Local favorite Dylan Naidoo won the rain-plagued South African Open on the first playoff hole Sunday against England’s Laurie Canter.
Naidoo and Canter led the tournament after the third round at 14-under par and went head-to-head after the fourth round was abandoned because of torrential rain that left parts of the Durban Country Club course underwater.
The 27-year-old Naidoo, ranked 466th in the world, birdied the par-4 18th after a pitch to the green put him almost on top of the pin.
“It feels like a dream, it’s overwhelming,” said Naidoo, whose Indian heritage made him a popular figure with the crowds in Durban, which has a large Indian community.
“I felt like I was Tiger Woods playing out there yesterday with so many people supporting me.”
The second and third rounds were completed Saturday. The final round began at 6.10 a.m. local time Sunday, but only Chris Paisley — playing on his own — managed to complete his round before play was suspended three hours later.
It was then decided to abandon the round and to have the co-leaders play off for the title once the rain cleared in the afternoon.
Reuters contributed to this report.
