Scotsman Calum Hill climbed a mountain to win the Joburg Open on the second playoff hole on Sunday, lifting a trophy that had seemed within the grasp of a handful of players during a nail-biting, topsy-turvy final round.
Hill outlasted Shaun Norris, the leader through the second and third rounds, and Jacques Kruyswijk on the 18th hole of the Houghton layout. They’d all parred the hole on the first attempt, but second time around the Briton was the only one to score par.
The biggest losers on the day were the partisan fans, whose groans for the missed putts by the two South Africans were louder than the cheers for Hill, who deserved a standing ovation for even making the playoff.
Even Hill, who had started the day eight shots off the lead, was stunned to find himself in the winner’s circle. “I’m a little bit taken aback at the minute. I was really far back at the start of the day and had a great round of golf and a lot of putts went in.
“So I’m a little bit shocked.”