Ockie Strydom claimed a life-changing maiden victory on the DP World Tour when he won the Alfred Dunhill Championship by two shots at Leopard Creek on Sunday.

Strydom closed with a 69 to win on 18 under par.
Adrian Otaegui took second place on 16 under par with a final round of 68, while Laurie Canter finished third on 15 under par with a 64.

“To sink the winning putt on such a prestigious green as this 18th, is amazing for me. Walking onto this island green is always special. It’s something I always wanted to achieve. My dad has also always wanted me to win one of these,” said a delighted Strydom, who before this had 19 runner-up finishes in his career.

“It feels good. I’ve finally done it. To do it on Leopard Creek as well, is something special.”
This is by far the biggest victory of his career and significantly changes his plans for the coming season.

“This changes my life. It’s two years on the DP World Tour now. It will be tough with the wife at home and the kids, but in the long run it will be better for them as well.”

Strydom was tied for the lead with Scott Jamieson on 15 under going into the final round.

The South African was locked in a battle for the lead on Sunday, and after a double bogey on the par-four ninth, he dropped back into the chasing pack.

A number of other players were also making their presence at the top of the leaderboard felt. Canter came through the field and signed for a closing 64, including four straight birdies over the turn. Otaegui, MJ Daffue and Louis Oosthuizen were also all jostling into a threatening position.

But Strydom held his nerve and produced a scoring burst of four birdies in his first five holes on the back nine, which pulled him three shots clear of the field on 18 under par and walking down the last. Otaegui birdied the last while Strydom parred, but the final result was already beyond question.

“It was hard work and a lot of mental toughness that I needed to work on. Jaris, my caddie, kept me in the game out there. But I’ve also been in this situation quite a lot and I know how to manage it. The double on nine cost me and immediately I made those birdies thereafter. Then I knew I could just play my own game again. To have a three-shot lead playing the 18th calmed the nerves quite a bit.”

Lowvelder, Thriston Lawrence. finished the tournament on five under par. He remains the number one ranked player on the DP Tour.

Scores:
• 270 – Ockie Strydom 68, 70, 63, 69
• 272 – Adrian Otaegui 70, 69, 65, 68
• 273 – Laurie Canter 68, 69, 72, 64
• 274 – Aaron Cockerill 70, 65, 70, 69; Branden Grace 67, 70, 67, 70; Oliver Bekker 69, 66, 68, 71
• 275 – Louis Oosthuizen 70, 66, 71, 68; Dean Burmester 65, 70, 68, 72
• 276 – David Ravetto 67, 67, 73, 69; MJ Daffue 69, 66, 72, 69
• 277 – Nathan Kimsey 70, 64, 74, 69; Scott Jamieson 68, 63, 70, 76
• 278 – Tom McKibbin 68, 73, 71, 66; George Coetzee 73, 68, 67, 70; Joost Luiten 69, 70, 69, 70; Dylan Frittelli 70, 66, 68, 74
• 279 – Christiaan Maas 71, 70, 70, 68; JC Ritchie 72, 66, 72, 69; Joshua Lee 71, 69, 69, 70; Eddie Pepperell 69, 65, 73, 72; Ross Fisher 71, 65, 71, 72
• 280 – Darren Fichardt 67, 70, 74, 69; Kristian Krogh Johannessen 68, 72, 71, 69; Alexander Knappe 68, 68, 72, 72; Bryce Easton 69, 69, 70, 72
• 281 – Matthew Southgate 71, 71, 70, 69; Jayden Schaper 69, 68, 72, 72; Christiaan Bezuidenhout 70, 72, 67, 72; Daniel Brown 71, 70, 73, 67; Ryo Hisatsune 71, 72, 71, 67; Dale Whitnell 69, 68, 66, 78
• 282 – Matthew Baldwin 72, 70, 69, 71; Niklas Norgaard Moller 70, 71, 70, 71; Gary Hurley 73, 68, 71, 71; Ernie Els 70, 69, 71, 72
• 283 – Thriston Lawrence 69, 71, 72, 71; Jaco Ahlers 67, 73, 71, 72; Lukas Nemecz 66, 70, 74, 7; Daniel van Tonder 72, 67, 71, 73; Chase Hanna 74, 69, 71, 69
• 284 – Jean Hugo 70, 72, 70, 72; Scott Vincent 70, 72, 71, 71; Santiago Tarrio 69, 69, 76, 70; Jaco Prinsloo 70, 68, 70, 76
• 285 – Wynand Dingle 70, 67, 74, 7; Jacques Blaauw 73, 68, 69, 75
• 286 – Joachim B Hansen 73, 68, 72, 73; Dylan Mostert 70, 65, 79, 7; Marcel Siem 71, 72, 71, 72
• 287 – Grant Forrest 72, 70, 74, 71; Wilco Nienaber 68, 73, 67, 79
• 288 – Shaun Norris 71, 70, 72, 75; JJ Senekal 70, 70, 74, 74; Jorge Campillo 69, 69, 71, 79; CJ du Plessis 72, 70, 73, 73; Merrick Bremner 78, 65, 72, 73; Jbe’ Kruger 71, 72, 74, 71
• 289 – James Hart du Preez 70, 69, 73, 77; John Axelsen 75, 66, 72, 76; Martin Simonsen 72, 70, 72, 75; Sami Valimaki 74, 69, 71, 75; Adam Breen 71, 72, 74, 72
• 290 – Neil Schietekat 70, 72, 74, 74; Dan Bradbury 74, 68, 75, 73
• 291 – Jovan Rebula 70, 72, 75, 74; Luke Jerling 70, 72, 76, 73; Combrinck Smit 72, 71, 76, 72
• 292 – Alejandro Canizares 69, 69, 73, 81; Kyle de Beer 72, 70, 75, 75; Jens Fahrbring 70, 72, 77, 73
• 293 – Tobias Eden 68, 74, 76, 75; Erik van Rooyen 69, 72, 78, 74; Justin Walters 72, 70, 79, 72
• 294 – Nick Bachem 72, 71, 75, 76
• 298 – Wil Besseling 71, 72, 76, 79
• 304 – Deon Germishuys 67, 72, 80, 85.