Daniel van Tonder made it back-to-back HotelPlanner Tour wins by securing a two-stroke victory in the MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood Estate.
The South African set the pace on day one to take the outright lead and remained out in front throughout all four rounds in Hartbeespoort to seal a memorable wire-to-wire victory on home soil.
Van Tonder, who won the season-opening SDC Open last week, signed for a five under par round of 67 on day four, to go with rounds of 62-66-66 and reach 27 under par for the week, two clear of compatriot Martin Vorster who finished second on 25 under par.
The 28-year-old is now one win away from earning automatic promotion to the DP World Tour, and is already looking ahead to doing so at the first opportunity in the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor next week - the third of four co-sanctioned events between the HotelPlanner Tour and Sunshine Tour.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve been working hard, and I’ve been waiting a long time for the results to come through.
“That third win is hopefully just around the corner. I’ve led in tournaments at Cape Town going into the final round and got tired, but that won’t happen this time.
“These are definitely two of the biggest events to win this year with them being co-sanctioned. I just want to bring some more trophies home.”
Van Tonder started the day two shots clear of the chasing pack and looked to be cruising towards a second title in as many weeks after recording birdies at the first, fourth and fifth.
The current Road to Mallorca Number One then made back-to-back gains at the 11th and 12th to move into a four-shot lead from Vorster.
Van Tonder’s lead was cut to two at the 15th when he made his only bogey of the day and Vorster birdied, but he responded with a gain at the 16th before parring his way home for a memorable win.
“I’ve been playing well,” he added. “I’ve been backing myself, I was giving myself chances out there, and putting pressure on the other guys. I’ve got a few more weeks to go and a few more wins in a row would be nice.
“The birdie on 16 was definitely important. Martin (Vorster) was playing well, and he was putting some pressure on, but I didn’t feel it too much.
“I knew there was only a few holes to go at that stage. He made a great putt on 17 too, but I just knew. This means a lot.”
Australian Danny List finished third on 24 under par, with three players one shot further back in fourth, including South African Nikhil Rama, Sebastian Friedrichsen from Denmark and Irishman Liam Nolan.
Van Tonder leads the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings on 640 points, Nolan sits in second place on 240 points, with List making up the top three on 140 points.
The HotelPlanner Tour stays in South Africa for the Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor, taking place at Royal Cape Golf Club from February 6-9, 2025.
