JOHANNESBURG – Matteo Manassero marked his return to the DP World Tour winner’s circle in a dramatic victory befitting of the journey he has been on over the past 11 years when he won the Jonsson Workwear Open in the dark at Glendower Golf Club on Sunday.
With a late weather delay putting the finish of the Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned tournament in doubt, play resumed at 18:00 and Manassero completed a finish of four straight birdies for a 66 and a three-stroke victory on 26 under par.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s wonderful to experience these emotions again on a golf course,” said Manassero, whose journey from golf prodigy to the wilderness of the game and then back again is one of the great fairytales in the game.
“It’s incredible. It’s really difficult to put into words. I’m definitely proud of what I’ve been through. But I also don’t want to look at the past and the tougher times. I want to enjoy the moment. To finish like I did was incredible. I’ve been through a lot of emotions and it seems like it was written somewhere that after the restart I would finish with two more birdies.
“When the final putt went in you kind of have a drop in emotions that build up over the past few days. It feels so good to relieve those moments. That’s what we practice for,” he said as he delivered his winning speech in the dark, but with a smile that truly lit up the 18th green.
South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence (63), Shaun Norris (68) and England’s Jordan Smith (68) shared second place on 23 under par.
For Nick Jonsson, Chairman and CEO of Jonsson Workwear, this was indeed a fairytale victory worthy of their investment in the game.
“We’ve loved our association with golf and it’s a huge honour to partner with the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour. Anything we are involved with has to echo our own values as a company, and our involvement with golf has been good for us,” he said. – Michael Vlismas.
