Louis Oosthuizen is ready to defend an Alfred Dunhill Championship title which he ranks as one of the best achievements of his stellar career, and against a 2024 field that is widely representative of the international talent in the game.
Oosthuizen beat fellow Major champion Charl Schwartzel by two strokes in a thrilling final round last year, finally claiming the victory he has always sought on this Leopard Creek course.
“It was a bit of a struggle in the end with the weather last year. But it’s something I still consider as one of my best achievements because this golf course had always found a way to bite me, and to pull it through having to beat Charl (Schwartzel), who is king around this place, felt really good,” Oosthuizen said ahead of Thursday’s first round.
This year he will face a field that includes some of the best professional and amateur talent on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour.
The championship has drawn eight of the last 13 champions of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek including Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Ockie Strydom, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Pablo Larrazabal, Brandon Stone, Richard Sterne and Alvaro Quiros. There are multiple winners from the Sunshine Tour, DP World Tour and PGA Tour in the field as well as Major champions and Presidents Cup stars.
The future stars of the game will also be on display, with Scotland’s Gregor Graham making his professional debut following an amateur career that saw him win the South African Amateur Championship and Brabazon Trophy this year. The 20-year-old Aldrich Potgieter continues his quest for a maiden DP World Tour title this week, while fellow 20-year-old Chinese star Wenyi Ding makes his first appearance in the Alfred Dunhill Championship as a rising star of the Asian game.
And the finest amateur talent from GolfRSA will also be on display, including South African number one Astin Arthur as well as Jordan Burnand and Daniel Bennett – both ranked within the top five in the country. They’ll be joined by Christiaan Maas and Kieron van Wyk.
“I’m really looking forward to this week,” said Schwartzel, who is hungry to add to his record four Alfred Dunhill Championship titles and five runner-up finishes here.
“Can I just smile and say nothing?” he said of his love for Leopard Creek. “This is my favourite golf course and the success I’ve had here always helps. I came close last year. It’s the best I’ve played on this golf course since they made the changes, and I’m starting to get comfortable with it.”
Dean Burmester is hoping to add his name to the champions of this event. Burmester is keenly aware that all of his close friends in Oosthuizen, Schwartzel and Branden Grace have won this title. “I’m the only one who hasn’t won and I get reminded of that by them. I’m looking forward to giving myself a chance on Sunday,” he said.
And Larrazabal is equally hopeful that the magic of the Kruger National Park will inspire another victory here for him.
“When I won here in 2019, that week I went into the park at 5:58am. By 6:23am we had already seen the Big Five. In 25 minutes through the gate we had seen it all,” he said.
The championship will be live on SuperSport from 12:00-17:00 South Africa time on Thursday and Friday, and 11:30-16:30 South Africa time on Saturday and Sunday. – Michael Vlismas
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11th December 2024
