Wilco Nienaber produced the most dominant performance of his career as he won his second NTT Data Pro-Am title by seven strokes at Fancourt on Sunday. MICHAEL VLISMAS reports.
Nienaber closed out a wire-to-wire victory that began with a 60 in the first round and ended with a 70 on the Montagu course on Sunday for a winning score of 27 under par.
Jean-Paul Strydom finished second on 20 under par with a closing 66.
It was an emotional day for Nienaber, who paid tribute to his ill grandfather after his win.
“It’s not going well with my grandfather,” he said. “He’s currently in a step down facility and has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s been a tough time because we are a tight family. I went and saw him on Monday before this tournament.
“He has played a big role in my career. He was always there and has always loved his sport. He would’ve been here today if he could’ve been.”
With his victory Nienaber joins an exclusive list of only four players to have won this title twice in its 30-year history, including Nick Price, Darren Fichardt and Oliver Bekker.
It was a victory made even sweeter by the fact that, unlike his last win in this event which came amidst the Covid pandemic, he could have his family with him to celebrate.
“It’s very cool to have them all here,” he said. “This was a good performance. I wanted to get to 30 under par, but I’m proud of myself.”
“I’m feeling so relieved and I’m also very proud of myself.”
A word from our champion 💬#NTTDATAProAm pic.twitter.com/uXa4fp29pZ
— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) February 16, 2025
This was arguably Nienaber’s finest exhibition of golf considering the hold he had on this tournament from day one, and the fact that he came through 72 holes with only one bogey.
“It’s awesome. You dream of it,” he said. “It’s nice to have a big lead like I did but you can’t really ever settle. It’s always in the back of your mind to not make a mistake. It’s nice to win early in the year though.”
Photo: Sunshine Tour
