It took 114 starts and 20 years since turning professional, but Shaun Norris finally broke through for his maiden DP World Tour title over the weekend at the Steyn City Championship in his native South Africa.
The 39-year-old Norris, from Pretoria, began the day at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg with a four-shot lead, but he was overtaken after just seven holes by a hard-charging Dean Burmester. Burmester extended his lead to two strokes at the 10th hole, but Norris rebounded by carding three birdies over his next six holes to tie for the lead. The momentum swung Norris’ way at No. 17 when he made another birdie while Burmester carded a double bogey, giving Norris a three-shot lead heading to the 18th tee. He finished with a 2-under 70 to end at 25-under 263, three clear of Burmester. An emotional Norris, whose 3-week-old daughter Riley-Grace was on hand for the win, said afterward: “I don’t think words can describe how I feel right now. It’s been a tough journey and having my brother on the bag, my wife here, my little girl – it’s splendid, I can’t explain. It’s absolutely beautiful doing this in front of my home crowd and in front of my family. From the word go, I told my brother, ‘Let’s have fun, let’s actually try and feel like we’re playing back home.’”