A birdie-four at the first extra hole of a sudden death playoff in Nairobi enabled Ashley Roestoff to pip Andrew Sherborne and keep the Tusker Kenya Open in South African hands. The pair had finished tied on 13-under-par 271 after Roestoff had returned a best-of-the-day 65 to Sherborne’s 70.
A year ago Trevor Immelman became the first Springbok to lift the Kenya crown but a repeat looked slim as Roestoff began the day five strokes behind Sherborne. But the 37-year-old from Johannesburg was out in 33 to Sherborne’s 36 to be just two adrift and although both players birdied the long 10th, Roestoff also picked up shots at 11 and 12 to draw level with the Englishman on 13 under.
Alvaro Salto made it a three-way tie but bogeys at the 13th and 14th saw the Spaniard slip back to finish with a 69 for 273 and third place.
Roestoff, meanwhile, dropped a shot at the par-four 17th to fall one behind but at the 523-yard 18th he enjoyed a stroke of luck. He got a flier with his six-iron approach and the ball rebounded off the clubhouse boundary wall and finished on the edge of the green. From there he took two more for birdie to set the target on 13 under.
Sherborne, playing in the final match, parred his way from the 10th and needed a last hole birdie to take his first tour title in nine years. But he could only manage a five, which meant a return to the 18th for the playoff.
This time Roestoff found the fairway and left his approach 15 feet from the pin. Sherborne drive into the semi rough then found a greenside bunker, coming out to four feet. Roestoff missed his eagle putt but secured birdie for the second time and took the first prize of 19,879 euro (£12,495) when Sherborne’s putt missed on the left.
Roestoff, who finished 12th on the Sunshine Tour this year, said: “I haven’t played well this year and it is the first time for six years that I haven’t won a tournament. But the Muthaiga course suited me as a straight hitter and the greens were a little quicker this week than they have been in former years. I’m pleased to have won especially finishing with a 65.”
Sherborne, from Bristol, blamed a cold putter as he collected the second prize of 13,244 euro (£8,325). "I putted badly all day," he said. "It was a shame because I putted well in the first two rounds. But I've done nothing on the back nine all week and it's cost me."
England’s Mark Foster, the former English champion, shot 69 for fourth spot on 275, while Jean-Francois Lucquin from France also finished with 69 for fifth spot on 276.
Six players shared sixth place a shot further back, two more Englishmen, Lee Slattery (69) and Philip Golding (70), Italy’s Massimo Florioli (69), Thomas Havemann (71) from Denmark, Sweden’s Fredrik Widmark (70), and Nils Kraay (68) from Holland.
England’s Sam Walker, who began the day in second spot, two shots behind Sherborne, slipped to a 76 for 279 and equal 16th place, while first round leader Alan McLean, the South Africa-based Scot, also fell back with 73 for 278 and equal 12th.
The shot of the day went to Nils Rorbaek from Denmark, who holed his approach to the 18th for an albatross-two, while his playing partner, Italy’s Federico Bisazza hit the pin.
