SUN CITY, South Africa: Martin Kaymer ensured it was a German-double in Sun City this week as a final round of 69 was enough to clinch a two-stroke victory in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club yesterday.
The German, who on Saturday saw countryman Bernhard Langer prevail in the Nedbank Champions Challenge, started the day at five-under par for the tournament and enjoyed a slender one-stroke lead when he teed off.
However, a bottleneck at the top meant he faced stiff competition with numerous players making early moves at the beginning of the final round in Sun City yesterday.
An eagle for Kaymer at the par-five second hole was immediately cancelled out by an ugly double-bogey at the third which sent him back to the chasing pack.
South African Charl Schwartzel emerged as his closest challenger and the former Masters champion got to four-under for his round after a birdie at the 14th.
However, a loose bogey at the 17th hole effectively ended the crowd’s hopes of a home victory and Kaymer, who became the world number one in Feburary 2011, was able to coast home with three pars on the final three holes in the rain.
Kaymer’s final round of 69 helped him finish on an eight-under score of 280 for the tournament.
The former world number one banked the lucrative winner’s cheque of $1.25m in the 12-man invitational tournament event in South Africa.
Ernie Els hold the aggregate tournament record score with 293 in 1999.
Before Kaymer’s victory,Lee Westwood of England had triumphed in the 2010 and 2011 editions of the tournament that was established in 1981. REUTERS
