For a player who came from seven strokes back to force a playoff, losing on the first extra hole is a brutal blow. But for Shaun Norris, his first action after defeat was more memorable than any shot he hit all day.

Norris nearly managed to successfully defend his title at the $1.75 million Alfred Dunhill Championship this year. Going into Sunday, he was seven strokes behind the leading. By the end of it, he needed eight strokes to catch up to Jayden Schaper. So he did, pushing the tournament to a playoff.

After a valiant effort of 8-under 62 in the final round, Norris and Schaper only needed to play the 18th hole one more time to decide a victor. After his approach shot, the 24-year-old had landed pretty close to the hole. But the former LIV Golf pro was not within range to give himself the same shot to retain the title.

Despite the heartbreak, he showed great sportsmanship by applauding the young pro’s efforts. That gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the DP World Tour. They shared a special “Shaun Norris appreciation post” on Instagram, acknowledging his classy act at Royal Johannesburg. And the golf community praised him for his attitude in the face of defeat.

One of the fans applauded him and said, “👏👏👏👏Vero sportivo,” while another called it a “Class act 👏.” Someone called it “True sportsmanship 👏🔥❤️,” and one of the fans also showed “Respect!”

The comment section was filled with applause all around as fans appreciated the way Norris presented himself.

But it wasn’t easy for both Shaun Norris and Jayden Schaper to achieve what they did at Royal Johannesburg.

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Shaun Norris & Jayden Schaper faced a tough challenge before their final battle on Sunday

Before playing the final round on Sunday, none of the South African duo was the favorite. It was Eugenio Chacarra who was leading the charts to win the title. However, things turned hostile for the Spanish pro on Saturday.

After dominating the leaderboard for two rounds, Chacarra and the rest of the field faced tough weather conditions. The entire third round was suspended and postponed to Sunday. The tournament was cut short to 54 holes as the former LIV Golf pro was leading the table by two strokes.

However, the poor field conditions played against Chacarra as he failed to capitalize on his lead.

He ended the third round on even par. That was enough for Schaper, who managed to score 3-under 67 on Sunday. Norris’ 8-under 62 also helped him jump up to first place. They overtook Chacarra and pushed him to the third spot and out of contention for the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Do you think if the weather hadn’t played a spoilsport, Eugenio Chacarra would have lifted the title?