Rowan Lester lost out in a playoff to gain a start at the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned Alfred Dunhill Championship in the pre-tournament qualifier.
The Hermitage man, playing in his maiden season on the Sunshine Tour where he is on course to comfortably retain his playing rights for next season, shot a three-under-par round of 69 in the Tuesday qualifier, getting him into the clubhouse in a six-way share of ninth place with the top 10 players earning invitations to tee it up alongside the likes of Louis Ooshuizen, Thriston Lawrence, Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, and other multiple DP World and PGA Tour winners.
His birdie on the final hole – the ninth – was crucial, and kept his chances alive.
But lightning caused a halt to play, and as the day progressed, it became clear that the 20-plus players left on course would have to return the following morning to complete their rounds, meaning Lester would have to return the following morning and hope that two of them wouldn’t get to -4, thus knocking him out of the running.
They didn’t, leaving him in a seven-for-two playoff, with a place in the €1.5 million event at stake, and while the qualifier was being held at Beroni Country Club, the championship itself is being staged at Royal Melbourne where Lester and Liam Grehan have based themselves and taken up membership.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.
South African Werner Deyzel was the first man to earn his place in the playoff, and he was followed by fellow countryman Wynand Dingle, but despite coming so close, Lester has no place on the alternates list and will have to wait for later opportunities.
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