Erik Van Rooyen Wins Maiden European Tour Title In Sweden

The South African beat Matt Fitzpatrick by one to win the Scandinavian Invitation

Erik Van Rooyen Wins Maiden European Tour Title
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The South African beat Matt Fitzpatrick by one to win the Scandinavian Invitation

Erik Van Rooyen Wins Maiden European Tour Title In Sweden

Erik Van Rooyen won his maiden European Tour title with a birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Matt Fitzpatrick by one.

The South African began the day with the lead and his 64 (-6) got him to 19 under par, one ahead of Fitzpatrick who also shot 64.

Van Rooyen bogeyed the 17th to tie Fitzpatrick, who finished birdie-birdie, and the Cape Town native then birdied the par-5 18th for his first win.

Watch - The winning moment -

His victory marks the 150th European Tour win by a South African.

The 29-year-old was the Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year in 2018 and has had two runners-up finishes already this season.

He moves up to a career-high 61st in the world.

"It's too good, it's hard to describe," Van Rooyen said after victory.

(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

"I was so nervous on 18. On 17 I was fine, I just didn't hit that putt hard enough and then I asked (caddie) Alex, 'what are we at?' and he told me that Matt went birdie-birdie.

"I've been putting so well all day and to hole that one to win my first one is pretty cool.

"I've gone close a bunch of times and every time I'm in contention the question gets asked. I'm just so proud of myself and Alex and everybody, I'm over the moon."

Home favourite Henrik Stenson was T3rd with Dean Burmester with Stenson making a hole-in-one on the 6th during the final round.

Scandinavian International Leaderboard -

1 Erik Van Rooyen -19

2 Matt Fitzpatrick -18

T3 Henrik Stenson -14

T3 Dean Burmester -14

T5 Sebastian Soderberg -13

T5 Sihwan Kim -13

T5 Alexander Levy -13

T5 Jamie Donaldson -13

T5 Wade Ormsby -13

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV