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England's Dan Bradbury claimed his first DP World Tour title by winning the 2022 Joburg Open on Sunday. The 23-year-old played on a sponsor's invite and did not fail to make the most of the opportunity. He carded a four-under 67 in the final round to finish 21 under par and win his maiden title at the Houghton Golf Club.
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Bradbury said:
“It will not sink in for a couple of days, I do not assume. It is simply loads of strain taken off your again – that is good.
“I simply loved it, loads of good golf, it was only a nice week, all spherical. Simply drawing on experiences from school golf, simply performed stable golf, did not attempt to do something I could not do.”
The youngster had no status on the tour as he just turned professional in July this year. He entered the final round with a narrow one-point lead but held his nerves to win by three shots overall despite a bogey on the 18th hole.
When asked what it means to receive an invitation to the Joburg Open, Bradbury said:
"It means the world, without it I wouldn’t be standing here. Without them I would have nowhere to play this year. It changed my life. Hopefully I make the best of it.
“I wasn’t that bad [with nerves] as i thought i would be. Before the round I felt a little worse. Once we got going and started well, it calmed the nerves.”
Bradbury started strong by hitting three birdies in the first nine holes to avoid a cutthroat competition toward the end. He added birdies on the 13th and 16th holes to comfortably maintain his lead ahead of runner-up Sami Valimaki, who finished at two under 69.
Overall, Bradbury finished 21-under 263 and scored 63, 66, and 67 in his initial rounds on his third DP World Tour occasion.
Fans react to Dan Bradbury's victory at the Joburg Open
With such an incredible feat, fans flooded their wishes on Twitter for the youngster. Take a look at how fans reacted to Dan's achievement.
A few even shared the money they won while betting on Dan.
Even some notable names like Justin Rose acknowledged Dan's achievement.
Earlier, Dan missed the cut on his professional debut at the Cazoo Classic but showed some promise by finishing 13th in a tie at the Open de España. None of this could predict the magic he showed in his third professional tournament.
Meanwhile, home favorites Christiaan Bezuidenhout (66) and Daniel van Tonder (68) finished four shots behind, while Louis de Jager (67) finished in fifth place.
Take a look at the leaderboard below.
- 1. Dan Bradbury, 21-under
- 2. Sami Valimaki, 18-under
- T3. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 17-under
- T3. Daniel van Tonder, 17-under
- 5. Louis de Jager, 15-under
- T6. Dale Whitnell, 13-under
- T6. Heinrich Bruiners, 13-under
- T6. JJ Senekal, 13-under
Dan leaves Johannesburg with a $165,000 winner's cheque, a two-year exemption on the DP World Tour, and a spot at The Open, which will take place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake.
