Samuel Simpson and winning caddie Muzi West Hlope. Photo: Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour
DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal – Samuel Simpson secured his third Sunshine Tour victory of the season after winning the SunBet Challenge, hosted by Sun Sibaya at The Woods at Mount Edgecombe on Friday.
The current Courier Guy Order of Merit leader produced an impressive final-round score of 65 to finish on 13 under par. He won the tournament by one stroke ahead of Graham van der Merwe, Rowan Lester and Pieter Moolman.
Simpson began the final round two shots behind the leader but quickly closed the gap with back-to-back birdies on the opening two holes. Three more birdies helped him complete his round and take the clubhouse lead.
Van der Merwe, who had led the tournament during the opening two rounds, remained tied for the lead through 17 holes. However, a bogey on the final hole ended his challenge for the title.
Irish golfer Rowan Lester recorded his first top-10 finish on the Sunshine Tour, with his share of second place also marking his best result on the circuit to date.
“I love it down here. The weather is amazing, the food is good and I am playing a lot of golf, so I can’t complain,” Lester said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention, but I felt like I handled myself well today, so I am quite pleased.”
Muzi West Hlope, Simpson’s winning caddie, received the Sunshine Tour Caddie Medallion in recognition of the pair’s successful performance.
The Sunshine Tour will next travel to Kigali for the inaugural Rwanda Open, scheduled to take place from 24 to 27 September.
Leading Scores
- 197: Samuel Simpson – 65, 67, 65
- 198: Rowan Lester – 70, 65, 63
- 198: Pieter Moolman – 66, 65, 67
- 198: Graham van der Merwe – 63, 67, 68
- 199: Nikhil Rama – 67, 64, 68
- 200: Jason Roets – 69, 64, 67
- 200: Austin Bautista – 65, 67, 68
- 201: Benjamin van Wyk – 69, 67, 65
- 201: JJ Senekal – 67, 67, 67
- 201: Haydn Porteous – 65, 68, 68
- 201: Kyle de Beer – 65, 68, 68
- 201: Jonathan Broomhead – 65, 67, 69
