Otto holds off Moore to win NPGA

SWAKOPMUND – Hennie Otto made an unlikely par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Titch Moore and win the 72-hole N$1-million MTC Namibia PGA Championship played at the 6,113-metre par-72 Rossmund Golf Course.

Both players finished on eight-under 280 after Otto shot a six-under 66 and Moore a three-under 69 in the final round.Otto had a chance to seal it in regulation when he reached the 18th at nine-under, but his drive found a group of palm trees in the desert rough to the left of the fairway. He was only able to play into the middle of the fairway, and left his approach short of the green.’I was out of the tournament at the beginning of the day, and I played my way back into it,’ he said, ‘and to shoot 66 in this wind, I can take my hat off to myself.’The resulting bogey on saw Otto slip into a share of the lead until Moore made a birdie on 17 to edge into a one-stroke lead himself.But he, too, had trouble finding the fairway on the 18th, on the right. He, too, was only able to advance his ball into the fairway, and he was unable to get up and down as Otto was on the driving range preparing for the playoff.It looked for all the world as if Moore’s drive down the middle had wrested the advantage from Otto, especially after Otto’s approach missed the green quite badly right.’I couldn’t hit the fairway again,’ said Otto of his tee shot, ‘and that’s crucial on this course – if you miss the fairway, it’s desert or springbok spoor.’But Moore was right himself, and Otto played a superb chip to leave himself a tap-in for par.Moore was left with 18 inches for par and he lipped out to give Otto his eighth Sunshine Tour title.His victory was sweeter because he came back from a back injury: ‘It was serious, and there were times I didn’t think I would play again,’ he said.’When I got here this week, I wasn’t sure I’d play, but I decided to take it easy and not hit too many balls, and the back held up nicely,’ he added.The victory makes it a good year for Otto as he vaults to 37th on the Order of Merit and the rich summer events of the Sunshine Tour beckoning.Brandon Pieters, Tjaart van der Walt and Adilson Da Silva shared third on six-under 282, while leading Namibian pro Joe Nawanga slumped to a six-over 78 in the final round and a share of 34th at three-over. – Sunshine Tour