Yorkshireman Dan Bradbury kept his cool to secure his second Joburg Open title after a hectic final round in South Africa.
Home favourite Hennie du Plessis looked in pole position for victory when he reached the turn with a three-shot lead but just as the chasing pack closed in, he dropped three shots at the 15th and 16th to fade out of contention.
Casey Jarvis, who was looking to join an elite group of players with three consecutive DP World Tour event wins, surged into the lead late on, but bogeyed the 17th before missing a birdie putt at the last which would have extended the tournament.
Brandon Robinson Thompson had gone down the final hole with a one-shot lead, but three-putted to finish alongside Jarvis at 16 under.
Bradbury was standing in the 18th fairway as his fellow Englishman bogeyed the last to give him a one-shot advantage, only to overshoot the last green. However, he produced a stunning recovery shot for a tap-in par which sealed his third DP World Tour success and second at Houghton Golf Club.
“It sounds pretty good,” Bradbury said, when asked what it felt like to be back in the winner’s circle again. “I thought I lost it on front nine, I had so many chances and I just didn’t take anything. It feels really good to put it together on the back nine, probably wasn’t expecting it as Hennie was playing so well, but yeah, it feels amazing.
“Casey and Brandon were obviously playing well because I saw their names on the leaderboard all the way round – it was tight at the end there, but I somehow managed to get it done.”
When asked why he thinks he is able to produce his best form around the Houghton layout, he said: “It’s probably similar to Wakefield Golf Club, where I grew up playing. It’s quite tight, tree-lined and you’ve got to drive it well. I did that and putted pretty solidly this week, although it didn’t feel amazing, but we got the result and that’s all that matters.”
The win, which came with a €181,000 first prize, takes Bradbury to fourth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and move the 26-year-old up to 121st on the Official World Gold Ranking, up from 171st.
DAN BRADBURY’S WINNING GEAR
- Driver: Ping G440 LST (9º)
- Fairway Woods: Ping G440 MAX (3, 5)
- Utility Iron: Ping i240 (4-iron)
- Irons: Ping Blueprint S (5-PW)
- Wedges: Ping s259 (50/S, 56/S, 60/E)
- Putter: Ping PLD Oslo XL
- Ball: Titleist Pro V1
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