AMERICAN MAX HOMA survived some anxious mid-round moments before cruising to a four-stroke win in the European Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.
Homa’s victory means that Rory McIlroy will become the Race to Dubai champion for a fifth time, regardless of what happens at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship next week.
McIlroy was not competing in South Africa but cannot be stopped by Jon Rahm, who is in second place in the rankings.
Starting the final round two strokes ahead of Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, Homa shot a closing six-under-par 66 to finish with a 19-under total of 269.
It was the first win outside the United States for Homa, 32, who has won six times on the PGA Tour.
“It’s been an unbelievable 10-11 days,” said Homa, who together with fellow American Justin Thomas combined a game-viewing safari with their first visit to the self-styled “Africa’s major”.
Olesen twice drew level with Homa but dropped three shots over the last seven holes to finish third with a 274 total.
He was pipped for second place by fellow Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, who shot 69 for 273.
Thomas climbed into fourth place on 276 with a six-under 66. The two Americans shot the equal-best rounds of the day.
Homa made four birdies in the first six holes but Olesen, playing in the group ahead of him, completed the first nine in a five-under 31 to tie Homa.
But the American eagled the par-five ninth after hitting the island green with a 241-yard iron shot from the right rough to pull ahead again.
A poor approach into thick rough on the par-four 11th cost Homa only his third bogey of the week, again dropping him into a tie with Olesen, who had birdied the par-five tenth.
But Olesen bogeyed 12 and 13 and Homa pulled away, although he was lucky on the par-five 14th when a pulled drive seemed headed for thick bush before it struck the golf cart of a rules official and stayed in play. He parred the hole and birdied 16 and 17 to enjoy a relaxed walk up the 18th.
“It was a crazy day of golf,” said Homa. “I had such a great start, but Thorbjorn was playing unbelievable and Nicolai was playing phenomenal golf. I was just thankful I pulled it out in the end.”
England’s Dan Bradbury had an adventurous final round, mixing six birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey to finish in fifth place on his own with a 71 for a 277 total.
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