Multiple Sunshine Tour winner Jean Hugo and Wynand Dingle got to within a stroke at times, but Jaco Prinsloo held his nerve to stay in front and complete a wire-to-wire three-stroke victory in the FNB Eswatini Nkonyeni Challenge at the Nkonyeni Lodge and Golf Estate on Saturday.
Prinsloo shot a three-under-par 69 in Saturday’s third and final round to finish on 12-under-par in the R1 million tournament, with Hugo posting a 68 to finish on nine-under-par, and a bogey on the par-three 18th hole seeing Dingle sign for a 68 as well, but slipping back into a tie for third with Keegan Thomas (68) and Martin Rohwer (69) on eight-under.
The 32-year-old Prinsloo, who counts big titles such as the 2017 Vodacom Origins of Golf Final and last year’s Players Championship among his five professional titles, led by two strokes going into the final round. He made a nervous start with a bogey at the par-four first hole, but his lead grew again with three successive birdies from the seventh hole.
The Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate golfer went three ahead with a birdie at the par-four 12th hole, but a bogey at the par-four 14th, which Hugo birdied, made for a nervous finish, especially with the last hole being a tricky par-three.
But Prinsloo crucially managed to get a birdie-three on the 16th hole, while Hugo made bogey and Dingle could only make par, and the Centurion resident parred the last two holes for a victory that got him up to fourth on the Luno Order of Merit.
What was most impressive about Prinsloo’s win was that he did what he said he was going to do as the frontrunner on the final day: He kept his head down and stuck to his game-plan, no matter what the compelling duo of Hugo and Dingle threw at him.
LEADING FINAL SCORES:
204 - Jaco Prinsloo 65 70 69
207 - Jean Hugo 71 68 68
208 - Wynand Dingle 70 70 68, Keagan Thomas 71 69 68, Martin Rohwer 71 68 69
209 - Combrinck Smit 72 70 67, Doug McGuigan 72 69 68
210 - Danie Van Niekerk 72 71 67, Ruan Korb 72 71 67, Dylan Naidoo 72 70 68
211 - Kyle McClatchie 68 73 70, MJ Viljoen 71 74 66, CJ du Plessis 69 68 74
212 - Lyle Rowe 69 73 70, Therion Nel 71 71 70, Heinrich Bruiners 70 71 71, Madalitso Muthiya 72 69 71, Ricky Hendler 68 71 73
213 - Herman Loubser 67 72 74
214 - Teaghan Gauche 71 73 70, Merrick Bremner 71 73 70, Michael Kok 73 72 69, Rhys West 70 69 75
215 - Sean Bradley 74 69 72, Harry Konig 71 71 73, Thanda Mavundla 74 70 71, Ryan Van Velzen 71 70 74
216 - Dylan Mostert 74 71 71
217 - Hennie O'Kennedy 70 73 74, Jovan Rebula 69 75 73, Rourke van der Spuy 71 73 73, Keelan van Wyk 74 71 72
218 - Albert Venter 71 71 76, Dayne Moore 71 71 76, Ryan Cairns 73 73 72, Franklin Manchest 73 73 72
219 - Quintin Wilsnach 71 70 78, Ruan de Smidt 72 73 74
220 - Brandon-Jude Rennie 72 72 76
222 - Jaco Van Zyl 70 74 78
224 - Richard Joubert 76 70 78
225 - Hayden Griffiths 73 73 79
231 - James Kamte 73 72 86