There is one final event on the European Tour this week which comes from South Africa as the 2018 instalment of the Alfred Dunhill Championship takes place, offering up those from Europe and the Sunshine Tour the chance of a pre-Christmas bonus.
Brandon Stone took up that opportunity last year when he strolled to the title and he will hope to defend his crown but there are some leading players who will be out to deny him a repeat success in what should be a decent week of golf.
Recent Winners
2017 – Brandon Stone
2016 – Charl Schwartzel
2015 – Branden Grace
2014 – Charl Schwartzel
2013 – Charl Schwartzel
2012 – Garth Mulroy
2011 – Pablo Martin
2010 – Pablo Martin
2009 – Richard Sterne
2008 – John Bickerton
The Course
The tournament remains at the wonderful Leopard Creek could this week with its wonderful wildlife and picturesque surroundings which should make for a fantastic host once again. The track remains a par 72 which stretches to 7,287 yards so it does not need a long hitter to tame this place.
Accuracy is important though as the greens here are pretty small so you need to be going into them from the fairways especially with the changes that have been made to the course since last year with completely new grasses laid with the greens and surrounding areas now Bermuda which makes chipping much more difficult. The course should play much faster as a result of the changes so control of the golf ball is paramount.
The Field
Some top class players are teeing it up this week including the defending champion Brandon Stone. Four time champion Charl Schwartzel is in the field as are former winners Branden Grace and Garth Mulroy. Louis Oosthuizen tees it up going in search of successive victories while Dylan Frittelli makes up a strong South African assault on the tournament.
Matt Wallace goes looking for a fourth win of 18 when he tees it up here while improving Frenchman Romain Langasque is also in the field. Emerging South Africans Dean Burmester, Erik Van Rooyen and Haydn Porteous complete what is a pretty good field for this time of the year.
Market Leaders
South African Open winner Louis Oosthuizen is the favourite to win a second tournament in succession here. I’m always reluctant to back the winner of the previous week especially when I’m getting no bigger than 5/1 for my dosh but to be fair if the success of last week is out of his system he could lead this lot a merry dance once again here.
Charl Schwartzel is a 15/2 shot to win this title for an unprecedented fifth time. Not only has he won it four times but he has been a runner up on the same number of occasions so he clearly loves it around Leopard Creek and we might end up looking back on the week with that 15/2 being a huge price. Nevertheless, the field is just about strong enough for me to overlook it here.
Branden Grace faltered surprisingly after getting himself bang into contention last week and that makes the 9/1 on him look a trifle short even if he is someone who has won around here already in his career. Near misses like last week can be hard to get over so as he is relatively short I’m happy to pass him over here.
Matt Wallace is 14/1 to land another tournament win but he looked like a golfer who has run out of petrol after a huge year last week. His touch wasn’t what we have normally seen and that is a bit alarming given that scrambling is going to be important here. He isn’t for me this week. It is 16/1 bar those named.
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Main Bet
I’m going with the one main bet this week in what I see as a tricky market with so many fancied runners just too short for me to get involved in. They can’t all go well though so there could be some value just in behind them and I’ve spotted one that I like.
Victor Perez has begun the season very nicely and heads to Leopard Creek with good finishes in Hong Kong and in Mauritius. To be fair to him the winner had bolted on both occasions but to come away with the final outcomes that he did will have his confidence in the right place to take on Leopard Creek. His long game in Hong Kong looked in very good order and if he can get his putter warming up I fancy we will see another big week from him.Perez knows how to win at lesser levels and should really challenge this week.
Outsiders
I’m throwing the darts at a few outsiders here all of whom are renowned for their touch on and around the greens but who don’t spray it far and wide off the tee. Ernie Els looks to have found some rhythm with his game. He had a nice finish in Joburg last week and Leopard Creek should suit his game much better. He has a wonderful touch on and around the greens and seems to be a relaxed man these days with his Presidents Cup duties allowing him to not feel pressure on the golf course. There is still a big tournament in Els and I’ll pay to see if it is this week.
Alejandro Canizares is another who should love it around here. Spaniards generally have decent records here with Pablo Martin having won here twice and Alvaro Quiros has also prevailed on this track. Canizares could emulate them too. He is solid off the tee but with irons in his hand he is very good. His putter has begun to cooperate in recent tournaments as well, not least when it mattered most at Q-school and I think he’s a big price here.
Hennie Otto was finding most of the greens last week but couldn’t hole a thing. If he can continue that long game prowess then he shouldn’t be far away here either. He is a seasoned campaigner who will know every inch of this track and looked in good order last week apart from with the putter in hand. Otto has always been streaky in that department so it could be worth paying to see if this is his good week.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano fits the same sort of bill that Canizares does and having backed him a couple of times recently I’m almost tied down to back him again here in case this is the week that elusive title comes along. GFC delivered a solid place for us in Spain towards the end of last season and if you can tame Valderrama then this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. He’s too big a price to ignore given that I’ve been keen on him a lot recently.
Tips
Back V.Perez to win Alfred Dunhill Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-7)
Back A.Canizares to win Alfred Dunhill Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 151.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back E.Els to win Alfred Dunhill Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 71.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back G.Fernandez-Castano to win Alfred Dunhill Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 151.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back H.Otto to win Alfred Dunhill Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 176.00 with 888sport (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
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