christiaan bezuidenhout wins andalucia masters

South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout at the Andalucia Masters, Photo: IGT Golf / Twitter

SA’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout holds nerve to triumph at Andalucia

Christiaan Bezuidenhout continued his remarkable jourey with victory at the Andalucia Masters.

christiaan bezuidenhout wins andalucia masters

South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout at the Andalucia Masters, Photo: IGT Golf / Twitter

South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout navigated a rollercoaster final round to shoot level par 71 and win his maiden European Tour event by six shots at the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama on Sunday.


The world number 273 finished on 10-under, well ahead of five players on four-under including four Spaniards in John Rahm, Alvaro Quiros, Adri Arnaus and Eduardo de la Riva. Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera completed the five-way tie for second. 


The win also banked an incredible R8m first prize for the delighted 25-year-old. The prizemoney he received bettered his previous best payday of R1.8m at the 2016 SA Open by a staggering R6.2m.


The triumph will ensure a move to around 135th in the world rankings, this after starting the year ranked 521st in the world.


If the payout wasn’t sweet enough, Bezuidenhout also earned an invite to the year’s final Major – The Open Championship to be held at Royal Portrush Golf Club from 18 July to 21 July.


Beginning the final round five shots ahead, Bezuidenhout’s advantage grew to seven early in the day but four bogeys before the turn saw his cushion cut to three. In total, Bezuidenhout had four bogeys and three birdies in his first eight holes.


A birdie on the ninth was the first of three in a row as Bezuidenhout steadied the ship. Pars followed for the player from that point, and despite a bogey at the par three 15th Bezuidenhout had done enough to secure an emphatic debut European Tour success. 

Christiaan Bezuidenhout has a remarkable story


The journey to the top has been anything but easy for Bezuidenhout.


When he was just over two-years-old he drank rat poison, and while doctors did a brilliant job to save his life – he was left with a stutter. The stutter would later leave him being diagnosed with anxiety as a child. 


The medication he took for his stutter would lead to a drugs ban in 2014 – while still an amateur – which threatened to end his career. He was banned for two years, which was later reduced to nine months after it was found he had not taken the medication for performance-enhancing purposes.


With his reputation restored, his first big event as a professional was the SA Open in 2016 when he banked his first million. Though, he has taken three years to return to that initial high – it’s clear the future remains bright for a new South African golfing star. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman