Hansen holds his nerve to seal maiden triumph at Joburg Open

Joachim B. Hansen produced a blemish-free final round of 67 to claim his maiden European Tour title at the Joburg Open.

Having ended Saturday trailing leader Wilco Nienaber by one shot, Hansen held his nerve over the closing holes to triumph for the first time at the 146th attempt.

Nienaber led by as many as three shots by the turn at Randpark Golf Club, only to see his advantage whittled away.

Hansen birdied three of his first five holes on the back nine before a succession of pars proved enough, aided by the leader finishing with back-to-back bogeys.

The Dane was understandably emotional after holing the winning putt, as he ended up on 19 under for the week.

Joachim B. Hansen wins the #JoburgOpen! pic.twitter.com/1wgL9aIePV
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 22, 2020

"I putted really well, almost haven't missed a putt inside six feet and holed a lot of long ones as well," Hansen – who won two tournaments on the European Challenge Tour in 2018 - said.

Nienaber finished alone in second, two shots back of the new champion but one clear of fellow South African Shaun Norris.

It was an eventful final day for the overnight leader, as he came close to holing a clever long-distance putt at the 15th that saw the ball sent into the first cut off the green.

He also got a kind break on the 17th when he somehow avoided his ball rolling into the water hazard, though he still went on to record a bogey at the hole.