England’s Matthew Baldwin won the SDC Championship at a packed St Francis Links on the final day yesterday of this prestigious golf competition at St Francis Links yesterday.
Baldwin closed with a 68 to win on 18 under par marking his first victory in his 200th start on the DP World Tour. Spain’s Adri Arnaus took second place on 11 under par with a final round of 67, while Jaco Ahlers finished as the leading South African in tied third place on 10 under par with a final-round 68.
“It’s unbelievable,” a relieved Baldwin said of his win. “It’s my 200th start so I’ve had plenty of opportunities. It’s just an unbelievable feeling right now.” Baldwin dedicated his victory to his late stepfather. “It’s been a tough 12 months. My stepdad died last May, and this is for him,” he said.
It was a long weekend of golf for the field, which Baldwin managed superbly. The wind that forced the suspension of the earlier rounds meant the third round had to be carried over into Sunday morning, with Baldwin finishing this with a solid 65 which lifted him to 14 under par overall.
The Englishman had a four-stroke lead over Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen going into the final round and was never challenged.
“I played well all week. I was so steady out there and I think that maybe put the pressure on those around me to try and play more attacking golf, and I was fortunate to come out on the right side of it.”
It also comes at a good time for him both professionally and personally. “It certainly makes the rest of the year more relaxing. I can plan a schedule.
“I’m also due to get married this year or the next, so I’ll be able to have a couple of weeks off to help plan that which is exciting.”
But the ultimate reward is the confidence this win has brought him, as he says: “It proves a lot to me. It proves I’m good enough to be out here. I’ve had plenty of doubt and this proves everything to me.” – By Michael Vlismas; (edited by Bev Mortimer)
Photo Credit: Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour; and Bev Mortimer.
Final Scores:
270 – Matthew Baldwin 70 67 65 68
277 – Adri Arnaus 72 68 70 67
278 – Ewen Ferguson 72 70 68 68, Jaco Ahlers 78 64 68 68, Antoine Rozner 72 68 70 68, Jens Dantorp 74 63 71 70, Kristian Krogh Johannessen 67 66 73 72
279 – Matthieu Pavon 75 69 68 67
280 – Thomas Aiken 72 70 69 69, Keenan Davidse 72 69 71 68, Joost Luiten 69 71 67 73, Daniel Brown 70 70 67 73, Albert Venter 70 67 72 71
281 – Thriston Lawrence 72 68 68 73, Connor Syme 68 72 72 69, Jaco Prinsloo 72 72 69 68, John Catlin 71 67 74 69
282 – Matthew Southgate 74 69 70 69, Jbe’ Kruger 73 69 71 69, Nick Bachem 69 72 70 71, Tom McKibbin 76 65 72 69, David Ravetto 67 72 71 72
283 – Niklas Norgaard 76 66 70 71, Nacho Elvira 74 68 71 70, Jordan Smith 73 69 74 67, Casey Jarvis 73 69 70 71, Ross Fisher 71 67 70 75, Anton Karlsson 73 71 71 68, Julien Brun 69 67 75 72
284 – Louis de Jager 71 72 70 71, Jean Hugo 72 67 75 70
285 – Trevor Fisher Jnr 73 69 68 75, Jeong Weon Ko 76 66 67 76, Oliver Bekker 72 71 70 72, Daniel van Tonder 75 68 76 66, James Kamte 71 70 71 73, Dale Whitnell 73 71 67 74, Shaun Norris 74 70 66 75, Brandon Stone 72 72 66 75, Hennie Otto 73 71 70 71
286 – Gavin Green 72 70 70 74, Jaco Van Zyl 74 69 72 71, Zander Lombard 71 72 71 72, Yeongsu Kim 74 70 71 71, Richie Ramsay 73 67 75 71, Bryce Easton 73 71 72 70
287 – Dylan Naidoo 75 68 70 74, Dylan Mostert 73 70 69 75, Louis Albertse 70 73 70 74, Luca Filippi 73 71 74 69, Luke Jerling 78 66 69 74, Ruan Korb 71 73 67 76
288 – Aaron Cockerill 77 66 73 72, Neil Schietekat 73 71 70 74
289 – Alexander Levy 70 72 75 72
290 – Robin Sciot-Siegrist 71 72 81 66, Justin Harding 71 70 74 75
291 – Rafa Cabrera Bello 73 67 70 81, Todd Clements 71 73 73 74
292 – Sean Cronje 69 73 77 73, Andy Sullivan 72 72 73 75
294 – George Coetzee 72 71 74 77, Keagan Thomas 79 64 77 74, Sami Valimaki 70 70 74 80
295 – CJ du Plessis 74 69 79 73, Merrick Bremner 71 72 78 74
298 – Luke Brown 75 69 78 76
RTD – Hurly Long 74 68 74 RTD
Photo credit of Matthew Baldwin at prize-giving at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March: Bev Mortimer.
Photo credit of or Matthew Baldwin at prize-giving at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March, by Bev Mortimer.
Photo credit of Matthew Baldwin at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March: Bev Mortimer.
Photo credit of Matthew Baldwin at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March after his last shot: Bev Mortimer
Photo credit of Matthew Baldwin at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March: Bev Mortimer
Photo credit of Matthew Baldwin at St Francis Links yesterday, 19 March: Bev Mortimer
St Francis Chronicle 