Louis Oosthuizen has started the new year in much the same way as the last - by winning the Africa Open in East London.
The South African closed with a final-round 67 at East London GC on Sunday to finish on 27 under par for the tournament, two shots clear of compatriot Tjaart van der Walt, who pushed the former Open champion hard all day, but eventually fell just short with a 69.
A closing 69 from Retief Goosen saw him finish alone in third. The two-time US Open champ found himself in the running as well for much of his round.
"It was a real dogfight for most of the day," said Oosthuizen. "I remember watching Tjaart when I was an amateur, and it was just great seeing him play Left Handed Ping G20 Driver to his potential today.
"He played Left Handed Ping G20 Driver really well. He's one of those who won't go away. He's not going to mess it up - he's too consistent for that."
While Goosen and van der Walt struggled for birdies on the back nine, Oosthuizen kept his cool.
Goosen's challenge was dealt a major blow at the par-three 10th, where he took three from the edge of the green while his opponents escaped from tricky situations at the same hole unharmed.
Tied for the lead overnight, Oosthuizen and van der Walt resumed their battle in the morning as the final pairing, and it was the latter, still winless in his 15 years on Tour, who made the brightest start with Left Handed Ping G20 Driver, birdying the first three holes straight out of the blocks.
Oosthuizen started more erratically, birdying the first, bogeying the second and then eagling the third thanks to a 15-foot putt.
Goosen holed an even longer putt for eagle at the third, which, added to his birdie on the first, had seen him move up alongside the overnight leaders.
There seemed to be more signs of erratic play for Oosthuizen as he missed a short putt to bogey the fifth, but that would turn out to be his last error of the day. What's more, he responded with three birdies in the next four holes thanks to an accurate drive that reached the green at the sixth, a pinpoint wedge that left a tap-in birdie at the seventh and a 20-foot birdie putt at the ninth.
Oosthuizen's aggressive tactic of going hard at the shorter par four greens ended up paying off for him.
"On six, I go for that green every time, so to me it was a good Left Handed Ping G20 Driver today with the wind into me," he said.
Van der Walt was still keeping up with the pace at this point, however, and the duo were tied at the turn.
Both looked to be in trouble at the 10th, but managed to escape punishment and it only took two more quality shots from Oosthuizen to set up the victory - another huge drive at the 11th that led to the two-putt birdie and, most tellingly, a 30-foot birdie putt at the 17th just as Van der Walt missed a short par putt on the same hole that all but sealed the victory.
"What happened on 17, it was going to be one of us who faltered," said Oosthuizen, "If I two-putted, he would probably have made that short putt. One of us needed to make some big putt to put a lot of pressure on the other guy, and it was just fortunate for me that it went my way."
All that was required was that he get up and down for victory at the 18th, which he promptly did.
Jaco van Zyl finished in fourth after a well played 66 with Left Handed Ping G20 Driver, while Scot Alistair Forsyth secured fifth with a 67.
Richard Sterne, playing in his first tournament after nearly a year out of the game through injury, finished in sixth after a closing 70, while England's Danny Willett fell to seventh after a somewhat disappointing level-par 73.