‘Awesome to be back on top,’ says SA’s Frittelli after winning in Bahrain

South African Dylan Frittelli held his nerve to claim his first professional title since 2019 with a two-shot victory at the Bahrain Championship on Sunday.

Frittelli held a two-shot lead overnight and a one-under-par final round of 71 was enough for him to maintain that advantage and finish the tournament on 13-under overall.

The 33-year-old, playing mainly on the PGA Tour, endured a miserable 2023 campaign, missing 20 cuts in 31 events and not posting a single top-10 finish to slip outside the world’s top 400.

But he hopes his third European (DP World) Tour win, and first in six years, helps revive his career.

‘Support’

“It’s been a long road the last five or six years since I left the DP World Tour and went to the States,” said Frittelli.

“It was a pretty tough year last year in America but it feels awesome to be back on top right now.

“Last year I was in a couple of spots where I thought I was giving the game up to be honest and looking for something else…

“I’m glad I persevered and all the support from family and friends has been well worth it.”

Frittelli’s fellow South African Zander Lombard fired a closing 68 to grab a tie for second place with Sweden’s Jesper Svensson.