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SUN CITY - England's Justin Rose faltered at the death as South African Trevor Immelman pipped him by one stroke to win the Sun City Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club here today.
Rose and Immelman arrived at the 18th hole tied on 18-under par but the Englishman pulled his drive way left and could only chip his second shot sideways. It was a telling mistake as Immelman could afford to overshoot the green with his approach shot.
He then mishit his first chip shot, moving the ball forward only about two feet.
Rose was unable to come up with a third shot to capitalise, however, landing up in the grandstand behind the green. Even though he was offered relief with a free drop, Rose could not make a 12-foot putt for bogey and his ball curled away from the hole.
Immelman then sank a three-foot putt for bogey after a much better second chip shot to finish on 272 and the trophy was his, returning to South Africa for the first time since Retief Goosen won in 2004.
Rose and Immelman were tied for the lead after the second and third rounds and both went through the first nine holes in one-under 35.
Immelman chipped in twice on the back nine to take a two-stroke lead after 14 holes but as the pressure mounted he bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes as Rose's short game got him out of trouble.
The two men, both 27, were never challenged for the lead with Ernie Els finishing third on 11 under par, four strokes behind Rose, after he double-bogeyed the penultimate hole.
- REUTERS
