Tearful Veerman thanks family for sacrifices after winning Nedbank Golf Challenge on European tour

By The Associated Press

SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) — American golfer Johannes Veerman has claimed his second title on the European tour after winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa by one shot following a bogey on the 72nd hole by home favorite Aldrich Potgieter. Veerman had finished his final round of 3-under 69 about an hour before the 20-year-old Potgieter came down No. 18, needing a birdie for the win or a par to force a playoff. Instead he pushed his approach into rough near the grandstand beside the green, chipped on after a free drop to 10 feet and missed the par putt. The 209th-ranked Veerman’s other win came at the Czech Masters in 2021. He celebrated the victory on the driving range where he was preparing for a potential playoff.