England’s Chris Paisley enlisted his wife as caddie – then claimed the first European Tour win of his career at the South African Open in Johannesburg.
The 31-year-old world number 289 had six birdies in a six-under final round of 66 to finish three shots clear of South Africa’s Branden Grace.
With Paisley’s regular caddie on holiday, his wife Keri stepped in.
“She never put a foot wrong. It’s the first time she has ever caddied and I just can’t thank her enough,” he said.
“My regular caddie is getting some stick but I just can’t say enough about how good a job she has done this week and just in life in general.”
Grace’s chances effectively disappeared when he found water off the tee on the 12th.
The world number 30 – the highest-ranked player in the field – recovered with an eagle from three feet on the par-five 13th, but Paisley birdied the same hole and also matched Grace’s birdie on the 15th.
Paisley’s win will see him climb to a career-high ranking just outside the top 120.
“I just can’t believe it,” Paisley said. “I played out of my skin. I didn’t think I was capable of playing that well to be honest.”
