Homa closed with a 66 at the Gary Player Country Club that included a memorable eagle on the ninth to win by four shots on 19 under par. It was the first victory by an American in this tournament since Jim Furyk in 2006, and it capped what Homa described as a life-changing first visit to Africa.
“Back home I’m fortunate to get a lot of great support. But I just can’t really get over that I can come across the world to people I’ve never met and they can be this kind and welcoming. I had these kids following me all day and they kept boosting me whenever it got tight and they kept cheering my name. I also had the mantra of rather be the lion than the impala in my head. And walking up 18 and that ovation was extra special. I just have to give so much credit to this country and the quality of the people,” said Homa.
Homa started strong and was three under through eight holes. Despite this he still had to withstand a strong charge from Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, and the key moment came on the iconic par-five ninth hole.
“The shot of the tournament for me was on nine. If you’d told me I was three under through eight I would’ve thought I’d be leading and I was rather surprised to be tied for the lead with Thorbjørn on the ninth fairway. My swing felt good and I wanted to make a statement to myself, so I hit a beautiful three iron onto that green and made a relatively easy putt. It was a good time to hit a great shot.”
Olesen couldn’t sustain his charge and finished third on 14 under with a 69, while Nicolai Højgaard pushed through with a 68 to finish second on 15 under par. Justin Thomas came with a strong final round of 66 to take fourth place on 12 under par. And Hennie du Plessis finished as the leading South African in sixth place on 10 under par and on his debut in this tournament.
But on yet another memorable Sunday afternoon at Sun City, it was Homa who birdied two of his final four holes to add his name to the long list of great champions of this tournament.
“I walked down that walkway to the ninth green today again and I pictured a plaque with my name on italongside all the other greats there. It’s awesome to add my name to that. This is one of the more memorable weeks I’ve ever had. The safari we had last weekend – I just can’t put it into words. Then to come out here and put the cherry on top is fantastic. I’m excited to get home and see my son. I left when he had two teeth and nowhe’s got six.”
And as he flies home with a cheque for just over one million dollars, that’s the tooth fairy taken care of as well.



EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP COMMUNICATIONS
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Tel: +44 (0) 1344 840400 | Email: Comms@europeantourgroup.comAbout the DP World Tour The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group, with a global schedule featuring a minimum of 39 tournaments in 26 different countries across the 2023 season.Formerly known as the European Tour, which was established in 1972, the 2023 DP World Tour schedule includes five Rolex Series events, along with four Major Championships, one World Golf Championship event, as well as tournaments staged around the world with a minimum prize of $2million for all events solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
The season concludes with the final Rolex Series event, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where the winner of the Tour’s season-long competition, the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, will be crowned.
DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, is the title partner of the DP World Tour, which is administered by the European Tour group.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers four competition brands: the DP World Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.
Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.
Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.
Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, golf for the disabled and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf.
Global: Since 1972, players from 38 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Emirates, Fortinet and Hilton as Official Partners.
The European Tour group has Strategic Alliances with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour and ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, while we ensure we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit through ‘Golf for Good’, the umbrella name for the European Tour group’s commitment to ‘Driving Golf Further’ in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
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