David Drysdale just falls short with late rally at Leopard Creek

American David Lipsky foiled hopes of a tartan triumph in the Alfred Dunhill Championship after first getting his nose ahead of the overnight leader, Scott Jamieson, then holding off a late thrust from David Drysdale at Leopard Creek in South Africa.

As Lipsky, a 30-year-old Californian, closed with a four-under 68 to claim his second European Tour title triumph with a two-shot success, Drysdale recorded his best finish on the circuit in nearly a decade by securing second spot, a shot ahead of both Jamieson and home player Zander Lombard.

Bidding to land a maiden victory on his 471st appearance on the tour, Drysdale signed off with a five-under-par 67 – the joint-lowest round of the day – to set the clubhouse target with an 11-under-par 276 total. A closing birdie – it was almost an eagle as a beautifully-played chip from close to the water at the back of the green touched the edge of the hole – came as Lipsky was running up a double-bogey 5 at the short 16th to see what had been a six-shot lead at one stage reduced to just one.

But, as Drysdale watched on television to see if he might get into a play-off, Lipsky followed a solid par-4 at the 17th before matching the Scot’s birdie at the last to secure a top prize worth around £215,000.