“Everything has changed”, admits Jordan Gumberg less than 48 hours on from winning his maiden DP World Tour title.
The American, up to a career-high 252nd on the Official World Golf Ranking, is on cloud nine as he reflects on the impact of his breakthrough success at the SDC Championship – co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour – on Sunday.
It is undeniably the biggest moment of his professional career to date. To say his play-off triumph over Robin Williams at St. Francis Links was life-changing is not an exaggeration.
From arriving last week in South Africa with plans to play out the majority of the season on the European Challenge Tour, the 28-year-old now has security in the knowledge he is exempt on the DP World Tour through to the end of 2025.
"We were spending all night last night changing travel plans, cancelling hotels, booking hotels, flights… I had flights booked all the way through the Challenge Tour season," Gumberg tells the DP World Tour.
"That was my plan at the beginning of the year to play full time there and pick and choose some events on this Tour that we get into.
"Now that I am full time here, everything has changed. We are still wrapping our heads around it."
Gumberg, who made his Major Championship debut last year at the U.S. Open, is the third first-time winner on the DP World Tour in as many events, following on from Rikuya Hoshino and Darius van Driel.
All three are in the field this week, with Gumberg jumping 182 spots on the Race to Dubai Rankings to a lofty 15th, while he also entered the International Swing standings at tenth as a result of his victory.
The highest finisher not already exempt on the swing standings will earn a spot in the field for the Genesis Scottish Open, but while that is a clear incentive to produce another strong performance, he hasn't really had time to fully take stock of the momentous nature of his triumph.
"[Only] Today it is starting to finally creep into my head that it actually happened," he says. "Even the flight out of there, I was waiting for someone to pinch me to see if it was a dream.
"To be honest, I haven’t even got the chance to look at where I am and what that does for me.
"I’m just taking it a step at a time, seeing what comes come and just play solid golf. But just happy to be here."
While his victory over the weekend came on a links layout, this week sees the field face a different challenge at Glendower Golf Club, a parkland layout at altitude in the suburbs of Johannesburg.
While the course boasts championship pedigree, it is a new venue for Gumberg and his first impressions are incredibly positive.
"Golf course is stellar," he says. "Conditions are amazing. Fairways are great, greens are great. It is a beautiful spot too. I am just excited for the week."
