Henrik Stenson of Sweden won the SA Open Championship at the Serengeti Golf Estate in Ekurhuleni by three shots from South Africa's George Coetzee.
It was the Swede's first European Tour victory since 2007 and it secured his place in next week's DP World Championship in Dubai.
"I've had to fight hard the last few years on the golf course and I'm very pleased to pick up this win," he said. "When it takes that long between wins you wonder if there will be another. You've just got to fight hard and put the work in. In this game you need to put a lot of effort in to get something back. I'm very relieved to have won this one."
It wasn't all plain sailing for Stenson through the final round. Midway through the back nine Coetzee drew level and it looked like the competition would go right down to the wire.
But the young South African bogeyed the 15th and then Stenson struck with consecutive birdies at the 16th and 17th. That was enough to see off Coetzee who remains winless on the European Tour. This was his eighth top-10 finish of the season.
It was a good day for England's Tommy Fleetwood. The 21-year-old Englishman came into this event sitting 124th on the European Tour money list, with only the top 119 guaranteed playing rights in 2013.
He played four solid rounds to finish on a four-round total of nine-under-par and in a tie for sixth. It was enough to push him up the rankings and keep him gainfully employed next season.
"It feels better than a win," he said. "I'm absolutely made up."
Gareth Maybin, Maarten Lafeber and Craig Lee all managed to stay inside the top 119 but Estanislao Goya, James Kingston and Lloyd Saltman narrowly missed out.
SA Open Championship Serengeti Golf Estate, Ekurhuleni, South Africa Nov 15-18, purse €1,000,000, par 72
1 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 66 65 69 71 271 €158,500 2 George Coetzee (RSA) 70 70 63 71 274 €115,000 T3 Thomas Aiken (RSA) 73 66 69 67 275 €59,150 T3 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 70 70 68 67 275 €59,150 5 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 68 68 74 67 277 €41,300 T6 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 70 69 71 69 279 €29,833 T6 Darren Fichardt (RSA) 68 70 68 73 279 €29,833 T6 Magnus Carlsson (Swe) 68 67 68 76 279 €29,833 T9 Hennie Otto (RSA) 71 72 75 62 280 €20,600 T9 Michael Jonzon (Swe) 68 69 71 72 280 €20,600
Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage
-
Quiz! Can You Name The 13 Golfers Who Made The Cut In All Four Men's Majors in 2024?Two of them won Majors; one did not ever finish inside the top 25 and another's average finishing position was 48th – can you name them and the other nine?
-
How Far Does The Average PGA Tour Player Hit His 4-Iron?The trusty 4-iron can be a PGA Tour player's secret weapon when playing a second shot into a par-5 or pin-seeking on a long par-3, but how far do they hit it?
-
Henrik Stenson Facts: 25 Things You Didn't Know About The Swedish Pro GolferDiscover more about Swedish golf pro Henrik Stenson via these facts regarding his life and career in the game
-
Report: LIV Golf Trio Interviewed By US Justice DepartmentThe three LIV golfers have been interviewed along with lawyers from the PGA Tour
-
Majesticks GC - LIV Golf TeamThe all-European Majesticks GC team is captained by former World No.1 Lee Westwood
-
11 Big Names To Miss The Cut At The 150th Open ChampionshipWe take a look at some of the biggest names to miss the cut at St. Andrews.
-
Revealed: The 18 Greatest Shots In Open History RankedClippd, a new data-driven performance platform, has used their powerful Shot Quality tech to rank the 18 greatest Open shots. The results might surprise you.
-
8 Things You Didn't Know About David LingmerthWe get to know the 2015 Memorial Tournament winner Lingmerth a little better.
-
Who Is Henrik Stenson’s Wife?Henrik Stenson has been married to Emma Lofgren since 2006. Get to know her in this piece
-
Who Is Phil Mickelson’s Coach?Mickelson has worked with Australian Andrew Getson for the past three years.
