Nadia van der Westhuizen comes from behind to clinch Cape Town Ladies Open

South African golfer Nadia van der Westhuizen stormed to her maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour title to win the Cape Town Ladies Open at Royal Cape Golf Club on Friday.

Van der Westhuizen held her nerve to secure a one-shot victory as she carded one-under 73 to top the leaderboard on four-over.

The 20-year-old trailed overnight leader Tandi McCallum by four shots but clawed her way back to lift her first professional title.

"This is so unexpected; it's surreal. Twelve months ago, I was still campaigning on the GolfRSA circuit and now I'm the first winner of the 2022 Sunshine Ladies Tour season," said Van der Westhuizen on Friday.

"I had no expectations coming into this week. I felt my game was solid, but I kept my goals realistic. I just went out there with the mindset of trying to put three good rounds together to build momentum for the rest of the tour.

"I am absolutely stoked with this win. The Sunshine Ladies Tour's tagline is #LevelUp and I feel like that is exactly what I've done here this week. I used my rookie season to adjust to the pro circuit and gain experience, and this week I put everything I've learned into play.

"It's such an awesome feeling to get this first win under the belt with the rest of the season to come."

It was anyone's race to win, leading into the final holes as Van der Westhuizen outclassed fellow compatriots Lee-Anne Pace, Stacy Bregman, McCallum and Carla Gorlei.

Pace, Gorlei, McCallum and Bregman all bogeyed the closing holes to give Serengeti golfer Van der Westhuizen a remarkable win.

"In February last year, I had my best finish ever in the SA Women's Stroke Play Championship with a third-place, and later that month I won my first provincial title in the North West Open," explained Van der Westhuizen.