DURBAN, South Africa – South African Louis Oosthuizen birdied his closing two holes to retain the Volvo Champions title on Sunday after an earlier eagle on the eighth.

The 2010 British Open winner shot a 4-under 68 for an overall 12-under 276 and claimed his seventh win on the European Tour.

Oosthuizen finished a stroke ahead of fellow South African Branden Grace, who also shot a 68 on the Durban Country Club course.

It was Oosthuizen’s first success since winning this elite 36-player event a year ago.

After a slow start, with pars on the opening seven holes, Oosthuizen sank a 12-foot eagle putt at the par five No. 8.

He drew level with Grace with a birdie at the 17th and then claimed the win by holing a 2-foot birdie putt at the last.

“When I eagled the eighth hole I felt I could go on and make a few birdies from there on and, while stopped by a bogey on 10, I just felt really comfortable out there,” Oosthuizen said.

“I noticed when I was about to play my shot at 17 that Branden had finished on 11-under par, so I needed to give myself a good opportunity to tie him and I did and then managed to birdie the last.”

Oosthuizen came into the event with a persistent lower back injury.

“I’ve still got a few niggles that I need to work on with my back, but it’s been great this week and not causing me much concern,” he said.

Grace recorded his best finish in more than a year after winning four times in 2012, including starting that year with a Volvo Champions success, but then going without a win in 2013.

The 25-year old Grace capped his round with three birdies in succession at the sixth hole and then birdied two of his closing three holes.

“I thought I played some superb golf today,” Grace said.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood (72) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (71) shared third on 10-under.

Triple Major winning Padraig Harrington (67) was tied fifth on 9 under, his best effort since fourth in Durban a year ago.

DURBAN, South Africa – England’s Tommy Fleetwood birdied the last hole in a third-round 69 to seize a one-shot lead in the Volvo Champions on Saturday with an overall 10-under 206.

Dutchman Joost Luiten (70) and Victor Dubuisson (69) of France were tied in second at 9-under in the elite 36-player event at the Durban Country Club.

Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen was left counting the cost of having to take an “unplayable” penalty shot that led to triple bogey at the 16th hole in a round of 71.

Oosthuizen dropped to fourth on 8 under. The former British Open winner, whose last victory was at this event a year ago, had birdied the 15th to move to 10-under before stumbling at the 16th.

“I had a look where the ball was lying in the bushes but there was no way I could get a club to it, so I decided to call it unplayable,” Oosthuizen said. “I know I came from five back last year to win but you don’t want to give yourself unnecessary work to do. I had a good opportunity today to go to 12 under at least.”

The 118th-ranked Fleetwood is a former Walker Cup player and joined the European Tour full-time in 2012. He qualified for Durban by winning the Johnnie Walker Championship in September at Gleneagles.

“It would be awesome if I could win again as all I want to do is win golf tournaments,” Fleetwood said.

Dubuisson heads into the final day also seeking a second Tour victory and trying to reinforce his chances of qualifying automatically for this year’s European Ryder Cup team.

Dubuisson arrived in South Africa third overall on the European team points table and needs only to finish in the top eight to take the lead.

Ronan Flood resumed his role as caddy for Padraig Harrington after collapsing on the course a day earlier from the effects of food poisoning.

DURBAN, South Africa – Joost Luiten holed out for an albatross on the way to a 5-under 67 Friday and a share of the second-round lead with Louis Oosthuizen and Tommy Fleetwood at the Volvo Golf Champions.

The Dutchman holed his 7-iron from 248 yards for a two on the par-5 No. 10 at Durban Country Club. His shot pitched near the front fringe, took a couple of bounces across the green and rolled home.

“The ball just pitched exactly where I wanted it to, in front of the green and rolled right up to the flag and disappeared in the hole,” said Luiten, who turned 28 on Tuesday. “So, yeah, it was a good feeling. I’ve never had an albatross before and now at 7 under par I am in a great position for the weekend.”

Luiten is at 7-under 137 total alongside defending champion Oosthuizen (69) and Fleetwood (67).

There was only one albatross – or double eagle – on the European Tour all of last season. Chris Doak got it at the Madeira Islands Open in May.

Oosthuizen made four birdies and a bogey, while Fleetwood had six birdies and a single dropped shot. Victor Dubuisson (69) was alone in fourth at 6 under.

Luiten, who qualified for the elite 36-player field in Durban by capturing the KLM Open, was 3 under when he made his albatross and immediately jumped into a share of the lead at 6 under. He also birdied the last.

Oosthuizen is looking to successfully defend a European Tour title for the second time in his career after winning the Africa Open in 2011 and 2012.

“I’m delighted with my position and luckily it’s the type of golf course where you can get away with it by not hitting a lot of drivers or 3-woods,” the 2010 British Open winner said. “So I just need to keep it together for the weekend.”

Fleetwood earned his place in the field by winning the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in September and he matched Luiten’s 67 to move into contention for a second tour title.

First round leader Raphael Jacquelin (73) remains in contention despite a slip into a share of sixth place with former British Open winner Darren Clarke (71).

Padraig Harrington shot a 71 after his caddie collapsed mid-round and was treated for dehydration. A photographer and then an Irish tourist stepped in to carry his bag.

DURBAN, South Africa – Raphael Jacquelin shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 in extremely windy conditions on South Africa’s east coast to take the first-round lead at the Volvo Golf Champions on Thursday.

Jacquelin was the only player in the 36-man field not to drop a shot around Durban Country Club for a one-stroke advantage over defending champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Darren Clarke, whose last title was at the 2011 British Open, was tied for third (69) alongside Victor Dubuisson.

Race to Dubai leader Thomas Bjorn was last after a 7-over 79 which included two double bogeys on the back nine, giving last month’s big-money winner at Sun City a tough start on his return to South Africa.

Jacquelin is competing in his first tournament in around six weeks, but the Frenchman picked up shots at Nos. 6 and 8 and finished with three birdies in his last five holes to stay just ahead of Oosthuizen.

“I’m better when the conditions are difficult and I just seem to score better whether it is in the wind or in the rain, or if the course is difficult,” Jacquelin said. “I also stayed focused all day long and when you manage to save par in these conditions you are always going to have a good round. That’s the way I like to play.”

Jacquelin qualified for the $4 million tournament by winning his fourth European Tour title at last year’s Spanish Open following a European Tour record nine-hole playoff.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner, came into the event following a frustrating 2013 marred by a nagging back complaint. However, the blustery coastal conditions played right into the hands of the South African.

“I grew up in Mossel Bay where the wind was born and then goes out to the rest of the country,” he said. “So the conditions today were very much like back home and what I have been used to most of my life … It’s just good to get the feel of playing and competing again after all the weeks off.”

Clarke and Dubuisson – the reigning Turkish Airlines Open champion – both returned 69s, with Clarke already showing the benefits of a new fitness regime.

But only 16 of the 36 players managed to break par in the testing conditions, with Denmark’s Bjorn, Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez and South Africa’s former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel all struggling.

Bjorn, who won the biggest check of his career at Sun City in his last tournament, bogeyed his first hole, added another two bogeys and two doubles and couldn’t make a birdie.

Three-time Hong Kong Open winner Jimenez also had two double bogeys in his 76 to sit joint second to last. Schwartzel had a double bogey and four bogeys in his 74 for a tie for 28th.

LONDON – Henrik Stenson has been selected European golfer of the year after winning the money title and the U.S. PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup.

The 37-year-old Stenson, who succeeded Rory McIlroy, is the first player from Sweden to win the award.

In addition to his six-shot victory in the season-ending World Tour Championship to clinch the Race to Dubai, Stenson also won the Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship in Atlanta to seal the FedEx Cup.

Another highlight was his third in the U.S. PGA Championship.

Stenson’s most consistent year started at the end of last season, when he won the South African championship.

He says the latest honor reflected “the stellar year I have had. You can call it a dream season, year of my life, whatever you want.”

DURBAN, South Africa – Dawie van der Walt shot a 4-under 66 Saturday to win the Nelson Mandela Championship by two shots, giving the tournament a South African victory in a week when the country bids farewell to its former president.

Van der Walt finished with a three-round total of 15-under 195 as the sun eventually shone on the final day of the rain-shortened event. It was his second European Tour victory. England’s Matthew Baldwin (68) and Spain’s Jorge Campillo (68) were tied for second.

Even before the rain disrupted the first two days, organizers had changed the schedule ensure the tournament didn’t run over into Sunday out of respect for the state funeral of Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid leader who died last week.

“It’s making you kind of part of history, winning the Nelson Mandela at this time when it’s sad for everyone and everyone’s mourning and tomorrow’s the big day,” Van der Walt said, wearing a black ribbon on his cap. “It obviously means a lot and can be something that I can keep close to my heart forever.”

Van der Walt lifted a trophy that depicts an image of Mandela surrounded by children and also won a painting bearing the signature of South Africa’s most famous figure. The tournament donated money to one of Mandela’s charities, a children’s hospital that bears his name.

Englishman Daniel Brooks had held a three-shot lead after the second round in Durban, which was only completed earlier Saturday because of the weather delays. But he struggled with five bogeys and a double bogey in his final-round 76.

Van der Walt, who was tied for second heading to the final 18 holes, made five birdies and an eagle to go with three bogeys on the Mount Edgecombe course. He recovered from his third bogey at No. 11 by making eagle at No. 12 and birdie at No. 13. The South African also caught a break on the par-5 No. 14 when a shot heading toward the rough took a favorable bounce.

Neither Baldwin nor Campillo could apply enough pressure in the final stretch, with Baldwin making just one birdie in his last 11 and Campillo dropping a crucial shot at No. 15. Campillo and Colin Nel on Friday became the first players to shoot 59s in a European Tour event, although their scores don’t count as records because players were given preferred lies on the rain-soaked course.

France’s Romain Wattel was alone in fourth at 12 under and South Africa’s Oliver Bekker fifth. American John Hahn finished in a four-way tie for sixth alongside four-time European Tour winner Branden Grace.

SUN CITY, South Africa – Thomas Bjorn carved out two eagles in his last nine holes, one brilliant and one a little lucky, to come from behind and win the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday, closing with a 65 for 20-under overall and a two-shot victory.

Overnight leader Jamie Donaldson of Wales wasted a three-shot advantage with a final-round 70 and tied for second with Sergio Garcia (65).

Bjorn’s sweet five iron into No. 10 set up the first eagle to push him past Donaldson. The Dane had his second on No. 14 after his approach pitched in a bunker and rolled up onto the green.

“They were two big moments,” Bjorn said. “Obviously having two eagles on the back nine on a Sunday doesn’t happen very often. The shot into 14 was a bit fortunate but that’s what happens when you win golf tournaments, I guess.”

The $1.25 million winner’s check at Sun City is the 42-year-old Bjorn’s biggest prize and it’s his 15th European Tour title.

Donaldson was bidding to become the first debut winner at Sun City since Zimbabwe’s Mark McNulty in 1986 but bogeyed No. 9, and couldn’t find any more birdies until No. 17. Garcia’s challenge slipped away with a dropped shot on No. 16 after a run of four straight birdies at the end of his front nine, allowing Bjorn to bogey the last at Gary Player Country Club and still win.

Bjorn’s triumph was hailed by fans in the galleries on No. 18 waving streams of South African flags in late afternoon sunshine on a day dedicated in the country to prayer and reflection following the death of former President Nelson Mandela. The tournament stood for a rendition of the South African anthem at the end.

“I think to the whole world he was just an inspiration to human beings. He was a great man,” Bjorn said of Mandela at the trophy presentation. “To see what one man can do, it’s an inspiration to all of us. If we all just did a bit more, this world would be a better place.”

FedEx Cup and European money list winner Henrik Stenson was fourth on 6 under after his 67 in the No. 3-ranked Swede’s first tournament back since ending last season as the world’s best-performing player.

Brendon de Jonge (66) was fifth on 15 under and Charl Schwartzel (66) sixth on 13 under, the highest placed South African. Ryan Moore of the United States, another Sun City rookie, was in contention through three rounds before a 73 on Sunday took him back to a tie for seventh with U.S. Open champion Justin Rose.

Home favourite and three-time champion Ernie Els had to deal with news of Mandela’s passing on Thursday and the death of his former psychological coach on Saturday, and ended with a second straight 77 to finish 12 over par and second from last in the expanded 30-man field.

This is the first year the Nedbank has been part of the European Tour’s schedule.

SUN CITY, South Africa – Jamie Donaldson held on to his three-shot lead through the third round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Saturday, putting the Welshman in sight of the biggest payday of his career on his Sun City debut.

The Welshman strung together six birdies and just a single bogey on No. 17 in a 5-under 67 to stay ahead of a two-way tie for second between Ryan Moore of the United States and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark. Donaldsson had a 16-under total of 200.

Henrik Stenson, playing his first tournament since clinching the European money title last month to go with his FedEx Cup, was five shots back after a 69, tied with Sergio Garcia (66) and Thongchai Jaidee (66).

Donaldson had his birdies in twos at the Gary Player Country Club, with back-to-back gains on Nos. 4 and 5, 10 and 11, and 14 and 15 for a good chance at the $1.25 million winner’s check at the newly-instated European Tour event. Before this week, he last played the course nearly 20 years ago.

“Every win is special, this would be just a little bit more special,” he said.

Moore, another Sun City debutant, went bogey-free to card 67 and is also attempting to become the first rookie winner at the Nedbank since Zimbabwe’s Mark McNulty in 1986. Bjorn had a 66.

Ernie Els struggled to a 77 after hearing before the third round that his former mental coach Jos Vanstiphout had died. Els said it was “another very sad day” for him after the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela on Thursday.

Bjorn opened his back nine with an eagle and a birdie, but made bogey on the par-5 No. 14 to slip back again before finishing with his fifth birdie. Moore was flawless with five birdies and no dropped shots.

Former Sun City winner Stenson recovered from a seven on No. 9, when the No. 3-ranked Swede twice hit the water, to birdie four holes coming home and stay in contention.

Garcia bounced back from a 73 on Friday, making six birdies and an eagle on No. 13 to counter two bogeys.

SUN CITY, South Africa – The birdie celebrations were muted and the crowd a little quiet all though Friday.

Gary Player cried on the tee before an early-morning round under grey skies and Ernie Els remembered the photo he has of himself and Nelson Mandela on his desk back at home in Florida.

“It is a very sad day,” Els said. “A very sad day for South Africa and the world.”

A sombre mood hung over the Nedbank  Golf Challenge, South Africa’s first major sporting event since former president and anti-apartheid leader Mandela died late Thursday aged 95.

Jamie Donaldson, wearing a black ribbon like all the players, emerged from the emotional day to go to 11 under and hold a three-shot lead over Ryan Moore and Henrik Stenson.

The 30-man field spent around nine hours out on the course to make up for lost time when the first round was halted for lightning a day earlier. Donaldson had seven birdies and a bogey in a second-round 66 to go with his opening 67, with the Welshman saying he played “aggressive but not daft.”

Moore had a round-leading 65 having finished up a 71 in the first round in the morning for a share of second at 8 under with Stenson. The Swede moved back into contention with a 67 at the end of the second day.

Thomas Bjorn and defending champion Martin Kaymer were tied for fourth another shot back on 7 under. Sergio Garcia had led after the first round before slipping down to a share of ninth with a 73.

Perhaps struggling with the emotions, Els and the rest of the South Africans failed to shine, with Charl Schwartzel the leading home player on 6 under, five off the lead. Els has gone 75, 71 in the first two rounds.

In the early morning, the players had stood with their caddies, some with caps removed, for a moment’s silence for Mandela before the first round restarted. Flags drooped at half-mast around the Gary Player Country Club. A hooter sounded to start the brief moment of reflection on the life of the beloved anti-apartheid leader.

One of South Africa’s first sporting heroes under Mandela’s presidency, four-time major winner Els had walked out of the players’ lounge a little after 6:30 a.m. to talk to reporters and share some of his precious memories of the time he spent with Mandela. Els said that since about 1996 and well into his old age, Mandela used to call the golfer every time he won a tournament.

“They were special times and the little time we had together was very special. He was just the most amazing person I have ever met,” Els said.

Player, South Africa’s most successful golfer and whose career so often clashed with South Africa’s dark years of apartheid, said he and three friends had prayed and then cried together over Mandela’s passing before playing a casual round first thing in the morning before the field went out.

“We all had a tear in our eyes, but it’s also a day of celebration because he’d want us to celebrate,” Player said. “And we’ve got to celebrate for what he actually gave this country.”

SUN CITY, South Africa – Lightning halted the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge and Luke Donald’s rapid start at the 30-man invitational on Thursday.

Donald opened with a birdie and an eagle on his first two holes and was 5 under after 11 when a second interruption for lightning caused players to come off the course for good.

The former top-ranked Englishman is two ahead of Jamie Donaldson and Thomas Bjorn. Donaldson played 12 holes, while Bjorn was 3 under with three birdies in six holes.

Playing for the first time since ending last season with the FedEx Cup and European money list titles, Henrik Stenson was 1 under after seven, with six straight pars after a birdie on No. 1.