Austria’s Max Steinlechner claimed his maiden Sunshine Tour title with a one-shot victory in the Mediclinic Invitational at the Heron Banks Golf and River Resort on Sunday. MICHAEL VLISMAS reports.
In a thrilling final-round duel with South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder, Steinlechner left it to the final hole to make the birdie he needed to win on 24-under-par with a closing 66.
“I’m very grateful for getting an invite this week from the Sunshine Tour. This is my first professional win and I want to thank my sponsors and all the people involved,” he said.
The Austrian and Van Tonder were tied for the lead on 23 under par playing the par-four 18th before Steinlecher made the birdie that secured him the title.
Van Tonder parred the hole for a 66 of his own to finish second on 23 under par.
Jonathan Broomhead and Jacques Blaauw shared third on 19 under par, while Yurav Premlall’s share of fifth place earned him his second top 10 in his last four Sunshine Tour events.
Steinlechner started the final round one shot ahead of Van Tonder and the two of them went head-to-head as they both opened with birdies and kept the pressure on each other.
When Steinlechner made bogey on the par-four 16th it enabled Van Tonder to draw level with him, before the Austrian sealed the win on the final hole.
Maximilian Steinlechner wins the Mediclinic Invitational 🏆#MediclinicInvitational #GreatnessBeginsHere #SunshineTour pic.twitter.com/8e3EBhK2bp
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) January 19, 2025
This marks Steinlechner’s first Major professional title after leaving the North Carolina State University in 2023 as Austria’s top-ranked amateur and joining the paid ranks.
It’s also given him the perfect preparation for the upcoming HotelPlanner Tour (formerly European Challenge Tour) co-sanctioned tournaments on the Sunshine Tour, beginning with this week’s SDC Open at Zebula Country Club.
While denied a victory, Van Tonder’s performance keeps him on track for his stated goal of catching Shaun Norris at the top of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and reclaiming the No 1 spot he’s held for a large part of this season.
Van Tonder is currently second on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.
Photo: Sunshine Tour
