Chris Wood battles heat to break into world’s top 50
Woody comes off drip to set up 2016 season
Mizuno’s Chris Wood fought back from heat exhaustion in South Africa to finish 3rd and break into the world’s top 50 – the entry point to 2016’s majors.
The 28-year-old finished on a high with a final round 68 which saw him leap into third place in a top-class field of 30 golfers at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City. A remarkable feat considering that Wood spent Tuesday evening on a drip suffering from heat exhaustion following two practice rounds in temperatures which reached nearly 40C.
Third place saw Woody bank a cheque of more than £290,000, but more importantly, it pushed inside the world’s top 50 for the first time – the threshold for access to the majors and world events for 2016. The recovery also took Wood to second in the 2016 Race to Dubai rankings and fifth in the European Points List.
New JPX EZ fairway wood played by Chris Wood
He said: “It’s hard to believe at the moment. On Tuesday night I was on a drip for 13 hours and there was no chance of me playing, given the way I felt. I was wheeled through the hotel in a wheelchair and tucked into bed by three men – two doctors and a guy from the hotel. I was in a bad way. So whatever the result was I was just glad to be playing, so to finish third is amazing.
Woody was straight into his preparation for the 2016 season
“The heat just got me on Sunday on Monday and I had to pull out of the pro-am on Tuesday and then didn’t hit a shot until Thursday. I was pretty weak but the doctors have been monitoring me each day and I managed to complete four rounds which I never thought I would. I’ve enjoyed the whole week. It’s an incentive to start our year here and gives you a good step forward going into 2016, and especially with this being a Ryder Cup year. Considering that I started 2015 with a plaster cast and a broken wrist, it’s a great end to the year.”
Chris Wood played MP-5 irons, MP-T5 wedges and JPX EZ fairway wood.
