Frenchman David Ravetto claimed his maiden victory on both the Sunshine Tour and the European Challenge Tour when he won the Dimension Data Pro-Am by two strokes at Fancourt on Sunday.
Ravetto took a two-shot lead into the final round on the Montagu course, and two birdies in his opening three holes and then another two birdies in three holes over the turn kept him beyond reach of the field as he closed with a 69 to finish on 15 under par.
“It feels amazing. I’m really proud of myself with how I played. The last six months haven’t been easy for me and I’m super happy,” said Ravetto.
Remarkably, Ravetto is the first French winner of one of South Africa’s longest-standing pro-am tournaments dating back to 1996.
“The key for me this week was just to play solid golf and try to hit as many good shots as I can. I did that today. Today was windy and the pins were tough. I’m happy I didn’t panic. I made a few early birdies and then just tried to play solid golf thereafter,” he said.
England’s Sam Hutsby did his best to catch Ravetto on the final day. When the Frenchman bogeyed the 13th Hutsby had closed to within one shot of him. But Hutsby’s double-bogey on 17 ended his charge as he signed for a 68 and second place on 13 under par.
South Africans Hennie du Plessis and Robin Williams as well as Spain’s Victor Pastor shared third place on 11 under par.
Ravetto admits that the victory has changed his plans somewhat as he now looks to a year of even greater opportunities.
“This will definitely change my planning a bit. I think I’ll still play the DP World Tour a bit, but this proves to me that I’m good enough to win out here. It’s always nice in South Africa as well. The people are so friendly and the courses are in great condition. The three golf courses here at Fancourt are just amazing.”
SCORES:
274 - David Ravetto 68 66 71 69
276 - Sam Hutsby 72 65 71 68
278 - Hennie du Plessis 67 72 70 69, Robin Williams 70 68 71 69, Victor Pastor 66 78 65 69
279 - Brandon Stone 67 78 65 69, Zander Lombard 70 66 73 70
280 - JC Ritchie 72 74 68 66
281 - Benjamin Hebert 65 77 66 73
282 - Daniel van Tonder 66 78 73 65, Jaco Prinsloo 68 82 67 65, Luca Filippi 66 75 68 73, Benjamin Follett-Smith 70 70 69 73, Franklin Manchest 70 70 67 75
Michael Vlismas Media