Dylan Naidoo, a golfer from South Africa, won the South African Open golf tournament on Sunday. He beat Laurie Canter from England in a playoff, which is an extra round to decide the winner when two players tie. The tournament happened at the Durban Country Club, but heavy rain made things tricky.
After three rounds of golf, Naidoo and Canter were tied at 14 under par. That means they scored 14 shots below the expected number, which is really good! They were supposed to play a fourth round on Sunday, but it rained so much that parts of the golf course were flooded. Because of this, the organizers canceled the final round.
Instead, Naidoo and Canter went straight to a playoff on the 18th hole once the rain stopped in the afternoon. Naidoo, who is 27 years old and ranked 466th in the world, won by making a “birdie” on that hole. A birdie means he finished the hole in one shot less than expected. He hit the ball close to the hole with a great shot, making it easy to win.
Naidoo was super happy after his victory. “It feels like a dream, it’s overwhelming,” he said. He’s from Durban, where many people have Indian roots, just like him. The crowd loved cheering for him because of this connection. “I felt like I was Tiger Woods playing out there yesterday with so many people supporting me,” he added. Tiger Woods is a famous golfer, so Naidoo felt like a star with all the fans.
Here’s how the weekend went: The second and third rounds happened on Saturday. The fourth round started early Sunday at 6:10 a.m., but the rain came soon after. Only one player, Chris Paisley, finished his round before the game stopped three hours later. Since the course was too wet to keep going, the leaders played the playoff instead.
This win is a big deal for Naidoo, and it made his hometown fans proud!
