Dylan Mostert birdied the 72nd hole to seal a one-stroke victory and his maiden European Challenge Tour title at the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship.
The South African rolled in a seven-foot birdie putt on the par four final hole to reach 16 under par and finish one ahead of countryman Jaco Prinsloo, who had set the clubhouse target at 15 under par following a sublime ten under par round of 62 at Humewood Golf Club.
Mostert was delighted to secure a maiden Challenge Tour title in Port Elizabeth and believes his strong psychological approach was the key to success this week.
“It hasn’t hit me yet because it all happened so quickly, and I am so relieved right now,” he said. “It was a grind all week because this golf course is so difficult. I played unbelievably and to see that final putt roll in for me was a huge relief.
“It’s a great achievement for me because the wind was pumping pretty much every single day and I think my mental game got me through this week. I got a few lucky breaks and managed to capitalise on it.”
The 24-year-old, who secured his first Sunshine Tour victory last season, has set his sights on earning promotion to the DP World Tour in 2023 by finishing inside the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
“I’ve got a taste of winning now and I just want them to keep coming,” he said. “I always try to come back down to earth, keep my basics right and work with my team to keep doing the right things.
“I’m definitely going to head over to Europe and play some Challenge Tour events this year. The Sunshine Tour has given me a great platform and now I need to make the step up and try and secure my DP World Tour card this year. I’m going to put my head down and really work hard to secure that card.
“I’m actually going to cancel my flight so I can have a few drinks and celebrate with my friends tonight.”
Mostert climbs to third on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, 74 points behind leader Marcel Siem who won this week’s Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour. Last week’s SDC Open winner JJ Senekal occupies second place on the Rankings, while Sweden’s Adam Blommé sits in fourth.
Irishman Ruaidhri McGee posted an eight under par round of 64 to climb into third place on 14 under par alongside overnight leader Tom Vaillant, Italian Lorenzo Scalise and South African JJ Senekal.
England’s Jamie Rutherford and Frenchman Clément Berardo posted a pair of five under par rounds of 67 to share seventh place on 13 under.
The Road to Mallorca will now take a three-week break before heading to India for the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge at Karnataka Golf Association from March 23-26.
