The NBO Golf Classic Grand Final didn’t go his way, but Dylan Frittelli had done more than enough to secure his European Tour card through the Challenge Tour’s money list.

This year the South African played 18 tournaments in the Road to Oman and finished eighth in the rankings, comfortably getting one of the 15 cards on offer.

He follows in the footsteps of Branden Grace, Henrik Stenson, and Martin Kaymer as a graduate of the premier European feeder tour and will compete from the start of the year at the SA Open.

Frittelli won the Rolex Trophy earlier this season and added further top fives at the Barclays Kenya Open, the Made in Denmark Challenge, the Challenge de España and the Northern Ireland Open.

He was on track for stardom after finishing tied-second at the European Tour’s Australian PGA Championship, which followed a tie for 11th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December last year.

He broke into the new year with a tied-18th result at the SA Open and a tied-14th showing at the Tshwane Open. Then it was Challenge Tour time and he shot three rounds in the 60s at Karen Country Club in Nairobi.

Frittelli’s form began to wane and he missed five cuts in six starts between May and July. After that it was plain sailing as the Johannesburger made every weekend until the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final.

He closed out the season with a tie for 36th place in Oman, sealing eighth place on the Order of Merit and netting a card for the coming season.

@Dylan_Frittelli see you next season Dylan. pic.twitter.com/vZ91H3ZdTe

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 7, 2016

Frittelli has already come close to winning on the European Tour and will surely have a chance at a rookie victory in 2017. He’s got all the game necessary to perform on the international stage and the next season awaits.