Jaco van Zyl achieved a rare hat-trick of victories at the Telkom PGA Pro-am in Centurion on Friday as he marched to a six-shot win over Jean Hugo.

Van Zyl, who improved his score each day after opening with rounds of 67 and 66, shot a closing 64 on the last day for a three-round total of 197 to finish on 19 under par.

   His final round included two sets of four birdies in a row, with  the second coming on holes 14 to 17, where any doubts of Van Zyl’s ability to close out the victory were extinguished.

   Much like his second round, which he started off slowly, he was even par for the day until he slammed the door shut on the competition, with four successive birdies around the turn.

   He birdied holes seven through 10 to open up a three-shot lead over a chasing Hugo.

   “Every day I was out here, everything started to feel better —  the rhythm, the timing — and the longer I was out here the better it got,” Van Zyl said.

   “I’ve always felt comfortable around these greens.”   

Van Zyl said his third win in a row in Centurion was a welcome surprise.

   “That is really, really nice, way beyond my expectations,” he said.

   “Winning any event takes a lot of hard work and to do it three years in a row is a huge privilege.

   “The last three years have been really good to me and every single year I’ve looked back and thought it was a great year.

   “You start to wonder what is in store for you next year, and every year has got a little bit better for me.”  

 It was now time, Van Zyl said, to enjoy a fortnight’s break in South Africa.

   “I still have another two weeks at home. I’m going to put my feet up, watch the (Rugby) World Cup and have a few beers, definitely.”   

The win will boost Van Zyl’s confidence as he heads back to Europe with the hopes of finishing well up on the European Tour order of merit money list.

   “I’ve been playing nicely the last couple of weeks, even in Europe,” he said.

   “The conditions are a lot tougher out there, and even coming into this week I felt really good.

   “Playing well this week, with two weeks off from now, I’m just going to enjoy it.”