Van Dyk goes wire-to-wire for maiden Big Easy title

Orkney Golf Club’s Andre Van Dyk carded a blemish-free seven-under-65 to claim a wire-to-wire victory in the fourth Altron Big Easy Tour tournament at Huddle Park Golf Club on Wednesday.

That score took his tournament total to 18-under-par to give the 22-year-old his maiden professional win while also earning his first Altron Big Easy Tour title.

“It was really tough to lose my Sunshine Tour card earlier in the year and this win just means so much to me,” said Van Dyk. “And then, coming to the Big Easy Tour, I missed all the cuts in the first three tournaments. I then told myself that coming into this one, I would not be playing to make the cut but I wanted to try to win.

“It was a challenging week from the get-go but I was lucky to start well on the first day because I feel like the week gets easier when you score well on the first round; you have little pressure and you are not chasing. And then, it got really tough in round two but I was happy with the way I played because I was still in the lead and I knew what to do today to get the victory.”

The Potchefstroom resident got off to a great start on Wednesday; going four-under after six holes thanks to birdies on the first, the fourth, fifth and sixth holes. To solidify his place atop the leaderboard, Van Dyk made further gains on the ninth. From there on, Van Dyk knew he had to play with caution to avoid big numbers ruining his scorecard and threatening his march toward victory.

Four straight pars after the turn followed before Van Dyk birdied both the par-fives on the homeward stretch – the 14^th and 16^th – to seal a sparkling round of 65 and claim his first-ever win on this developmental circuit of the Sunshine Tour.

“This win means so much to me because now we have a break and it was important that I played well before that break,” said Van Dyk. “The break will give me an opportunity to work on a few things I feel will improve my game and get me ready to go for the rest of the season.”

Van Dyk will now want to build on his confidence-boosting win in an effort to regain his Sunshine Tour status. But for, now, the 22-year-old will go on a much-needed break to recharge.