Investec South African Open champion Casey Jarvis achieved a career-best finish in the Majors with his tied sixth place in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Jarvis, who qualified by virtue of his victory in the Investec South African Open at Stellenbosch Golf Club earlier this year, produced a strong final round of 66 to finish as the leading South African on six under par – four strokes behind champion Ryan Fox.
“It was a lot of fun out there. I mentioned having fun yesterday in an interview, and yeah, that’s what I did today. It was amazing with the crowds and had the whole family out. Yeah, it was truly special. Played
some unreal golf,” Jarvis said of his debut in The Open.
The result also moved him up to 63rd on the Official World Golf Ranking.
His victory in his national Open on the Sunshine Tour opened the door to Major golf for him, with Jarvis also making his debut in The Masters and PGA Championship this year.
“I’m very proud of myself. I didn’t expect to be in this position competing against the best players in the world. I didn’t see myself coming top 10 in The Open. I think the last seven months have been a little bit of a blur, winning twice in Kenya and my home Open. But yeah, you’ve got to go on the confidence, and I think that’s what I’ve done, and I’ve taken advantage of that.
“All the guys at the top of the leaderboard were my role models growing up with Scottie (Scheffler), Rory (McIlroy) and a few other guys. I’ve been looking up to them, seeing how their game is, and to see my name on the leaderboard among the best players in the world, it truly means the world to me.”