Dan Bradbury Player Profile

DAN BRADBURY, a 23-year-old Englishman, is in wonderland after his wire-to-wire victory in the Joburg Open.

Bradbury, who only turned professional in the summer, came into the tournament with no status on any tour but made the most of a sponsor’s invite at Houghton Golf Club, clinching a magnificent three-shot win as the 2023 season got off to a start that he will never forget.

Having gone into the final round with a one-stroke lead, Bradbury produced a brilliant display, stretching his lead throughout the day before signing for a closing 67 to finish the tournament on 21 under par.

Bradbury carded five birdies, with his only blemish coming at the final hole, but the highlight of his round was a par-saving chip-in at the sixth which kept the chasing pack at bay at a crucial moment. 

Sami Välimäki finished alone in second on 18 under, one shot ahead of Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Daniel van Tonder in a tie for third. With the victory comes a place in the 151st Open Championship and a three-year exemption on the DP World Tour. In four days. Bradbury’s life has changed forever.

He said: "It won't sink in for a few days. It's just a lot of pressure taken off your back - that's nice - but it hasn't sunk in yet and I don't think it will for a while.

"I was a bit worried there on the 15th when Välimäki rolled in a monster putt but it was kind of the same thing all week, just keep playing my own game and I knew I was playing good enough. It turned out that way in the end."

Player Profile

Bradbury was born in Wakefield and first picked up a golf club at the age of three. He visited a driving range for the first time when he was five and joined Wakefield Golf Club days before his eighth birthday. 

He actually represented Yorkshire when he was 13 and went to Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee when he was 18 and also spent a year at Florida State University, which produced Brooks Koepka. 

He turned professional in the summer of 2022 and his first start in a DP World Tour event was at the English Open. He also played in a handful of events on the Challenge Tour. The Joburg Open was just his third full start on the DP World Tour.

He averages 301.4 yards from the tee, finds 73.9% of fairways and 68% of greens in regulation. He averages 29.1 putts per round.