Sport

Fichardt makes his European Tour breakthrough

South African Darren Fichardt captured his maiden European Tour title with a five-stroke victory in the Sao Paulo Brazil Open…

Mon Mar 26 2001 - 01:00

South African Darren Fichardt captured his maiden European Tour title with a five-stroke victory in the Sao Paulo Brazil Open.

Fichardt carded a closing 67 for an 18-under-par total of 195 in an event reduced to 54 holes after lightning delays over the first three days.

The 25-year-old from Pretoria collected a cheque for £78,242 and a valuable two-year exemption on the tour after missing out on his card at the qualifying school in November.

Argentina's Jose Coceres, Australian Brett Rumford and Sweden's Richard Johnson shared second place on 13 under with South African Nic Henning and France's Raphael Jacquelin another shot back.

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Ireland's Philip Walton finished in a share of 15th place after a final round of one under par 71 for a total of 206.

"It's definitely a breakthrough for me," said Fichardt who won the South African Tour Players' Championship last month by four shots despite a two-shot penalty in the final round. "The win in South Africa was really big because people like Ernie Els and Mark McNulty were playing and it was a stepping stone but this is a major breakthrough."

Fichardt had not hit a shot since Friday morning when he completed his brilliant second round 61 with thunderstorms every afternoon forcing play to be abandoned and eventually the event reduced to 54 holes.

And he credited his wife and caddy for helping him to remain calm, Natasha using her sports psychology studies to great effect.

"I was a bit nervous because I've never had a lead and had to wait two nights to go and play," Fichardt added. "I was a bit shaky but once I made the first birdie on the fifth I felt more relaxed."

That birdie cancelled out a bogey on the second that, coupled with a birdie from Rumford, had seen his three-stroke lead cut down to one but Fichardt responded superbly with four birdies in five holes from the fifth to maintain a comfortable lead.

Coceres reduced the gap to three with a birdie on the 12th but the Argentinian dropped back again with a bogey two holes later and Fichardt made absolutely certain by holing from 30 feet for birdie on the 16th.