Otto wins South African Open on home turf

Hennie Otto stumbled but didn’t fall, hanging on for a one-shot victory to win his country’s national championship, the South African Open.

After opening a three-shot lead on the back nine Sunday, Otto skidded to three bogeys in a four hole stretch from 13-16. He steadied himself, however, to birdie the par-4 17^th and par No. 18 for a -14 total and the slim margin over Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.

Otto, a 35-year-old tour veteran with one previous win to his credit, carried a three-shot margin into the final round at Serengeti Golf Club. A birdie on 11 put him 2-under for the day and still three clear of his nearest competitor.

The bogey run might have derailed him, but Otto blasted his tee shot through the green on the 375-yard 17^th, chipping close and holing out to reclaim the lead. He calmly negotiated the watery 18^th to become the sixth South African winner on the European Tour this year.

Wiesberger’s 68 landed him in solo second, two ahead of Thomas Aiken, Richard McEvoy and Ockie Strydom. South Africans dominated the leaderboard; eight finished among the top nine and ties, including Retief Goosen and Garth Mulroy, a winner the week before.

The Tour heads to Asia for this week’s UBS Hong Kong Open, where Ian Poulter defends his title against the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Y.E. Yang.