IT ALL came down to a classic “back nine on Sunday duel” and Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen fought brilliantly to come from behind to edge out young playing partner Wilco Nienaber and win the Joburg Open on Randpark’s outstanding Firethorn course.

Hansen posted a bogey-free, four-under-par 67 following earlier rounds of 66, 68 and 64 for a 19-under-par 265 aggregate. Nienaber closed with bogeys at 17 and 18, his only dropped shots of the day, on his way to a 70 and second place on 267, with Wilco’s fellow South African Shaun Norris shooting a superb 66 to claim third spot on 268 …

JOBURG Open 54-hole leader Wilco Nienaber has led the long driving stats on the European Tour this year, regularly hitting booming tee-shots over 400 yards. In round two in the Joburg Open on Randpark’s Firethorn course on Friday he averaged a mammoth 416 yards with his “bombs”.

The Free State flier carded a four-under-par 67 Saturday and is on 16-under-par 197 for the tournament, just one ahead of Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen, who posted a day’s best seven-under 64 to be on 198 …

JACQUES Blaauw compiled a brilliant eight-under-par 63 on Firethorn in the second round of the Joburg Open to take the halfway lead on Friday on 13-under-par 129.

It was technically a provisional lead as a few players were unable to finish their rounds because of a weather delay but no-one was in a position to catch Blaauw.

The 34-year-old who plays out of the Els Club, Copperleaf, stormed home in just 31 shots on the back nine on a stormy day after play was suspended for a lengthy spell in mid-afternoon because of a thunderstorm …