Louis Oosthuizen produced a birdie-birdie finish to win
the Volvo Golf Champions at Durban Country Club for the second year running.
The South African, who had struggled with back problems
in the latter half of 2013, delighted the home crowd once more by firing a
closing four-under 68 to edge out compatriot Branden Grace (68) by a shot, with
England's Tommy Fleetwood (72) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (71) a further stroke
back in tied third.
Grace, who had started the final day three shots back,
had roared into the lead with a hat-trick of birdies at six, seven and eight
and he had further chances to extend his advantage at the top on the back nine
but couldn't convert them.
A bogey at 15 looked set to have cost him but he nailed a
35 footer for birdie at 16 and added another at 18 to set the clubhouse target
of 11-under.
Oosthuizen started with seven straight pars but sank a 12
foot eagle putt on the eighth to tie the lead.
The 2010 Open champion wobbled with a bogey at the par
five 10th but appeared to take a grip of the tournament again with back-to-back
birdies at 13 and 14 moving him into the lead.
However, the 16th hole, where he took a triple bogey on
Saturday, again proved troublesome and when he bogeyed it and Grace birdied the
18th, Oosthuizen was suddenly one behind with two to play.
Needing to find some magic at 17, Oosthuizen played a
wonderful second shot to tap-in range and that meant he needed a three at the
easy par four last to secure a successful title defence.
His tee-shot looked great in the air before bounding
through the green but a great chip to inside three feet allowed him to roll in
the winning birdie putt and land his seventh European Tour title.
Fleetwood falters
Fleetwood had started the day with a one-shot lead and
briefly stretched that to three thanks to a birdie from 30ft at the second and
mistakes from his rivals.
But a dropped shot from Fleetwood on the fifth gave hope
to the chasing pack and he made further errors at seven and nine to drop two
shots off the lead.
The 22-year-old birdied 10 but couldn't find any more
until the final hole.
With the par four last driveable, Fleetwood could still
have tied Oosthuizen with a hole-in-one but the miracle didn't happen. The
tap-in birdie did elevate him into a tie for third though.
Meanwhile, there was early-season encouragement for
Padraig Harrington as he closed with a 67 to share fifth place with French duo
Raphael Jacquelin (69) and Victor Dubuisson (72).
Culled from Skysports
