Rowan Lester shot a final-round, two-under 70 to secure a tie for 31st finish at the Sunshine Tour’s Sunbet Challenge at Wingate Park Country Club in Pretoria.
The Hermitage man started the final round at -3 after rounds of 69 and 72 on days one and two respectively, and found himself making the turn in his third and final round at one-under after two birdies and a bogey.
Two more birdies on 12 and 13 got him to -6 and with two par-5s to come, he had an outside chance of squeezing into the top 10 with a grandstand finish.
Sadly, it didn’t materialise, and a bogey on the par-3 14th was his only deviation from par on the way home, leaving him tied for 31st at -5 when play concluded for the week.
Despite making the cut and earning 20 rankings points, he actually drops one place in the Order of Merit rankings, leaving him in 55th place after seven tournament starts in his rookie season.
At the top of the leaderboard, 36-hole leader Jean-Paul Strydom, who carded matching 66s on days one and two, could only manager a one-under 71 in round three and he was caught by fellow South African, Jonathan Broomhead, and it was Broomhead, who came into the week ranked second in the Order of Merit, who emerged victorious in a playoff.
It’s Broomhead’s first win of the campaign, following two runner-up finishes and a further two top-10s this season, and his third victory on the Sunshine Tour overall after winning two tournaments in late 2024.
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