SAN DIEGO — South African Kieron van Wyk, a senior at the College of Charleston, had never been to California in the 23 years of his life before this week. He’d never seen the Torrey Pines South Course until he walked it outside the ropes on Saturday while following groups in the final round of the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open. He’d never struck a shot on the two-time U.S. Open track until his first competitive shot on Sunday morning.

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Apparently, deep study and experience don’t mean a lot when you’re young, fearless and can bomb a golf ball farther than most of your peers. Van Wyk seemingly pulled off the improbable in the second and final round of the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational when he shot one-under-par 71 in cold and breezy conditions, and then made two straight birdies on the South’s par-5 18th hole to prevail in a three-man playoff.

The last hour of the tournament shown nationally on Golf Channel saw impressive play, with extra holes required when three players tied at two-over 146, after the first round was played on Torrey North on Saturday. Van Wyk parred the 18th in regulation, ahead of birdies by two-time APGA Player of the Year Chase Johnson (72) and three-time U.S. Open starter and LSU alum Luis Gagne (72).

Van Wyk and Gagne birdied the 18th on the first extra hole, with Johnson being eliminated when his approach found the water. Back on the 18th tee again, van Wyk hammered a drive of more than 350 yards and hit a 7-iron approach from 187 yards that trickled into the back fringe. Gagne, 27, laid up into the rough and his approach landed in the deep rough behind the green. And though he hit a spectacular flop shot to six feet, van Wyk secured the win with a deft chip to one foot for the winning birdie.

“Kids nowadays are hitting it so far, I felt like playing the 18th I was at a disadvantage,” said Gagne, whose three U.S. Open appearances came in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills, where he was the low amateur, 2019 at Pebble Beach and 2021 at Torrey Pines. “I’d really have to hit a good drive off the tee to get there in two, and he’s hitting iron in. He’s very talented.”

To put into perspective how well the top finishers on Sunday managed the tough course and conditions, five-time PGA Tour winner Harris English won the Farmers Insurance Open on Saturday with a closing 73 and parred the last 12 holes. The top three APGA players scored better, with van Wyk making three birdies for a front-nine 33 en route to his 71. The champion hit 15 fairways and didn’t have a three-putt.

This was a heck of a way for van Wyk to make his APGA Tour debut.

“I’m proud of myself and how I did it,” said van Wyk, who was going to have to wait to call home to his family because he won at about 2 in the morning their time. “I played well [Saturday], just struggled a little bit mentally on the greens. … I knew I had the game to compete and win out year. I’m coming off a good season I had last semester. Yeah, I’m proud of myself. Only good things can come from this.”

Van Wyk grew up in the suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa and, though he was an academy-level soccer player, his dad introduced him to golf and van Wyk took to the individual nature of the game. Eventually, he made a long-distance commitment to College of Charleston head golf coach Mitch Krywulycz without any trip to the campus during COVID-19.

Van Wyk has since proved himself to be a standout player, including becoming the first Black golfer to win the Coastal Athletic Association individual title in 2022. This year, he is on the Haskins Award Watch List and in October shot 21 under for 54 holes to win the White Sands Bahamas Men’s NCAA Golf Invitational and earn his first PGA Tour start in the Puerto Rico Open in early March.

Because van Wyk is an amateur, he won’t take home the $30,000 winner’s check out of the $100,000 purse. Gagne and Johnson split $22,500. But there are plenty of rewards coming ahead from the APGA. Van Wyk has a strong chance to finish top the APGA’s college standings, which will afford him APGA membership for this summer, as well as financial support, instructional and club-fitting opportunities, and membership at a golf course. There is no other mini-tour that affords such support to its players.

“I think the APGA is doing really good stuff,” van Wyk said. “I think as a young professional or soon-to-be professional, you need as many opportunities as you can. It’s tough out here to play as a pro. You need those opportunities to get yourself going and familiarize yourself with the environments and everything that it has to offer. I’m truly grateful for all that they do and the opportunity that they’ve given me this week.”

Van Wyk made quite the first impression.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com