Christiaan Basson played golf with nerves of steel to win the R550,000 Coca-Cola Championship hosted by Gary Player played over 54 holes at The Montagu at Fancourt and take his maiden Sunshine Tour victory.

He shot a flawless four-under 68 on the Gary Player-designed course for a total of 13-under 203 to defeat Louis Oosthuizen and Andrew Curlewis by four shots.

“I had a look at the leaderboard on the 15th,” he said, “and I saw that Louis was on eight under with three to play, so I knew I had to play solid golf all the way in.”

It was more than solid, as he birdied the 16th and the 18th to put an exclamation point on a win which has been coming for a while.

But the nerves still played their part: he pulled his tee shot on the 190-metre 17th left, and was faced with a nervy chip towards water and a five-foot putt to save par. He also pulled his eagle putt badly left on the 18th before he sank the five-footer for birdie.

“I didn’t aim it there,” he joked.

He was relieved to register his first professional win: “Any time is a good time to get the first win,” he said, “but it’s amazing to have won this and to have got my trophy from Gary Player.”

He started the day one behind Curlewis, and put down a marker early on with a birdie three on the first. It gave him a share of the lead, and when he birdied the ninth, he took the lead on his own and never relinquished it.

A relaxed Oosthuizen, recovered from the tiredness brought on by the dash from the Dubai World Championship last weekend to South Africa to play in this tournament, had the round of the day in his attempt to chase down the leaders.

He fired a six-under 66, which included a bogey five on the 414-metre third, and, while it lifted him to a share of second, his first-round 74 was too big a hurdle to overcome.

Curlewis battled his way around for a one-over 73, with bogeys on six, 10 and 13 setting him back in his attempt to win it.

Dion Fourie started two back from Basson, and a gritty one-under 71 saw him take fourth place by himself.

Willie van der Merwe and Grant Muller each shot five-under 67, scores which lifted Van der Merwe into fifth, and Muller into a share of sixth with Titch Moore.

The win gave Basson a place in the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola to be played at The Links at Fancourt over the weekend, as well as a cheque for R89,870 and a substantial leg-up on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit to 28th.

“I’m looking forward to the final three events of the year now,” said Basson as he readies himself to play in the Nedbank Affinity Cup, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the SA Open.