Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood triumphs in Sun City as he wins an enthralling Nedbank Golf Challenge after a dramatic play-off.
After an impressive final round -7, Fleetwood forced a playoff with Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult. Both players finished on 12 under par after 72 holes.
The Englishman made par on the first play-off hole with a clutch up-and-down, while the Swede could only manage a bogey.
This is the first win of Fleetwood’s career since January 2018, and the Southport man was overjoyed to be back in the winner’s circle.
He told Sky Sports, “It’s really, really cool when you win a tournament.”
This win propels Fleetwood up to second in the race to Dubai standings, only just behind Bernd Wiesberger, who finished on -8 this weekend in South Africa.
“It’s an absolute privilege to have a chance of winning the Race to Dubai,” added Fleetwood. “It’s one of the things I’m most proud of in my career.”
The 28-year-old was six shots off the pace going into the final round. After carding the best score of the day, a 65, he forced a play-off with Kinhult who himself carded a 68.
The 65 included a magnificent three eagles, which just shows how impressive the Southport man was on Sunday afternoon.
As well as lifting the Nedbank Golf Challenge trophy aloft, Fleetwood picked up a prize fund of $2.5m. The biggest monetary prize on the European Tour.
Fleetwood will be fancying his chances next week in the final tournament on the European Tour roster. The best European players take to Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship.
The tournament winner next Sunday in Dubai will receive $3m. The overall Race To Dubai winner will then also capture an additional $2m.
Fleetwood won the Race to Dubai back in 2017, and will be hoping to replicate this feat come Sunday at the Dubai finale.
Photo courtesy of tommyfleetwood.com
