Golf Results - 21 February 2013

In the United States, the American John Merrick was victorious for the first time on the PGA Tour when he won the Northern Trust Open on Sunday.

As the final round came to a close on Sunday, Merrick found himself tied for first place with compatriot Charlie Beljan after eighteen holes after both players carded a score of 11-under-par for the round. As a sudden-death playoff ensued, Merrick and Beljan both made par at the first extra hole before the second playoff hole decided their fate.

While Beljan’s drive erred to the left off the tee, Merrick managed to lay up with an iron shot and sunk a decisive par putt to lift the trophy after 20 holes. Third place went to the trio of Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson, the American Bill Haas, and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa.

The European Tour continued its South African leg last week, with local favourite Darren Fichardt winning his fourth ET victory at the co-sanctioned Africa Open on Sunday.

Sunday’s final round took place in mild late summer weather at the East London Golf Club, with Fichardt showing no signs of cooling down as he kept his closest rivals at bay with a two-stroke win. The South African carded a final round of 71 to beat compatriot Jaco van Zyl and France’s Gregory Bourdy.

Having started the final round tied with van Zyl, Fichardt birdied the first, fifth, and seventh holes to establish his lead. When van Zyl found himself in the midst of several bogeys, Fichardt continued his successful run, carding a birdie on the 13th hole to extend his lead to four strokes. Despite a string of bogeys on his way to victory, Fichardt lifted the trophy at his fourth European Tour event a comfortable two strokes ahead of his closest rivals. South Africa’s Garth Mulroy came in third.

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