It might not have been his first professional victory but Graham van der Merwe admitted that his come-from-behind victory in the fifth event of the Betway Big Easy Tour held at Krugersdorp is the biggest of his career thus far.
Van der Merwe entered the final round with a three-shot deficit after local man, Simon du Plooy, and Matthew Rushton had stolen the show in the first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament.
His final-round seven-under-par 65 took his tournament total to 16 under and he waited in the clubhouse as overnight leader, Rushton and Du Plooy still fought it out.
Other than Van der Merwe, however, a surprise challenger emerged. Englishman, Joe Knox carded the lowest round of the day an eye-catching 63 to total 14 under for the week and tie second alongside Du Plooy. Rushton’s even-par 72 saw him finish solo fourth on 12-under-par 204.
“It was an awesome day,” said an elated Van der Merwe after his title-winning round. “I’ve been playing nicely for a long time but today and yesterday, it all came together. The long game, the putting, the chipping; it all came together and luckily, that’s what you need to do to win events like this. So, I’m, just super stoked, yeah!
“It’s crazy because this time last year I was contemplating even playing golf again. It had been a long time since I played, so for me to even play in a Big Easy, never mind win one, is a just a milestone in itself. I’m quite speechless to be honest.”
Van der Merwe has silently gone about his business this season both on the Betway Big Easy Tour and the Sunshine Tour where he has made eight cuts in 10 events. Not bad for a player who almost quit the sport.
“It’s crazy because it’s gone so much better than I thought it would,” he said of his resurgence. “Obviously, with golf there are always disappointments but looking back to a year ago; where I was ad where I am now; golf is a wonderful thing. And what it’s done for me; I’m just super grateful of where I am.”
The victory in Krugersdorp marked Van der Merwe’s fourth professional win – with some won on other circuits – but, and by his own admission, the biggest of his career yet.
“Definitely, I have had a few on other smaller Tours but this is the biggest win for me,” Van der Merwe said. “I definitely felt the nerves coming in and to perform under that amount of pressure, I’m just proud of how I played.”
With his win, Van der Merwe moves to third on the leaderboard after five tournaments. With his current form on the Betway Big Easy Tour, and the quality he has shown on the Sunshine Tour, Van der Merwe looks poised for a great season.
The top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn their season cards for the 2025-26 Sunshine Tour season and Van der Merwe has positioned himself well amongst those players.
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Photo: Deon van der Merwe/Sunshine Tour
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