Cruel finish for Scott Jamieson as Ockie Strydom lands maiden DP World Tour win at Leopard Creek

Scott Jamieson’s title challenge petered out on the back nine as South African Ockie Strydom landed a maiden DP World Tour win in style in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.

Ockie Strydom shows off the trophy after landing his maiden DP World Tour win in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane, South Africa. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

Jamieson, who started the day sharing the lead with Strydom, was still in the mix at the spectacular Malelane venue after opening the final circuit with eight straight pars and, even after running up a double-bogey 6 at the ninth, he was just one off the lead heading for home.

He was still hanging on to Strydom’s coat-tails after hitting his approach close to set up a first birdie of the day at the par-4 tenth, but it turned into a frustrating finish for the 39-year-old Florida-based player thereafter.

He was unable to pick up shots at the 13th and 15th, both par 5s, before finding himself having to play away from the flag after finding a greenside bunker at the 16th.

Scott Jamieson plays his tee shot on the fifth hole in the final round at Leopard Creek Country Club. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

That led to the first of three straight bogeys at the end of what, until that point, had been such a positive week, and it was cruel that he ended up missing out on a fourth top-ten finish in this event.

Jamieson closed with a four-over 76, leaving him having to settle for a tie for 12th on 11-under - seven shots behind playing partner Strydom as the 37-year-old landed a career-changing victory.

He’d also taken a double-bogey 6 at the ninth, but, thanks to a burst of four birdies in the next five holes, it was job done for a player who’d landed one victory on the Sunshine Tour but also finished second on no less than 19 occasions.

“It’s nice and I think my plans have just changed a little bit,” said a smiling Strydom. “My wife is probably crying at home and my parents will be crying at home.”

He is the eighth South African to land the title, joining Charl Schwartzel, Ernie Els, Garth Mulroy, Richard Sterne, Braden Grace, Brandon Stone and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

“It’s my favourite place this and all credit to Johann Rupert,” he said of the driving force behind both this event and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Scottish soil. “The course is looking phenomenal, the best I’ve ever seen it. It’s the bush, I’m calm in the bush. My first win was in the bush and now we’re back in the bush. I’m just happy.”

On the back of a closing 69, which followed a course record-equalling 63 in the third round, Strydom finished two shots ahead of Spaniard Adrian Otaegui (68), with Englishman Laurie Canter one further back in third following his best-of-the-day 64.

According to Strydom, his birdie at the 13th had been pivotal. “We were actually in two minds about laying it up, but it was the perfect 5-iron,” said the champion. “It just stopped drawing on me and ended up in a bunker. But I hit a phenomenal bunker shot and then hit a great putt downhill and I think that just eased it (the pressure) a bit for me.”

As for those plans changing, he added: “I was playing the Sunshine Tour next year, but, all of a sudden, it’s the DP World Tour now and I’ll probably need to get my flights and everything ready for Abu Dhabi.”