American golfer Johannes Veerman claimed his second European tour title by winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa by one shot following a bogey on the 72nd hole by home favorite Aldrich Potgieter on Sunday.
Veerman had finished his final round of 3-under 69 about an hour before the 20-year-old Potgieter came down No. 18, needing a birdie for the win or a par to force a playoff at the tournament known as “Africa’s Major.”
Instead, he pushed his approach into the rough near the grandstand beside the green, chipped on — after a free drop — to 10 feet and missed the par putt.
The 209th-ranked Veerman, whose other win came at the Czech Masters in 2021, celebrated the victory on the driving range, where he was preparing for a potential playoff. He started the final round five strokes back at Gary Player Country Club.
“I did not have the best of seasons in the last two years, but my team and I have put in countless hours,” Veerman said. “To start this season with a win is indescribable. I thought I had a chance [at the start of the day], but then I thought I might have lost it when I three-putted on 16. Now it doesn’t matter! We worked really hard for this.”
The 32-year-old Californian shot 5-under 283 for the tournament. Potgieter, who held a three-shot overnight lead, shot 75 and was tied for second place with Matthew Jordan (72) and Romain Langasque (71).
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com