Lombard still thinks positive

Ken Borland

The final day of the Nedbank Golf Challenge saw Englishman Tommy Fleetwood put himself in strong contention to win the Race to Dubai, but it was a chastening experience for young Zander Lombard (below), who was the overnight leader but ended up shooting 77 and will miss out on the order of merit finale in Dubai this weekend.

Despite what must have been a massive disappointment for the Pretoria-born 24-year-old, Lombard put a positive spin on his maiden appearance at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, in which he ended up finishing in a tie for eighth.

“I can’t put in words how I feel about the final round, I actually played well, it’s the best I felt all week but this course is brutal and I had six lip-outs and made one poor decision. The big picture is that I finished top-10 in a Rolex Series event so there are a lot of positives. As a debutant, it’s nice to know that I can compete with the big guys on the big courses,” Lombard said.

Oosthuizen, who slumped to a tied-sixth finish at Sun City after shooting 75 in the final round, is the highest-ranked South African in the Race to Dubai, in ninth place. The best he can finish, however, is second.

Lombard, who finished 59th, is looking forward, however, to the start of the new European Tour season in two weeks time at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the spectacular Leopard Creek course on the border of Kruger National Park.

“A week off is maybe not the worst thing and then I can come in fresh for the Alfred Dunhill Championship and start the new season on a high. My game feels amazing and it’s about putting four good rounds together. I feel like I’ve matured and it’s only a matter of time now until I win,” Lombard said.