(Reuters) – South African golfer Dylan Frittelli clinched the Bahrain Championship title on Sunday, making a remarkable comeback after a shaky start. His three birdies on the back nine propelled him to victory at the Royal Golf Course, as he carded a one-under-par 71 to finish at 13-under overall. Frittelli’s stellar performance earned him his third DP World Tour title and a prize of $425,000, as he outshined compatriot Zander Lombard and Swede Jesper Svensson by two shots.
Frittelli had not tasted victory on the European Tour since 2017, prior to his move to the PGA Tour. The 33-year-old expressed his delight at returning to the winner’s circle after a tough spell. “It’s been a long road the last five or six years since I left the DP World Tour and went to the States,” Frittelli said. “It was a pretty tough year last year in America but it feels awesome to back on top right now.”
Frittelli faced a daunting task in the final round, as he started with a two-shot lead over fellow South African Ockie Strydom, with Svensson trailing by one shot. However, he found himself trailing at the turn. “I was swinging it great all week and then all of a sudden couldn’t hit it on the planet on the Sunday round so I’m glad I managed to have the resolve,” he said.
After a bogey on the seventh, Frittelli was at one-over for the round as Svensson and Strydom shared the lead with three birdies each. But Frittelli rallied with three birdies on the next four holes to secure victory, while Strydom’s three bogeys on the back nine saw him drop out of contention. Lombard’s excellent four-under par round was not enough to challenge Frittelli, and Svensson’s two bogeys shattered his chances as well.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)
