Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin finished in a tie for 17th after the final round at the SDC Championship in South Africa as runaway leader Matthew Baldwin clinched victory by seven shots.
McKibbin started Sunday on three under on the St Francis Links course and enjoyed a solid day which saw him gain birdies on one, three, 13 and 16 with the only blemish coming on the 17th.
That eventually left him 12 shots adrift of England's Baldwin, who had shared the lead with Norway's Kristian Krogh Johannessen at the start of play.
But while Johannessen's challenge stalled in a final round that saw him slip back into a tie for third on nine under with a 72, Baldwin finished surged to 18 under after a 68, well clear of Spain's Adria Arnaus who was second on 11 under after a 67.
Baldwin's maiden title coincided with his 200th DP World Tour event and it has been a career marked by a host of ups and downs on his journey to the winner's circle.
Having graduated from the Challenge Tour in 2011, he enjoyed an impressive first three seasons on the DP World Tour before illness forced him to shut down his 2015 campaign in May - and he had two operations over that summer.
That winning feeling @mattbaldwin26 👏🏆#SDCChampionship pic.twitter.com/dyTWLYTXp8
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 19, 2023
He lost his card in 2016 but was back for the 2018 season after coming through the qualifying school and would have been back in 2021 via the Challenge Tour but missed out after the categories were frozen due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A 19th-placed finish on last season's Road to Mallorca now sees him in his seventh full season on the DP World Tour and he can finally call himself a champion.
Reflecting on his journey to this moment at the trophy presentation, Southport native Baldwin said: "I'm not 100% sure what's just happened! It's been a tough few years, so obviously to get the win means absolutely everything.
"I can't process it right now but it just means the world to me.
"It's been windy all week, it's that sort of golf course. Fortunately for me I've grown up playing in Southport at Hesketh and Royal Birkdale, so I'm pretty good in the wind and it's worked out a treat for me.
"Obviously I'd like to thank St Francis Links, the golf course has been fantastic this week; the DP World Tour for putting on superb events, as do the Sunshine Tour - they always welcome us down here."
