Cronje claims impressive first tour win at Killarney

Daniel Cronje said he was relieved to finally cross the line after he claim his first Betway Big Easy Tour victory in the eighth event of the season held at Killarney Country Club this week.

Cronje had come close to winning a few other times on Tour this season, even losing out in a playoff during the campaign. He was not going to fall short in Killarney this week.

Despite weather-forced delays, Cronje was determined to etch his name in the list of winners this campaign, and this was week to do so. At four-under-par, Cronje was one-stroke off the pace coming into the final round on Thursday and wasted little time in going about his business.

His bogey-free 32 on the front nine set the tone for Cronje and even as he made two bogeys on the way home, he was still able to make four birdies on that stretch to seal a final round of five-under 65 to get to eight-under for the week and win by three shots.

“This is by far the biggest win of my career,” said the 25-year-old London-born South African. “I feel relieved now because I’ve had a few opportunities to get it done and it gets frustrating when you have the game but things don’t go your way. I’m glad I got it done this week.

“It was a really tough week with the delays but it worked out well in the end.”

With his maiden victory, Cronje now moves to second on the Order of Merit and will look for a strong finish to the season as his pathway to the Sunshine Tour looks all but sealed. The top 12 players on the Order of Merit will earn their Sunshine Tour cards for the next season and Cronje will want to keep his place among the leading players this campaign.

The Betway Big Easy Tour is the Sunshine Tour’s feeder circuit and enjoys the support of the legendary Ernie Els, among other patrons.