STELLENBOSCH, South Africa — Casey Jarvis seized control with three birdies in his opening five holes and closed with a 3-under 67 to win the South African Open on Sunday, earning the 22-year-old South African a spot in the Masters and the British Open this year.
Jarvis won for the second straight week on the European tour, following his victory last week in the Kenya Open.
“I just had a slight feeling at the start of the week that something crazy was going to happen,” Jarvis said after his three-shot victory at Stellenbosch Golf Club.
The timing was ideal. For the first time, the Masters offered an invitation to the winner of the South African Open. Golf's third-oldest national championship also provided three spots to the leading players not already eligible for the British Open in July at Royal Birkdale.
Francesco Laporta of Italy closed with a 69 and tied for second with Frederic Lacroix of France (65) and Hennie Du Plessis of South Africa (69).
Du Plessis was the main challenger to Jarvis for most of the day. He was two shots behind playing the 18th but finished with a bogey, which cost him a spot in the British Open. Those places went to Laporta and Lacroix because of their better world ranking.
Jarvis has played only one major, earning a spot in the 2024 U.S. Open through a 36-hole qualifier in England. He missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2. He moves into the top 100 in the world for the first time and could be in line for an invitation to the PGA Championship in May.
“It's my dream as a kid to play at Augusta,” Jarvis said. “I thought about it in the morning — it's hard not to think about it. I cannot wait to go there and see how my game compares with the best players in the world.”
Starting the final round with a one-shot lead, Jarvis holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, hit his approach to 2 feet for birdie on No. 4 and made a third birdie on the par-5 fifth. He finished with six straight pars for a 14-under 266.
Jarvis is the second South African to win back-to-back on the European tour this season, following Jayden Schaper winning in consecutive weeks at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritius Open at the end of December.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who leads the Race to Dubai, shot 68 in the final round and tied for 29th.
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