Pic: Michael Sheehan
Ryan Dreyer delivered another composed round to win his third Sunshine Senior Tour golf title when he claimed the Nelson Mandela Bay Classic in a tense and windy final round at Humewood in Gqeberha on Friday.
The 52-year-old, who grew up in Johannesburg but currently lives in Malta, added a final round of 68 to his tally to finish on seven-under par 209, taking the title by two shots from 2022 champion Doug McGuigan.
McGuigan shot a final round 71 for an overall score of 211, followed by Paul Marks, who finished with a 74 for a total of 212.
After an opening 74 on Wednesday, the final outcome was a terrific comeback by Dreyer, who said his intention was just to play smart golf in the duel for the title after trailing the overnight leaders by three shots.
His triumph was built on an outstanding front nine when, with a strong westerly making life uncomfortable for all the competitors, he fashioned four birdies in the first eight holes to go into the turn at seven-under.
Two birdies on the back nine were cancelled out by two bogeys, but it proved enough in the end as none of his rivals were able to mount a serious challenge in testing conditions.
“The wind was the strongest all week and my mindset was just to try to play as solid as I could because the first eight holes on this course, in this wind, are absolutely brutal,” Dreyer said.
In the end he was delighted with his victory, adding to his previous wins in Parys and Kingswood in George.
Leading final round scores:
209 - Ryan Dreyer 74 67 68
211 - Doug McGuigan 71 69 71
212 - Paul Marks 71 67 74
214 - Wallie Coetzee 73 69 72, Andrew McLardy 70 68 76
216 - Gregg Upton 68 70 78
218 - Kenneth Dube 69 72 77
220 – Chris Williams 69 73 78
