Team McFadden on song as they claim thrilling victory in 2025 Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational

It came down to the final hole for Irish musician Brian McFadden to lead his team to a thrilling victory in the Gary & Vivienne Player Invitational at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday.

After two days of golf at the Gary Player Country Club and Lost City Golf Club against the backdrop of Gary Player’s 90th birthday celebration, it was McFadden and his team of Sunshine Tour professional Luke Brown, and business leaders Darren Roos and Surinder Arora, who walked off with the famed baobab trophy as winners of this tournament.

But first they had to withstand a strong charge from the team of Springbok legend Bryan Habana to claim a narrow one stroke victory on 46 under par.

Habana and his team of Sunshine Tour professional Malcolm Mitchell, and businessmen Wilco van Deijl and Henri van Deijl, came storming through the field with an outstanding haul of 105 points on the final day to finish in the clubhouse on 45 under par.

It was a performance that even prompted Mitchell to declare, “I’ve been playing golf a long time and I’ve never seen something like what we did today”.

But McFadden and his team withstood their challenge and finished strong with a six-pointer on their last hole to take the title.

In the history of this tournament, this particular victory felt even more special for this team.

“It’s incredible, and to be able to achieve this on Mr Player’s 90th birthday makes it even more special,” said a delighted Roos.

It was a sentiment echoed by Arora, who celebrated his first team victory in this tournament.

“I’m lost for words actually. This is a first win here for me, but it was all down to how well we played as a team,” he said.

McFadden, a longtime supporter of this tournament who has tasted victory here before, was thrilled to have pulled off such a close triumph.

“We were a great team for two days and dovetailed so well. I think Luke, our professional, saw some new shots from the rest of us that he probably didn’t even know you could play in this game, such as drivers out of bunkers and so on,” he said.

And Sunshine Tour professional Brown was humbled to claim a victory in a tournament hosted by an icon of South African golf.

“It was such a privilege to be here, and then to play in a team like this for two days. To then go on and win is absolutely amazing,” he said.