“It was one bad shot,” said the 29-year-old Bellville golfer who was involved in a six-man play-off at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal on Sunday.
“You’re going to have a few of those in a tournament. I hit that great tee shot in regulation to eagle the 18th and that got me into the play-off. Then I hit the worst shot of the week on the first play-off hole and I was out of it. I still walked away with a second place finish. You have to take it on the chin, let go and move on quickly.
“We’re on home soil in the second last event in the Race to Dubai and all my energy is focused on this week. I watched the Nedbank Golf Challenge as a kid and just like every other kid in South Africa, I wanted to play here. It’s a dream to be in this field, competing for this title.”
Van Rooyen finished his first season on the European Tour as the 2018 Rookie of the Year and Challenge Tour graduate of the year and continued living the dream this year.