GQEBERHA (Eastern Cape) – Dylan Mostert birdied the last to win the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship by a single stroke at Humewood Golf Club on Sunday, and earn his second Sunshine Tour title and his first on the European Challenge Tour.
Mostert stood over a three-metre birdie putt on the final green that he needed to separate himself from fellow South African Jaco Prinsloo, whose storming 62 had earned him the clubhouse lead on 15 under par.
And Mostert took the words of his sports psychologist to heart as he rolled in the putt for a final round of 67 and victory on 16 under par.
“We spent a lot of time talking before this tournament and the main message was for me to just stay calm. My mental game definitely got me through this week. That’s what won me the golf tournament,” said Mostert after a solid final round performance in gusting conditions.
“I was so relieved when I holed that birdie putt to win. It was a grind the whole week with the wind. The golf course was difficult for me. But once you taste victory like this you just want more of it. To be a two-time winner is a great achievement for me.”
Mostert will now continue his journey on the Challenge Tour as he chases a new goal of gaining a DP World Tour card.
“Winning is hard, and this is such a relief. The standard of golf on the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour is so good. All the golfers out here are hungry and want to win and move to the next level in their careers. I’m definitely going to play Challenge Tour events this year. Casey Jarvis and I will tour together, and the main goal is to get that DP World Tour card, so I’ll put my head down and go for that.”
Ireland’s Ruaidhri McGee (64), Italy’s Lorenzo Scalise (68), Frenchman Tom Vaillant (71) and South African JJ Senekal (70) shared third place on 14 under par.
This was the final event of the four-tournament South African Swing between the Sunshine Tour and Challenge Tour, with Southern African golfers making a clean sweep.
Zimbabwean Benjamin Follett-Smith won the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open followed by South Africa’s Oliver Bekker winning the Dimension Data Pro-Am, JJ Senekal winning the SDC Open and now Mostert winning in Gqeberha. – Michael Vlismas
