Jamie Rutherford held his nerve to produce a three-under-par final round of 69 and earn his first HotelPlanner Tour title at the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor.
The Englishman carded five birdies and two bogeys to close out victory on 14 under par, two ahead of South African Keenan Davidse who finished second at Royal Cape Golf Club.
The 32-year-old was proud of the way he controlled his emotions coming down the stretch and his first victory was made extra special with his his family in attendance.
“It’s still sinking in at the minute,” he said. “I’m so happy and I played so well in difficult conditions. I was very good off the tee and didn’t miss many fairways which is so crucial on this golf course.
I’ve been working on my putting recently and it was amazing to hole some of those crucial putts coming down the stretch.
“I’ve been working with my coach on controlling my emotions and not letting the situation get to me when I’m out there.
I was really hard on myself at times last year, so I have been trying to remain more positive and focus on each shot at a time.
“My family have been so supportive throughout my career. The fact they’ve travelled halfway around the world to watch me play just shows how much they’re there for me.
To win with them here this week is so special and it’s great to be able to celebrate with them.”
Rutherford catapults to second place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and is hoping this victory can be the springboard for promotion after narrowly missing out on his DP World Tour card over the past two seasons.
“The last two seasons I’ve been so close to getting my DP World Tour card, but I think not winning has been my downfall,” he said.
“I’ve had so many good finishes but to get a win nice and early this year is so important.
Hopefully I can build on this and go on to win again to strengthen my position on the Rankings.”
American Matt Oshrine finished third on 11 under par, while New Zealand’s Sam Jones and South African Jovan Rebula, who is the nephew of Ernie Els, shared fourth on ten under.
Daniel van Tonder continued his sensational start to the season after finishing in a tie for sixth alongside countrymen Jean Hugo and Lyle Rowe, Italian Stefano Mazzoli and Spaniard Lucas Vacarisas on nine under par.
Van Tonder remains in pole position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings on 698.4 points, 378.4 ahead of Rutherford in second. Irishman Liam Nolan occupies third spot, while Davidse and Rebula make up the top five.
The Road to Mallorca heads to George for the NTT DATA Pro-Am next week, the fourth and final co-sanctioned event between the HotelPlanner Tour and Sunshine Tour in 2025.
