Kingston wins Royal Swazi Open in playoff

May 4, 2013 - 6:14 PM Harare, Zimbabwe (Sports Network) - James Kingston topped Ruan de Smidt on the second playoff hole on Saturday to win the Investec Royal Swazi Open.

Kingston countered a bogey with five birdies during his final round at Royal Swazi Sun Country Club to collect nine points and finish the tournament with 45 total points.

The tournament awarded points on a modified stableford scoring system where an albatross was worth eight points, an eagle was worth five, birdies equaled two points and pars were worth zero. One point was deducted for every bogey and three for double or worse.

De Smidt had six birdies and a bogey to grab 11 points on Saturday and meet Kingston atop the leaderboard, forcing the playoff.

On the second playoff hole, Kingston, who also won the Swazi Open in 2002, rolled in a 12-foot par putt to top the 23-year-old de Smidt.

"Deep inside I knew I was playing well, and the fact that I've won before in Swaziland helped," said Kingston. "It was a tough pin to attack today, but I had to take it on, because I went out to win."

Darryn Lloyd collected 15 points and Mark Williams grabbed 11 to share third at 44 points, while James Kamte had seven and Michael Hollick netted just one to tie for fifth at 41 points.