Ricky Hendler held his nerve down the stretch on Wednesday to pull off a win in the Big Easy IGT Challenge Tour’s Race to Q-School #1 at Modderfontein Golf Club, as his closing three-under-par 69 gave him a one-stroke victory at 14-under-par.

Hendler was chased all the way home by Iceland’s Haraldur Magnus, who also carded a three-under 69. It was only a dropped shot on the par-four 17^th which sank Magnus as the pair was level-pegging all the way in after Hendler had bogeyed the 14^th.

In the end, it was a stretch of five birdies in a row which got Hendler in a position to win the tournament. He bogeyed the fourth, and then picked up birdies all the way to the turn, and another on the 10^th. He dropped a shot on the 11^th, regained it immediately on the 12^th, and then let Magnus back into the frame with his bogey on 14.

Magnus was solid all the way through his final round, going bogey-free until the 17^th with birdies on all four of the par-fives. That kept him in touch with the lead, and, when Hendler bogeyed 14, he shared it heading down the stretch. But Magnus wavered with his bogey on 17, and Hendler was able to par the last to hold off the challenge.

Overnight leader Herman Loubser wasn’t able to get things going, and his five bogeys and two birdies meant he had to settle for a closing 75, leaving him in a share of third place on nine-under-par with England’s Robin Williams. Williams signed for a three-under 69. Dylan Kok was fifth on eight-under for the tournament.