Description
Daniel Van Tonder

DANIEL van Tonder emerged as the highest-placed South African golfer at the HotelPlanner Tour-sanctioned Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union that held at the Cooke Course in Vierumäki, Finland.

Van Tonder finished in a five-way tie for 17th place on 10-under-par 278, edging ahead of compatriots Easton Bryce (nine-under-par 279), who tied for 22nd, and Wilco Nienaber (six-under-par 282), who finished tied for 39th.

The tournament was won by David Law, who carded 17-under-par 271. Van Tonder began his campaign with a solid four-under-par 68, which left him five shots behind early leader Álvaro Hernández Cabezuela, who opened with a sizzling 63. A second-round 70 saw Van Tonder enter the weekend tied for 19th on six-under, seven strokes behind new leader George Mason. On moving day, he carded a 71, before closing with a composed three-under 69 in the final round to secure a top-20 finish. Easton Bryce had a steady start with a two-under 70, followed by an even-par second round. He then climbed the leaderboard with a third-round 69, and closed impressively with a 68, earning him a share of 22nd place. Wilco Nienaber got off to the best start among the South Africans, opening with a brilliant 65, just two shots off the lead after round one. However, he followed it with a 71, then struggled on moving day with a four-over 76, before recovering with a final-round 70.

Following the event, Van Tonder gained 24.2 Road to Mallorca points, maintaining his position at number eight in the rankings. Bryce collected 18.8 points, though he dropped one place to 71st, while Nienaber added 11.6 points to hold steady in 17th place. Meanwhile, winner David Law’s performance earned him 320 points, moving him up three spots to number one on the Road to Mallorca standings.