72 66 69 77
285 – Jack Hawksby 73 69 71 72, David Law 71 67 70 77
286 – Malcolm Mitchell 67 69 78 72, Palmer Jackson 73 69 71 73, CJ du Plessis 72 69 71 74, Hayden Hopewell 72 69 69 76, Ethan Smith 74 66 69 77, Baard Skogen 72 69 67 78
287 – Euan Walker 72 68 75 72, Matthis Besard 75 66 74 72, Daan Huizing 72 70 72 73, Sebastian Friedrichsen 75 67 71 74, Chris Paisley 70 69 73 75
288 – Rhys West 70 68 73 77
290 – Maxence Giboudot 70 72 74 74, Sebastien Gros 80 60 75 75, Luke Jerling 74 68 72 76
291 – Brandon Gildenhuys 72 70 74 75, Lorenzo Scalise 76 66 73 76
Missed the cut:-
143 – Combrinck Smit 71 72, Hennie O’Kennedy 74 69, Soren Broholt Lind 72 71, Ryan Lumsden 73 70, Luke Brown 77 66, Samuel Simpson 72 71, Rourke van der Spuy 78 65, Jason Roets 75 68, Sebastian Garcia 71 72, Maximilian Steinlechner 69 74
144 – Jordan Duminy 77 67, Renato Paratore 77 67, Robin Sciot-Siegrist 75 69, Anthony Michael 73 71, Stuart Krog 72 72, Louis Albertse 72 72, Anton Karlsson 75 69, Freddy Schott 72 72, Liam Nolan 69 75, Neil Schietekat 74 70, Per Langfors 75 69, Robson Chinhoi 76 68, MJ Viljoen 70 74
145 – Stefan Wears-Taylor 73 72, Rupert Kaminski 78 67, Heinrich Bruiners 74 71, Tadeas Tetak 74 71, Kyle Barker 75 70, Dylan Naidoo 72 73, Joe Long 73 72, Tomas Gouveia 73 72, Gerhard Pepler 75 70, Kyle De Beer 70 75, Sentanio Minnie 72 73
146 – Cedric Gugler 77 69, Wynand Dingle 74 72, Oihan Guillamoundeguy 74 72, Gregor Graham 74 72, Frank Kennedy 79 67, Lee Slattery 75 71, Nathan Legendre 76 70, Ben Sigel 73 73, Graham van der Merwe 75 71, Tyran Snyders 73 73, Jaco Ahlers 74 72, Ben Stow 77 69
147 – Bradley Bawden 75 72, Robin Petersson 82 65, Jens Fahrbring 75 72, Joachim B. Hansen 76 71, Santiago Tarrio 79 68, Jaco Prinsloo 77 70, James Morrison 71 76, Haydn Barron 77 70
148 – Callan Barrow 78 70, Keegan Mclachlan 80 68, Aron Zemmer 77 71, Dermot Mcelroy 78 70, Ruan Korb 78 70, Christofer Blomstrand 77 71, Jaco Van Zyl 74 74, Christofer Rahm 76 72, Victor Pastor 74 74, Sam Locke 77 71, Werner Deyzel 75 73, Ilirian Zalli 72 76, Matthew Spacey 75 73, Keelan van Wyk 74 74
149 – James Kamte 73 76, Max Kennedy 78 71, Dayne Moore 77 72, Altin van der Merwe 75 74, Dylan Mostert 80 69, Thabiso Ngcobo 76 73
150 – Jeremy Freiburghaus 81 69, Jacques P de Villiers 77 73, Alexander Settemsdal 74 76, Jiri Zuska 78 72, Oliver Wilson 77 73
151 – Herman Loubser 79 72, Martin Rohwer 76 75
152 – Thanda Mavundla 79 73, Quintin Wilsnach 77 75, Peter Karmis 79 73, John Axelsen 75 77
153 – Callum Mowat 78 75, Albert Venter 76 77
154 – Nick Cunningham 81 73, Umar Davids 78 76
155 – Taylor Funk 81 74, Conner Mackenzie 79 76
156 – Jastice Mashego 74 82
157 – Tristin Galant 78 79

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

The post Rutherford breaks through with emotional win in Cell C Cape Town Open appeared first on SportsClub.

On a tricky day at the Royal Cape Golf Club where a swirling wind certainly caught the attention of the leading campaigners, Easton produced a composed 67 to share the lead on 11 under par.

Italy’s Filippo Celli, who has led from the first round, joined him with a level-par 72. And American Matt Oshrine (66), England’s Jamie Rutherford (67) and Spain’s Borja Virto (71) all took their place on 11 under par as well.

They are two strokes clear of England’s George Bloor, South Africa’s Justin Walters and Lyle Rowe, Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith and Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli.

Daniel van Tonder’s dreams of a hat-trick of victories on this Sunshine Tour and HotelPlanner Tour stretch are also still a likelihood as he starts the final round three shots off the lead.

There is plenty at stake for so many of the leaders, and none more so than Easton who is hunting his first victory on the Sunshine Tour since 2018.

“I’m looking to get back into the winner’s circle, for sure, and to get my card back on the DP World Tour again. I’ve had a couple of quiet years with a baby boy being born, but I feel like a lot of that has settled down now and I’m able to shift back into golf mode fulltime and chase trying to get back to where I was a couple of years ago,” he said.

His love of this golf course show through in 2022 when he finished third in this tournament, and Easton believes his understanding of this venerable layout was key to him working his way into contention.

“As we got out there in the third round, and the wind was swirling a bit all over the place, I knew it was going to be tricky. I said to my caddie that if we’re finding it tough to get this wind right then everybody else will be doing the same. It’s just a matter of hanging in there, hitting it in the right places and trying not to give shots away.

“But this golf course rewards good shots, especially if the wind is blowing. That suits me. I’m also quite good at reading these greens. For some reason here I seem to pick a couple of the subtle breaks. I seem to be very comfortable with my reads here. So we’ll see what direction the wind blows on the final day. But that’s what’s great about this golf course – it changes every day with the wind.”

SCORES

205 – Matt Oshrine 69 70 66, Bryce Easton 72 66 67, Jamie Rutherford 69 69 67, Borja Virto 67 67 71, Filippo Celli 66 67 72
207 – George Bloor 71 71 65, Lyle Rowe 71 68 68, Benjamin Follett-Smith 72 66 69, Justin Walters 68 70 69, Stefano Mazzoli 71 66 70
208 – Baard Skogen 72 69 67, JC Ritchie 70 71 67, Danie Van Niekerk 71 69 68, Adri Arnaus 75 65 68, Sam Jones 70 69 69, David Law 71 67 70, Christoffer Bring 70 68 70, Daniel van Tonder 69 67 72
209 – Daniel Young 73 69 67, Lars van Meijel 70 72 67, Sam Hutsby 72 70 67, Keenan Davidse 70 71 68, Pieter Moolman 73 68 68, Ethan Smith 74 66 69, Christiaan Burke 73 67 69, Lucas Vacarisas 71 68 70, Calum Fyfe 69 70 70, Michael Hollick 71 68 70, Jean Hugo 71 66 72
210 – Kyle McClatchie 71 71 68, Hayden Hopewell 72 69 69, Jovan Rebula 74 66 70, Felix Mory 71 68 71, Jonathan Broomhead 72 66 72, Vince van Veen 71 67 72, JJ Senekal 71 66 73
211 – Martin Vorster 71 71 69, Nikhil Rama 72 70 69, Michael Feuerstein 76 65 70, Nick Carlson 72 67 72, Rhys West 70 68 73
212 – Quim Vidal 75 66 71, CJ du Plessis 72 69 71, Lukas Nemecz 73 67 72, Hennie Otto 73 67 72, Ricky Hendler 70 69 73, Chris Paisley 70 69 73
213 – Jonathan Caldwell 72 70 71, Palmer Jackson 73 69 71, Sebastian Friedrichsen 75 67 71, Jack Hawksby 73 69 71
214 – Daan Huizing 72 70 72, Luke Jerling 74 68 72, Rhys Enoch 69 72 73, Fredrik From 71 70 73, Malcolm Mitchell 67 69 78
215 – Jacques Blaauw 70 72 73, Lorenzo Scalise 76 66 73, Matthis Besard 75 66 74, Euan Walker 72 68 75, Sebastien Gros 80 60 75
216 – Brandon Gildenhuys 72 70 74, Maxence Giboudot 70 72 74
Missed the cut:-
143 – Combrinck Smit 71 72, Hennie O’Kennedy 74 69, Soren Broholt Lind 72 71, Ryan Lumsden 73 70, Luke Brown 77 66, Samuel Simpson 72 71, Rourke van der Spuy 78 65, Jason Roets 75 68, Sebastian Garcia 71 72, Maximilian Steinlechner 69 74
144 – Jordan Duminy 77 67, Renato Paratore 77 67, Robin Sciot-Siegrist 75 69, Anthony Michael 73 71, Stuart Krog 72 72, Louis Albertse 72 72, Anton Karlsson 75 69, Freddy Schott 72 72, Liam Nolan 69 75, Neil Schietekat 74 70, Per Langfors 75 69, Robson Chinhoi 76 68, MJ Viljoen 70 74
145 – Stefan Wears-Taylor 73 72, Rupert Kaminski 78 67, Heinrich Bruiners 74 71, Tadeas Tetak 74 71, Kyle Barker 75 70, Dylan Naidoo 72 73, Joe Long 73 72, Tomas Gouveia 73 72, Gerhard Pepler 75 70, Kyle De Beer 70 75, Sentanio Minnie 72 73
146 – Cedric Gugler 77 69, Wynand Dingle 74 72, Oihan Guillamoundeguy 74 72, Gregor Graham 74 72, Frank Kennedy 79 67, Lee Slattery 75 71, Nathan Legendre 76 70, Ben Sigel 73 73, Graham van der Merwe 75 71, Tyran Snyders 73 73, Jaco Ahlers 74 72, Ben Stow 77 69
147 – Bradley Bawden 75 72, Robin Petersson 82 65, Jens Fahrbring 75 72, Joachim B. Hansen 76 71, Santiago Tarrio 79 68, Jaco Prinsloo 77 70, James Morrison 71 76, Haydn Barron 77 70
148 – Callan Barrow 78 70, Keegan Mclachlan 80 68, Aron Zemmer 77 71, Dermot Mcelroy 78 70, Ruan Korb 78 70, Christofer Blomstrand 77 71, Jaco Van Zyl 74 74, Christofer Rahm 76 72, Victor Pastor 74 74, Sam Locke 77 71, Werner Deyzel 75 73, Ilirian Zalli 72 76, Matthew Spacey 75 73, Keelan van Wyk 74 74
149 – James Kamte 73 76, Max Kennedy 78 71, Dayne Moore 77 72, Altin van der Merwe 75 74, Dylan Mostert 80 69, Thabiso Ngcobo 76 73
150 – Jeremy Freiburghaus 81 69, Jacques P de Villiers 77 73, Alexander Settemsdal 74 76, Jiri Zuska 78 72, Oliver Wilson 77 73
151 – Herman Loubser 79 72, Martin Rohwer 76 75
152 – Thanda Mavundla 79 73, Quintin Wilsnach 77 75, Peter Karmis 79 73, John Axelsen 75 77
153 – Callum Mowat 78 75, Albert Venter 76 77
154 – Nick Cunningham 81 73, Umar Davids 78 76
155 – Taylor Funk 81 74, Conner Mackenzie 79 76
156 – Jastice Mashego 74 82
157 – Tristin Galant 78 79

Issued by Michael Vlismas Media

The post Easton leads South African challenge in Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor appeared first on SportsClub.