Staff WriterRichard Sterne won the 2026 Soudal Open with the sort of late flourish that makes a leaderboard feel as stable as a deckchair in a gale, producing a stunning eagle at the 17th hole to end a 13-year wait for a DP World Tour title.
At 44, after three wrist operations, a disc replacement, hip surgery and more false starts than a nervous sprinter, the South African returned to the winner’s circle at Rinkven International Golf Club with a closing 66 and an 18 under par total.
It was his first DP World Tour victory since the 2013 Joburg Open. Or, to put it in rather more brutal terms, 4,851 days. Golf has a nasty habit of keeping receipts.
Sterne Finds One Last Gear At Rinkven
For much of the final day, Sterne was not the man everyone expected to be polishing the trophy. His countryman Zander Lombard had led for long stretches, sitting in command while a crowded pack tried to find a way through.
Then came the 17th.
Sterne, still believing he was behind, launched a five wood from 276 yards, shaping the ball with a little draw and a great deal of nerve. It finished three or four feet from the hole. There are good shots, there are great shots, and then there are shots that make a decade of frustration sit quietly in the corner.
The eagle took him to 18 under par, nudging him ahead of a stacked Soudal Open leaderboard and forcing the chasers into something close to panic mode.
They could not catch him.
A Victory Built On More Than One Shot
Sterne’s win was not merely a late surge in Belgium. It was a stubborn, aching, body-splintering comeback wrapped inside 18 holes of tournament golf.
The South African has spent years wrestling with injuries severe enough to blunt careers, never mind delay them. Three wrist operations, a disc replacement and hip surgery would make most people reconsider their relationship with walking the dog, never mind chasing birdies on the DP World Tour.
Yet here he was, a seven-time DP World Tour winner again, and the sixth South African winner on the 2026 Race to Dubai after Jayden Schaper, Casey Jarvis and Yurav Premlall had already put their nation’s flag to good use this season.
Richard Sterne: It’s been a tough ride. A lot of injuries, a lot of hard things that I’ve gone through but to get back in the winner’s circle is… quite unexpected today, to be honest. I thought I was one behind playing the last but then got on to the 18th green and had a quick look at the board and was quite surprised.
They were hard times, I didn’t think I was going to get through a lot of them. Three wrist ops, a disc replacement, hip surgery, I’ve been through it all so I’m pretty happy. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work and trying to figure things out.
It’s been tough – it’s been very tough, to be honest, the last couple of years – but there’s been some signs of good things and clearly to get a win I needed to play really decently.
The Shot That Changed Everything
Every tournament has its hinge moment. At the Soudal Open, it came on the penultimate hole, with Sterne standing over a long approach and requiring something bordering on perfect.
He got better than that. I thought I was still behind (on 17), I thought Zander was still on 19 (under) – I wasn’t really looking at boards, to be honest. It was a long way for me, I had a five wood in the bag, I don’t have a three wood, it was 276 and I needed to hit a little draw on there to get the distance. It just came out as good as I could, it ended up great – three, four feet away – and yeah, it was one of the best shots I’ve hit.
That is the sort of answer golfers give when they have just pulled off something ridiculous but are trying not to sound too pleased with themselves. A 276-yard five wood to inside tap-in range while chasing a title after 13 years? Quite restrained, really. Some of us would still be telling strangers at petrol stations.
Winning In Front Of His Children
There was also a softer edge to this victory, one that mattered more than Race to Dubai points or another line on a career record.
Sterne had wanted his children to see him win. His oldest is nearly 13, which neatly frames the length of his drought. The game had not just tested his body; it had tested his patience, pride and appetite for the grind.
One of the main goals was to win with my children actually seeing it. The oldest is 13 soon, so it’s been pretty much that long so it’s nice to eventually let them see me win, which is the main driver. Then I suppose just to prove to myself that I can still compete at this age, after all I’ve been through.
I’ve had a lot of injuries; I’ve probably been out six or seven years with injuries. I’ve been out here 24 years I think, but with those injuries it’s only been 16, 17 years. Having that time off kind of made me realise that I still wanted to give it a go.
I worked very hard in the gym to get my body back and be able to get through what I was going through, there were tough times but here I am.
That final sentence is doing quite a bit of heavy lifting. “Here I am” sounds simple enough, but in Sterne’s case it carries operating theatres, rehabilitation sessions, missed chances and the private business of refusing to disappear.
Lombard Left To Rue A Slipping Grip
For Zander Lombard, this was a fine week with a bitter aftertaste. He had done much of the front-running, but costly moments on the back nine opened the door.
His drive at the 13th caught the edge of the water. On 14, his ball finished awkwardly against the lip, leaving him little room for rescue. Golf, that wonderfully cruel little theatre, does not need many invitations.
Zander Lombard: There are no words for that emotion, but I’m disappointed in myself. I thought I handled it really well. I hit a really good drive on 13 that just caught the edge of the water, and I kind of still fought my way through it.
It stuck up against the lip on 14, and I couldn’t do anything with it, and I just compound it with a mistake there. I stayed in it, I tried my best, it just wasn’t good enough today.
Still, Lombard’s week was hardly a collapse into the shrubbery. He finished at 15 under par alongside MJ Daffue, Ben Schmidt, Nathan Kimsey and Gregorio De Leo, banking valuable points and taking encouragement from being back in contention.
I’ve achieved what I came out to do, and that’s be in contention – feel those feelings of fighting for it, and what it’s worth playing for. All in all, I think on reflection, it’s still a good week. It’s still points on the board, and that’s what, with my category this year, matters. So, lots of points for this week, and take it to next week.
I’m doing a lot right, and I’m contending again, and it’s a lovely place to be, and hopefully I can take this form into the rest of the season. I’m feeling good and I feel like a win is right around the corner. I’m not going to take this too harshly, but wipe it off and next week is another week.
Kinhult Leads The Chasing Pack
Behind Sterne, Marcus Kinhult led the group at 16 under after a bogey-free 64, finishing with a long birdie putt at the last. Seven birdies, no dropped shots, and still two short. Golf can be a rude dinner guest.
Marcus Armitage also closed with a 66 to share second, joined by Frenchman Victor Perez, Kota Kaneko, Jorge Campillo and Jacob Skov Olesen.
It made for a tightly packed finish, but Sterne’s eagle at 17 had left the rest trying to chase smoke.
Belgian Amateur Delivers For Home Crowd
There was also a notable home storyline as amateur Anthony De Schutter finished as the leading Belgian at nine under par.
In front of an enthusiastic home crowd, De Schutter achieved his goal for the week and gave Belgian supporters something to savour beyond the final leaderboard.
Sterne Keeps The Young Guns Honest
Sterne was quick to acknowledge the young South African talent emerging on the DP World Tour. Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis have already won twice each on the 2026 Race to Dubai, while Yurav Premlall’s Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship success added further weight to the country’s growing presence.
Sterne, though, is not ready to hand over the keys just yet. It’s great to see the young guys coming through, there are some exceptional players, I think they’re going to be quite dominant going forward. But just to keep them a little bit on their toes, it’s nice to do that.
That is the beauty of this Soudal Open victory. It was not nostalgia. It was not a ceremonial lap from a respected veteran. It was a properly earned, sharply struck, late-breaking win by a golfer who had every reason to fade away and chose instead to keep swinging.
Thirteen years is a long time between trophies. But when Richard Sterne finally got his hands on another one, he did it with one of the best shots of his life and a reminder that old scars can still carry new silver.
