Birdies on each of the last four holes secured Italy's Matteo Manassero a first win on the DP World Tour since 2013; Manassero finished three clear of a three-way tie for second, which included England's Jordan Smith
Sunday 10 March 2024 19:14, UK
Matteo Manassero sealed his first DP World Tour win in over a decade with a stunning finish at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.
The Italian claimed his first top-tier title since his triumph at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by shooting a round of 66 on day four to finish three shots in front of a three-way tie for second, including England's Jordan Smith.
Manassero shot seven birdies in his final round, four of them on the last four holes, to pick up the trophy.
Tied with Smith were South African pair Shaun Norris and Thriston Lawrence, with the latter's 63 putting the pressure on Manassero, but the Italian prevailed to win a fifth DP World Tour title.
Manassero, who lost his tour card in 2018 before claiming two victories on the Challenge Tour last season to regain his seat at the top table, said: "This has been the best day of my life.
"It has been a crazy journey over the last couple of years, I knew I was getting on the right track but then you never know when this happens.
"Even coming down the 18th with a good score, you still have to do some more. Golf is a really difficult game but I'm so incredibly happy to be here holding this (trophy) right now.
"I think I played really good golf today. The guys behind were playing some really good golf and every time you look at the leaderboard there is a different name with birdies so there was always somebody chasing.
"It was difficult, I had a little bit of a tough time, 12 and 13 was kind of hard but I kind of managed to go through that and the finish was amazing."
Manassero still holds the record as the youngest ever winner on the DP World Tour - aged 17 years and 188 days in 2010 - but had only seven top 10 finishes since claiming the BMW PGA Championship in 2013 and briefly stepped away from the game five years ago.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
