England’s Laurie Canter lost in a play-off against home favourite Dylan Naidoo at the Investec South African Open Championship after flooding at Durban Country Club.
Officials decided to abandon the fourth round due to torrential rain which left parts of the course under water.
With both players topping the leaderboard on 14-under 202 after three rounds, the pair contested a play-off for the title once the rain cleared on Sunday afternoon and 27-year-old Naidoo, ranked 466th in the world, took a maiden DP World Tour victory in his home country.
“It feels like a dream, its overwhelming,” said Naidoo, who was popular with the crowd in Durban. “I felt like I was Tiger Woods playing out there yesterday with so many people supporting me.”
Canter missed out to Naidoo in a play-off at the South African Open
Both players came up short of the green with their tee shots on the par-four 18th, but Naidoo’s second was better than Canter’s, with the Englishman landing 15 feet from the hole.
He missed his birdie chance, while Naidoo, putting from around four feet, held his nerve to secure victory on the waterlogged course.
“That type of shot is my bread and butter, a little low skipper,” he said. “The boys who play practice rounds with me know that I do that all the time.
“I didn’t have a lot of fear on the shot, it was actually a really nice shot for me to have in the moment. I was more worried about the putt. That putter went back a little squiggly!”
Naidoo proudly displays the Investec South African Open Championship trophy
Naidoo’s victory secures him a spot at The Open at Royal Portrush later this year, while Canter – who finished alone in second – now leads the Race to Dubai Rankings and still tops the International Swing standings with one event remaining.
Another Englishman, Marco Penge, was one shot further back in third, while South Africans Darren Fichardt, Branden Grace and amateur Christiaan Maas shared fourth place, finishing 12 under par for the tournament.
Penge and Fichardt also earned spots at The 153rd Open as Canter had already booked his place.
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