Jayden Schaper collected a maiden DP World Tour title on home soil with a play-off victory over fellow countryman and defending champion Shaun Norris at a weather-affected Alfred Dunhill Championship.
The 24-year-old South African came into Sunday at Royal Johannesburg two shots behind Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra at the top of the leaderboard after torrential rainfall caused play on Saturday to be abandoned. But Schaper fired a three-under 67 which included three birdies in the final five holes to chase down the overnight leader and match the clubhouse target set by Norris who carded a stunning final-round 62.
In front of the locals, the duo returned to the 18th for the play-off which saw Schaper hit his drive into the fairway bunker while Norris found himself in the middle of the fairway giving him the early advantage. But Schaper got himself out of the bunker with his second shot and onto the green where he rolled the ball in from 15 feet to defeat Norris and seal his first career triumph on the DP World Tour.
“To be in SA, playing in an event like this and obviously this week being close to home as well, it’s just so cool,” Schaper said following his win.
“You obviously travel a lot for golf throughout the year and you don’t really see your friends and family that much so to be able to do this and share this moment with them, it’s pretty cool.
“If you look at the names on the trophy, it’s something you want to win. In 2020 I had the lead going down the back nine and it didn’t go my way but to come and to be standing here now, it’s incredible.”
Victory means that Schaper climbs up to a career best of 94th on the Official World Golf Rankings.
Chacarra finished in third on 15 under after he failed to find consistency on the final day carding a even-par 70 while there was a three-way tie for fourth between South African trio Oliver Bekker, Louis Oosthuizen, and Christiaan Burke.
What is the next event?
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule is the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open taking place between 18-21 December at Heritage La Réserve Golf Links.