Albertse celebrates Tournament of Champions victory

Louis Albertse cruised to a seven-stroke victory in the inaugural Waterfall City Tournament of Champions, and with it claimed the R1m cheque for first place at Royal Johannesburg on Sunday.

Albertse played incredibly composed golf over the weekend, culminating in his final round of 64 to win on 23 under par 265.

“It’s been an unbelievable week. Golf is hard and it’s nice when you put in the work to get the result,” said Albertse.

Sunshine Ladies Tour professional Casandra Alexander and Welsh professional Rhys Enoch shared second place on 16 under par with respective final rounds of 68.

GolfRSA star and reigning Africa Amateur champion Altin van der Merwe finished as the leading amateur on eight under par.

This tournament was a celebration of the champions on the Sunshine Tour, Sunshine Ladies Tour and within SA amateur golf, and Albertse emerged as the champion of champions with a performance that picks up where he ended last season, finishing third on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit with a win and nine top-10s.

“This game is so tough so the weeks that do go well you need to cherish and enjoy them. I’m extremely grateful. The performance has been great. The players in this tournament are all great and I knew what I needed to do. I didn’t put myself under too much pressure and I gave my putter a chance today. The R1m is also welcome because golf is expensive,” said Albertse

Alexander certainly impressed in her representation of SA women’s professional golf. Her 61 in the second round earned her the tournament lead going into the weekend and she did her best to push Albertse on the final day.

And as part of the showcase of the strength and depth throughout the SA golf fraternity, David Watts and Daniel Slabbert shared first place in the separate competition held for the SA Disabled Golf Association.