Nedbank Golf Challenge 2014: Daily Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More
Danny Willett reigned supreme at the 2014 Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, as he produced two stunning rounds across Saturday and Sunday to claim his second European Tour victory, as European Tour revealed:
Sitting on five under par after the opening two days, the Englishman carded a seven-under 65 followed by a 66 to take the crown at 18 under, with countryman Ross Fisher four shots back.
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Here’s a look at the final leaderboard from an entertaining tournament in Sun City:
| Position | Golfer | To Par | Round 4 Score |
| 1 | Danny Willett | -18 | 66 |
| 2 | Ross Fisher | -14 | 68 |
| 3 | Luke Donald | -12 | 73 |
| 4 | Marcel Siem | -9 | 68 |
| 5 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -7 | 68 |
| 6 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | -6 | 69 |
| 7 | Jonas Blixt | -3 | 71 |
| 7 | Tim Clark | -3 | 72 |
| 7 | Thongchai Jaidee | -3 | 73 |
| 7 | Louis Oosthuizen | -3 | 73 |
Day 4 Recap
Willett came into Sunday’s round one shot back of overnight leader Luke Donald on 12-under and full of confidence and momentum, but he soon found himself atop the pile after posting birdies on the second and third holes.
Another on the par-four fifth saw the Sheffield-born star move to 15-under par with Fisher and Donald in hot pursuit, but three birdies on the back nine were enough for Willett to seal the title.
It’s a dream start to the 2015 season for the 27-year-old, whose last victory came more than two years ago at the BMW International Open after a gruelling play-off with Marcus Fraser.
His victory was a lot more straightforward this time around, though, and he was understandably thrilled on the final green, capping the win with a jubilant fist pump.
Fisher threatened to knock Willett from his perch at times, but a few costly errors with the putter saw his challenge slip away, including a rather ugly three-putt on the 11th.
Although the Englishman converted seven birdies on Sunday, three bogies and numerous missed opportunities meant that he could only muster a four-under 68.
Putting well was always part of Fisher's game plan before the round, as he told EuropeanTour.com, but he just couldn't get to grips with the greens on the day: "Tomorrow (Sunday) is going to be a big day. I just need to go out and play how I've been playing the first three days and how I putted on the first day. If I do that, I feel like I've got a really good chance of winning it.”
Donald, meanwhile, endured a disappointing day, as four bogies and three birdies saw him post a one-over 73 to finish 12 under for the tournament.
Elsewhere, Alex Levy hit a rather unwanted milestone on the par-five ninth on Sunday, chalking up a 10.
While it was a disaster for the Frenchman, he saw the funny side as things continued to go wrong for him on the challenging, 596-yard hole—as European Tour’s video shows:
However, there was no such drama for Willett, whose ball striking was absolutely irresistible at times and backed up by outstanding work on and around the greens.
The Englishman will head into the Alfred Dunhill Championship next week feeling good about his game, with victory very much a possibility once again.
Willett has always shown a great deal of promise ever since his teens, but it seems that everything is now clicking into place. He could be one to watch in this season’s Race to Dubai.
Day 3 Recap
Luke Donald maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard on Day 3 of the 2014 Nedbank Golf Challenge as he shot a round of 69 to go 13-under par.
However, Donald's compatriot Danny Willett sits just one shot further back after shooting the round of the day, carding a seven-under 65.
A third Englishman is the only other man within genuine reach of Donald, Ross Fisher's 70 moving him to 10-under and third on his own, with Marcel Siem on five-under the next man back in fourth.
Here is the leaderboard after Saturday's play:
| Position | Player | To Par | Round 3 Score |
| 1 | Luke Donald | -13 | 69 |
| 2 | Danny Willett | -12 | 65 |
| 3 | Ross Fisher | -10 | 70 |
| 4 | Marcel Siem | -5 | 71 |
| T5 | Louis Oosthuizen | -4 | 69 |
| T5 | Thongchai Jaidee | -4 | 71 |
| T7 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -3 | 68 |
| T7 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | -3 | 69 |
| T7 | Tim Clark | -3 | 72 |
For the full leaderboard, visit EuropeanTour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site by clicking here.
Willett's was a stunningly impressive round in difficult conditions, the 27-year-old's eight birdies putting him truly into contention for Sunday.
Perhaps more than anything, his saved par on the 15th to stay in touch with Donald was remarkable, per the European Tour, and he went on to pick up another shot one hole later:
Donald had a fine opening 10 holes, picking up four birdies to storm ahead of the pack. However, dropped shots on 13 and 17 saw him reeled back in and he looked as though he may be going off the boil.
Any thoughts of a collapse from the former world No. 1 were erased by a stunning approach to the 18th which allowed him a simple putt for birdie and the outright lead at the end of Day 3.
The only other real contender for Sunday's title, Fisher, also finished his round off with a birdie to cap a solid round to add to his 66 and 70 from the first two days.
South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen put in a fine performance on Saturday in front of his home crowd as he shot a 69 with just one bogey on the par-five third, and he is tied for fifth on four-under.
American Brendon Todd so nearly claimed the first ever hole-in-one in the event's history, but unfortunately it was not to be, per the European Tour:
Bjorn had a fine round after his nightmare 80 on Thursday to retain some respectability, the Dane's four-under par round of 68 moving him to four over for the tournament.
However, it is really all about the three Englishman at the top of the leaderboard going into Sunday's final round and Donald's single-shot lead could be crucial as he looks to be on song at the moment.
Day 2 Recap
Luke Donald shot to the top of the leaderboard with an excellent performance in Round 2 of the 2014 Nedbank Golf Challenge, carding a nine-under 63 and avoiding some local wildlife in the process.
The Brit took advantage of the struggles of some of the top competitors for this year's title, as Ross Fisher and Marcel Siem failed to build on their impressive performances from Thursday.
Here is the leaderboard after Friday's action:
| 1 | Luke Donald | -10 | 63 |
| 2 | Ross Fisher | -8 | 70 |
| 3 | Alexander Levy | -6 | 70 |
| 4 | Danny Willett | -5 | 68 |
| 5 | Marcel Siem | -4 | 72 |
| T6 | Tommy Fleetwood | -3 | 97 |
| T6 | Brendon Todd | -3 | 98 |
| T6 | Thongchai Jaidee | -3 | 70 |
| T6 | Charl Schwartzel | -3 | 71 |
| T6 | Tim Clark | -3 | 71 |
For the full leaderboard, visit EuropeanTour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site by clicking here.
The day started with news that Jamie Donaldson would not be starting his second round due to severe migraine. The Welshman was barely able to finish his opening round on Thursday, and as shared by SuperSport Blitz, he decided against starting 24 hours later:
Friday also commemorated the one-year anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela, and the members of the European Tour paid their respects with a moment of silence ahead of the start of the second round:
Donald charged to the top of the leaderboard with an excellent nine-under 63, just one shot shy of the course record. He had a chance to tie the record at the very last hole, having carded nine birdies already, but he could only manage par at the 18th.
Still, as shared by the European Tour's official Twitter feed, a nine-under 63 is nothing to complain about:
The 36-year-old looked calm and composed throughout the day, save for a brief moment in the afternoon, when he had a brief encounter with a baboon:
Tommy Fleetwood made the biggest jump on the leaderboard thanks to a five-under 67, including an impressive eagle on the 14th hole. His score was brought down by two bogeys, but five birdies and the aforementioned eagle still made for an excellent score, pushing him into the top 10.
Overnight leader Fisher overcame a difficult stretch on the back nine to finish with a two-under 70, shooting par on the final four holes. After a solid performance on the front nine, he lost any semblance of consistency early on the back nine, carding an eagle, birdie, bogey, double bogey and par on the first five holes.
A solid finish kept him in second place on the leaderboard, however, just two shots behind Donald.
Siem carded his second eagle of the tournament but also recorded four bogeys and just two birdies on Friday, dropping him to fifth on the leaderboard. Chasing Donald by six shots already, the German will have to significantly improve to have any chance of winning the first tournament on this year's European Tour calendar.
Day 1 Recap
Ross Fisher set the pace on the first day of play in South Africa, with the Englishman carding an impressive six-under round of 66 to take a two-shot lead, putting him atop the leaderboard.
However, there are some big names snapping at his heels with Marcel Siem, Alexander Levy and South African George Coetzee all at four-under.
There was plenty of low scoring on show on Day 1 in Sun City, and Fisher's lead is likely to be seriously threatened come Friday.
Here is the leaderboard after Thursday's play:
| Position | Player | To Par | Round 1 Score |
| 1 | Ross Fisher | -6 | 66 |
| T2 | Marcel Siem | -4 | 68 |
| T2 | George Coetzee | -4 | 68 |
| T2 | Alexander Levy | -4 | 68 |
| T5 | Tim Clark | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Louis Oosthuizen | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Stephen Gallacher | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Brooks Koepka | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Charl Schwartzel | -2 | 70 |
For the full leaderboard, visit EuropeanTour.com. Video highlights can be found on the tour's official site by clicking here.
Fisher got off to a storming start as he picked up four birdies on the front nine, including fours on the two par fives at the second and the ninth.
Another three birdies on the back nine were only weathered by a single bogey on the par-three 16th as he continued his love affair with South Africa, per the European Tour:
Siem also put together a terrific round as he shot a 68. The German saw three bogeys blemish his card but arguably played the shot of the day to eagle the par-four 17th.
He was a little lucky as his approach shot took a favourable bounce off the fringe of the green, but it then rolled straight into the middle of the hole as though tapped in from two feet, per the PGA of America:
It was certainly not a bad day for the home contingent as Coetzee fired himself into joint-second while Tim Clark, Oosthuizen and Schwartzel all sit two shots further back on two-under par after rounds of 70.
It was also a round of 70 for veteran Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez who, for a moment at least, held a season's record, per the European Tour:
Bjorn found himself propping up the leaderboard after Thursday's action as he shot an eight-over round of 80, but with low scores to be had, it is still very much anyone's title with three days remaining.
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