Dan Bradbury turns sponsor's invite into stunning wire-to-wire victory at Joburg Open

The 23-year-old from Wakefield needn’t worry about bottling anything on a golf course any more after completing a stunning wire-to-wire victory at the Joburg Open on Sunday, in only his third start on the DP World Tour.

Bradbury was only playing the tournament on a sponsor’s invite.

He turned professional in the summer after five years on the American collegiate system but had found life tough in the paid ranks with limited opportunities leading to him ‘bottling it’ at Open qualifying as he puts it, and failing to progress past the first stage of qualifying school for a place on the 2023 DP World Tour.

But it did not dampen his enthusiasm and he took the invite to play the season-opening Joburg Open not knowing what was beyond that one tournament, but determined to seize the moment.

"You could say I’ve seized it, certainly made the most of it, eh?” he told The Yorkshire Post, just hours after his life-changing win.

"I don’t really know how I feel – sick! I’m just really, really happy, I can’t stop smiling.”

The victory opens numerous doors for Bradbury.

Firstly he will stay in South Africa for the South African Open and Alfred Dunhill Championship.

"I need to find a launderette,” quipped Bradbury who had only packed for one tournament.

The victory also gives him playing privileges on the DP World Tour for 2023 and potentially next year as well.

"I’m exempt for the next two years, or at least that’s the impression I’m under, it just needs verifying,” said Bradbury.

The Joburg Open was also part of the Open Qualifying Series which awards three spots to the highest-placed finishes not already exempt.

"Off to Royal Liverpool,” he beamed, in reference to next July’s 151st Open Championship.

"I didn’t even dream about this, I didn’t even think about. Everyone says you dream about winning but you don’t really, you dream about playing good golf and enjoying yourself and seeing what could happen.

"I didn’t even dream this.”

Bradbury was the picture of calm throughout, taking charge of the tournament on day one and going to bed with the lead every night.

But the pressure never got to him as he closed out a three-shot win with a round of 67 for a 21 under par total.

Bradbury began the final day with a one-stroke advantage but built up a more comfortable lead during an impressive fourth round which featured five birdies, a solitary bogey at the 18th and a crucial chip-in for par at the sixth hole.

Sami Valimaki was alone in second on 18 under after his closing 69, with home favourites Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Daniel Van Tonder another shot back in joint-third.

But none of them could match Bradbury who over the course of four days shot 63, 66, 67, 67.

Bradbury said: "Once you’ve got off to such a good start you’ve got to keep doing what you’re doing, if you’re doing the right things. I was hitting the ball well all week and I holed out a bit better today, which helps, other than the last, but I’ll let myself off with that.

"I think it was harder on Keegan my caddie, and my mum Sandra, to be honest, and everyone watching.

"I felt a bit of pressure. When Sami made those two birdies and my lead went down to two I thought ‘here we go’. But we made a birdie on 16 which gave me a bit of breathing room and I felt comfortable enough to finish it off from there.”

Bradbury’s win is one that will be hailed at Wakefield Golf Club, at Florida State University where he finished his final year in America, and Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee where he spent four years.

It’s also a win for his family, with mum Sandra having taken the week off work to follow him round Houghton Golf Club and his dad Richard, who was watching from home.

"My dad’s an emotional wreck back at home,” said Bradbury. “He had to stay home to look after the dog all week.”

Cameron Smith won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship after finishing three strokes clear of the field in his home town of Brisbane.

The 29-year-old Open champion held a three-shot overnight lead and fired a final-round three-under-par 68 to close on 14 under and secure the title for a third time.

World No 3 Smith, tournament winner in 2017 and 2018, made four birdies and one bogey to see off the challenge of Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and fellow Australian Jason Scrivener, who both finished on 11 under.

Hisatsune shot a final-round 65 to finish joint second alongside Australia’s John Scrivener.

Another Yorkshireman had a good day, Harrogate’s John Parry shooting six-under to climb from joint 20th overnight to finish tied for fourth.