South African Van der Walt wins Nelson Mandela Championship

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated:

Van der Walt carded four under par 66 on Saturday at the tournament reduced to 54 holes due to bad weather earlier in the week, the report said.

An eagle and two birdies in the closing stretch allowed South African Dawie van der Walt to shoot a 66 and secure an emotional two shot victory at the curtailed Nelson Mandela Championship on Saturday, according to reports.

According to Sport24, Van der Walt achieved his win just a day before former South African president Mandela, who died last week aged 95, is laid to rest.

Van der Walt carded four under par 66 on Saturday at the tournament reduced to 54 holes due to bad weather earlier in the week, the report said.

The event also concluded a day earlier than usual so that it avoided clashing with Mandela's funeral, the report added.

Van der Walt finished ahead of Spain's Jorge Campillo and England's Matthew Baldwin, who both carded two under par 68s, the report further said.

Daniel Brooks relinquished his overnight lead following an abysmal start and struggled to a six over par 76 finish, the report mentioned.

Saturday's win was a welcome return to form for Van der Walt, who claimed his second win on the European Tour this year following his success at the Tshwane Open, according to the report.