Smith finishes fourth at Bloem golf tourney
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday December 15, 2015 12:29
Smith held the lead up to day four of the event after a super gross 62 on Thursday. He will now keep his playing card for next year following his position at the tournament.
The five-day marathon with some of golf’s best players ended on Saturday. Champion, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, clinched an eagle on the last hole to oust his competitors for a 20 under total score of 340.
Smith had been nursing a shoulder injury for the past few months under the wachful eye of trainer Tanya Keurney in South Africa. His hard work kept him in the loop last week to overcome his woes and regain his card for 2016. “The 62 gross (10 under par) round on Thursday was the key. And it was only the putter momentum, which faltered on day five and put me back a bit. I was very happy with my game and performance overall. You cannot force this game and have to be patient. Saturday was Bezuidenhout’s day,” Smith said in an interview with Mmegi Sport yesterday from South Africa. Smith now goes into next year with his SA Tour card and will be hoping to pick up the momentum he lost last year. He starts with The SA Open Qualifier that will be played from January 7 until 11th followed by the Joburg and Tswane Opens.
He said he is able to continue with his play in South Africa because of the financial assistance he gets from his anchor sponsors, M&P Cables Botswana and Bluetree World of Golf. He said he has applied and hopes to secure Zebra funding sponsorship for 2016 from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to help with training and playing costs.