Lawrence wins 36-hole Joburg Open after 3rd round abandoned

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African golfer Thriston Lawrence has won the Joburg Open after the third round was abandoned because of bad weather, meaning the result was called after 36 holes of the inaugural event on the DP World Tour. The event had been reduced to a 54-hole tournament late Friday to help non-South African resident players, caddies and support staff at the tournament return to their home countries. That move was triggered by international travel restrictions being imposed on South Africa because of the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant there. Lawrence had a four-shot lead at the end of the second round on 12 under par overall. He claimed his first win on the tour, which was formerly named the European Tour.