Immelman retains South African Open title

Trevor Immelman said that his knowledge of the Erinvale Golf Course was a key factor to his becoming the first man since compatriot Gary Player to retain the South African Open title on Sunday.

The 24-year-old South African, who won last year's title in a playoff with Tim Clark at the same venue, began the final day two strokes off the lead but tightened his grip on the tournament with five birdies in the first 10 holes.

The local favourite, whose 2003 victory was his breakthrough win on the European Tour, could afford to bogey the last after three-putting from 25 feet before finishing at 12-under 276 after shooting a final round 67.

British pair Alastair Forsyth and Steve Webster shared second place at nine-under 279, Forsyth firing a 68 and Webster a 71.

"I knew that if I came out to play my best on a course I know really well it would be tough for the other guys to beat me," said Immelman.

"It is a huge advantage playing here, but at times it can hurt to because I've played so many shots from so many different positions that sometimes I'll look at the yardage and question it. I'll think, 'I know it tends to play a bit shorter' and stuff like that.

"The first two days I was thinking way too much out there because I kept getting the yardage and thinking that it didn't look as far as it was telling me.

"I just decided on Friday that I wasn't going to leave any more wedge shots short of the hole and I wanted to be aggressive and fly them at least to the hole, if not past and trust the yardages. It was up to me to commit myself to the shots."

Immelman played near-flawless golf on 16 of the 18 holes, collecting his only bogeys of the day at the second and the last on a par-72 layout as his rivals faltered.

Third round leaders Anders Hansen and Craig Lile both collapsed with rounds of 76 and 77.

Hansen began the final day well, stretching his lead with an eagle three at the third and then moving to 12 under by sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-four 10th.

That left him one ahead of the chasing Immelman, but the Dane then faltered over the closing holes.

He bogeyed the par-three 12th after hitting a poor tee shot and then dropped six shots in the last five holes to fall back into a tie for ninth.

Immelman, however, bounced back from his early bogey with consecutive birdies at the par-five third and par-four fourth.

He holed a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-three eighth, followed by a 30-footer for another birdie at the 10th.

At the par-five 13th, he pulled his long approach into the left rough, but executed a superb chip to within a foot of the pin, setting up his sixth birdie of the day to claim the outright lead for the first time.

A nerve-wracking five-footer to save par at the 198-yard 14th effectively closed the door on his challengers before he birdied 16 and then sank a 20-footer for par at the treacherous par-four 17th.

It was Immelman's second win in two outings, having won last year's WGC-World Cup of Golf team title with Rory Sabbatini at Kiawah Island.

Seven-times European number one Colin Montgomerie completed his first tournament with a new set of clubs, a new caddie and new shoes and balls with a closing round of three-under 69, tying for 16th at four-under 284.

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