George Coetzee claimed a three-stroke victory in the opening tournament of the 2021 Vodacom Origins of Golf Series at De Zalze Golf Estate on Friday.

Coetzee closed with a 69 to win on 18 under par, with Jaco Ahlers and Tristen Strydom sharing second place on 15 under after their respective final rounds of 66 and 67.

The win is Coetzee’s fourth on the series since it teed off in 2004. He also becomes the first golfer in the history of the series to have won the Final of the previous season’s series, and then the very first tournament of the new season’s series. Coetzee won the 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf Final, and the series was cancelled in 2020 before making its return to the Sunshine Tour this year.

With his four Vodacom Origins of Golf Series victories, Coetzee is now tied with Darren Fichardt in second place for the most number of wins on the series. Jean Hugo is first with his 11 titles on the series.

“I’m very happy. Vodacom has basically been a partner on the Sunshine Tour since I came on Tour. So they’ve been very supportive of my whole career in that sense. It’s always been a special relationship, and it’s nice to be able to win another title on the series,” said Coetzee.

Coetzee took a three-stroke lead into the final round and says he did his best just to focus on his own game and let the rest of the field try and catch him.

“I did my best to keep it simple and stay focused on my task at hand. It looks a lot easier than it is. But I felt comfortable this whole week and I think I managed it well.”

The win was also a timely one for Coetzee.

“I’m heading over to the European Tour for about a 10-week trip. It’s always nice to get a win on home soil before leaving.” – Michael Vlismas

Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour