South African Darren Fichardt missed winning a Bentley GT Speed and a shining 63-feet yacht by less than three feet, but his extremely impressive ball-striking won him the Abu Dhabi Invitational at Yas Links on Sunday.
– #Quiz360: WIN Dhs250 Legends Sports Bar voucher
Feeling frustrated having been unable to make the most out of a very good ball-striking day in the final round of the Qatar Masters on Saturday, Fichardt smashed nine birdies in a round of eight-under par 64, to win the prestigious pro-am title by one shot over Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello and England’s Ross McGowan.
World No1 Rory McIlroy, the star attraction of the two-day tournament that offers $500,000 (Dh1.8m) in total prize purse and expects to raise the same amount through various charity initiatives, played in the company of his father Gerry and a closing bogey saw him finish at two-under par 70.
Fichardt, who made a bogey on the par-4 12th hole, made birdies on three of the four par-threes on the golf course, including two stunning six-iron tee shots to less than three feet on the eighth and 17th holes. A hole-in-one would have won him a Bentley (on the eighth) and a Sunseeker Manhattan 63 yacht (on the 17th).
The 39-year-old from North Gauteng instead had to be satisfied with a winner’s cheque of $50,000 (Dh183,000), plus a similar amountdonated to his chosen charity – the European Tour Players Foundation. “It’s been a fantastic day. I’ve had great company, the course was just brilliant, we have been looked after so well and we are supporting such good causes…so yes, I am very happy,” said Fichardt, a four-time winner on the European Tour.
“I was close on all four par-threes, but I specifically came close to the boat and the Bentley hole. It wasn’t nice to see those shots miss the hole, but it was very satisfying to get my twos.
“I hit my irons great today, but also the driver…it is important that you put the ball in the fairway on this golf course, and that was something that I did on most holes.
“I thought it would be best to give the money to the European Tour Players Foundation, because it is supported by us players and it does some very good work across the globe.”
The team competition was close with the team of Thongchai Jaidee and Argentine football legend Gabriel Batistuta winning the top honours with a total of 11-under par 61. There were six teams tied for the second place at 62; Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Dino Varkey; Brett Rumford and John Hampel; Shiv Kapur and Miki Mirza; Thomas Pieters and Thomas Jermoluk; Peter Lawrie and Ric Kayne and Ross McGowan and Iain Banner.
During the course of the day, there were a couple of golf clinics for schoolchildren from GEMS schools – one by Oliver Wilson and the other by Simon Dyson – and then a fun golf-football challenge featuring Argentine legend Gabriel Batistuta and Dwight Yorke.
The second day of the tournament will be played today at Yas Links, with 56 VIP invitees teeing up with 56 celebrity guests for an am-am.
