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Dylan Frittelli won his first DP World Tour title in six years with a two-shot victory at the Bahrain Championship.
The South African finished two clear of Zander Lombard and Jesper Svensson on 13 under, hitting a final round 71.
The 33-year-old’s victory, his first since the 2017 Mauritius Open, comes after he considered retirement in 2023.
“Last year I was in a couple of spots where I thought I was giving the game up to be honest,” he said. “It feels awesome to back on top right now.”
Frittelli, a previous winner on the DP World, PGA and European Challenge Tours, considered quitting the sport after missing the cut or withdrawing from 23 of his 27 starts on the PGA Tour last season.
“It’s been a long road the last five or six years since I left the DP World Tour and went to the States,” said Frittelli.
“It was a pretty tough year last year. I found some resolve at the end of last year and got some good work from my physio and my coaches and trainers. I’m glad I persevered and all the support from family and friends has been well worth it.”
Frittelli, the world number 434, started the final day with a two-shot lead, having qualified for the tournament via a new exemption category on the DP World Tour.
That advantage was wiped out, though, as he dropped two shots over the first 12 holes, but he responded with three birdies in the next four holes as he secured his victory.
He added: “I think it shows my mental toughness – it shows the focus I have and those things that you can’t really quantify.
“I was swinging it great all week and then all of a sudden couldn’t hit it on the planet on the Sunday round so I’m glad I managed to have the resolve.”
