By Paul Jones
Jamie Donaldson has clinched his spot at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai after finishing runner-up at the South African Open.
The Welshman will definitely be in the field for the Rolex Series event, which starts on Thursday, after finishing the regular phase of the season sitting in 63d place thanks to his second place at Sun City.
It was a return to top form for 45-year-old Donaldson, who has not won a tournament since 2015, but who has leaped 48 places in the rankings.
With the cut-off on this occasion set to fall somewhere in the 70s on the standings, Donaldson secured his place by finishing second in South Africa, five shots behind home winner Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
The 26-year-old took a five-shot lead into the final round, but followed seven straight pars with a bogey on the eighth after finding the water with his approach.
With Donaldson covering the same stretch in two under the gap was briefly down to two shots, only for the former Ryder Cup star to bogey the ninth in the group ahead.
Bezuidenhout got up and down from a greenside bunker to save par on the same hole and then made the ideal start to the back nine with a hat-trick of birdies from the 10th.
Donaldson, whose last victory came on the Asian Tour five years ago, refused to throw in the towel and birdied the 11th, 14th and 16th, but bogeyed the 17th moments after Bezuidenhout had birdied the 16th.
Bezuidenhout signed for a final round of 69 to win on 18 under par, with Jamie Donaldson taking second place on 13 under par after also closing with a 69. Dylan Frittelli was third on 11 under with his final round of 71. Read more here: https://t.co/LrFfEGwIXO pic.twitter.com/3zSPoB0tjm
— Sun International (@MillionThrills) December 7, 2020
A comprehensive four-shot winner in last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, Bezuidenhout tapped in at the last to complete four rounds in the 60s, win his third European Tour title and become the first player to win two consecutive events on the European Tour since Justin Rose in 2017.