Finally made his European Tour breakthrough at the 2011 Bankia Madrid Masters, nine years after working in a high street clothes shop, having been forced to take a break from golf due to a bout of glandular fever. Restarted his career in South Africa at the end of 2003, before returning home to dominate the PGA Europro Tour during the first half of 2004. Stepped up to the Challenge Tour with a stunning sequence of results which included a win at the Telia Grand Prix, and finished 144th on the money list in his first full season on The European Tour, improving to 91st in 2006. Suffered the agony of finishing one place – and just €77 – away from retaining his playing privileges in 2007, but regained his card instantly with a third place finish at the Qualifying School Final Stage. Lost his playing privileges in 2009 but got his career back on track with victory at the 2010 Telenet Trophy on the Challenge Tour en route to finishing 13th in the final Rankings, and capitalised on his promotion by winning his first European Tour title in 2011 and finishing a career-high 59th in The 2012 Race to Dubai.