FILE PHOTO: Britain Golf - BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England - 26/5/17 Italy's Matteo Manassero plays from a bunker on the 18th during the second round Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers Livepic/File Photo
(Reuters) - Italian Matteo Manassero carded a final round 66 to claim a first victory on the DP World Tour in 11 years with a three shot win at the DP World Tour’s Jonsson Workwear Open at the Glendower Golf Club in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Manassero is back on the tour for the first time in five years having lost his card in 2018 and his victory was set up by a career-best 61 in his second round on Friday as he ended the tournament on 26 under-par, three shots ahead of a trio of players in second place.
South Africans Shaun Norris (68) and Thriston Lawrence (63) were tied with England’s Jordan Smith (68) as the tournament finished in dimming light after a delay for thunderstorms earlier in the day.
Manassero still holds the record as the youngest ever winner on the DP World Tour aged 17 years and 188 days in 2010 but had only seven top 10 finishes since claiming the BMW PGA Championship in 2013 and briefly stepped away from the game five years ago.
"I won’t be able to reflect for a while, but it is the best day of my life on the golf course,” Manassero said.
"It has been a crazy journey but in the last few years I knew I was getting back on track.
"Golf is such a difficult game, I am just so happy to be here now. I played well today, but the guys behind were playing some incredible golf, and every time I looked at the leaderboard it was a new name with more birdies."
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
