Amateur Danielle du Toit outlasted all the males in the field on Wednesday as she carded the only under-par score in the final round of the IGT Challenge Tour’s Road to #5 at Akasia Golf Club to lift the trophy.

In cold, gusting winds which prevailed throughout the 54-hole tournament, Du Toit, who is back in South Africa from Purdue University in the United States, made five birdies and four bogeys to sign for a one-under-par 71 and a tournament total of level-par to win by three strokes from French amateur Jules Helary. Helary had one of two level-par rounds in the tough conditions to finish one ahead of another amateur, Eben Spangenberg, who had the other 72, and of professional Morne Buys, who shared third.

Du Toit bogeyed four and six on the front nine, and picked up a shot with a birdie on the par-five fifth to turn in one-over 36. She got it back to level-par with a bride on 11, but dropped immediately thereafter again on 12. But she turned things on over the next three holes with consecutive birdies putting her in the clear. A bogey on 17 wasn’t enough to bring her back into the clutches of the pursuers.

Du Toit was a senior at Purdue in the 2021-22 season, appearing in 10 tournaments for the Boilermakers, and helped them advance to the NCAA Championships. As a graduate student, she is on the roster for next season too, and will work under coach Zack Byrd, who spent some time playing in South Africa.