Schwartzel went into the fourth round of the championship leading with five shots. He was on 13 under par while Sullivan was 6 under par.
Schwartzel lost the momentum and lost four shots on the 16th and 17th holes. This led to him finishing in second place. The game was taken to a sudden death play-off between Schwartzel and Sullivan.
Sullivan said he did not expect to win, given the way he started and that this was his first time competing in the tournament.
“I did not expect to win, and to take it in my first go is an unbelievable feeling. I’ll cherish this win for a long, long time. To find out I was in a play-off was quite a shock. I was reflecting on my week and happy with the start, when suddenly I had to get back into golf mode,” he said
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s (EMM) executive mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele, congratulated Sullivan.
“This was a display of resilience and true fighting spirit,” said Clr Gungubele.
He added that the tournament will help the EMM with exposure to the world.
“The EMM has adopted an airport development trajectory; building its economy around the airport, which is a modern trend across the world. Airports are the key in connectivity. The airport is a key player in the economy. We use this to sell the city to the world,” said Clr Gungubele.
He added that there are more than 100 children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds who received golf training as part of the tournament.
“This programme is used to introduce golf to village communities, the places where golf has never been known before,” said Clr Gungubele.