Sterne bookends 2008 with victory
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 Alfred Dunhill Championship | Round Four | 15 Dec 2008
Richard Sterne bookended his 2008 golfing year with victories when he claimed the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in what turned into a tight contest over the closing holes.
Sterne had won the Joburg Open in a playoff in his very first event of 2008 but this time he had the luxury of winning by virtue of other’s mistakes as he edged home by one over the fast finishing Johan Edfors and Robert Rock.
For the 27-year-old Sterne it was his fourth European Tour victory to follow the wins in Madrid, Wales and Johannesburg earlier in his still young career.
Just as his fellow countryman Tim Clark had done on the other side of the Indian Ocean at the Australian Open he was able to overcome a four shot leader in the final round and was there to pounce when first that leader, Thomas Aiken, then American Len Mattiace faltered late in the tournament.
The victory also ensured that Sterne would win the South African Sunshine Tour’s Order of Merit title despite the fact that the South African Open is still to be played this coming week. He has established an unassailable lead, which offers invites to one or two major championships, World Golf Championships and direct access to the final stage of USPGA Tour School in 2009.
Aiken, who led into the final round went further ahead early on the final day and at one point stood four shots atop the leaderboard.
Aiken earned his 2008 European Tour card via the Q School in late 2007 but has lost his full status and was not able to regain it at the recent Tour School in Spain. He will be disappointed to have gone on with the job as it cost him the chance to have full playing rights in Europe once again. Aiken’s stumble came at the 9th and 10th holes where he dropped a total of four shots. He would eventually finish in 4th position.
Len Mattiace is a player good enough to have won twice on the PGA Tour but he may well be remembered for his losses instead. He lost a playoff to Mike Weir at the 2003 US Masters and in 1998 when he was yet another victim of the 17th at Sawgrass at the Players Championship. A quintuple bogey 8 that day cost him the lead and the tournament.
Following Aiken’s struggles today, Mattiace took the lead but two triple bogeys over the closing stages saw the 41-year-old eventually finished 14th.
The Sunshine and European Tours now head to Pearl Valley for this week’s South African Open, the final event of the year for tournament golf worldwide.
