Alfred Dunhill Championship 2024 Tips: Three to enjoy home comforts in South Africa

The DP World Tour has just two events remaining on its schedule for 2024. Before signing off the year with that now traditional trip to Mauritius next week, a strong field will first head to the spectacular Leopard Creek Country Club for the always memorable Alfred Dunhill Championship.

As always, here is Jamie Worsley's comprehensive preview and Alfred Dunhill Championship 2024 Tips, featuring three selections he expects to go well...

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Alfred Dunhill Championship debuted in 2000 and has been played in all but two years since, with the 2017 edition cancelled due to renovations taking place at Leopard Creek and the 2021 renewal called off because of travel restrictions caused by COVID.

In the early years of the event, three future major champions all recorded their first victories, with Adam                 Scott (2001), Justin Rose (2002) and Charl Schwartzel (2004) winning three of the first six editions.

Recording further victories in 2012, 2013 and 2015, Schwartzel has gone on to become the most successful player in the tournament’s history, with Spain’s Pablo Martin (2009, 2010) the only other player to achieve multiple Dunhill Championship wins.

Last five winners:

• 2023 – Winner: Louis Oosthuizen (-18); runner-up: Charl Schwartzel (-16)
• 2022 – Winner: Ockie Strydom (-18); runner-up: Adrian Otaegui (-16)
• 2020 – Winner: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-14); runners-up: Richard Bland, Sean Crocker, Adrian Meronk, Jayden Schaper (-10)
• 2019 – Winner: Pablo Larrazabal (-8); runner-up: Joel Sjoholm (-7)
• 2018 – Winner: David Lipsky (-14); runner-up: David Drysdale (-12)

Louis Oosthuizen made it three South African winners on the spin last year, as he beat good friend and four-time winner, Charl Schwartzel by two strokes for a surprising first Dunhill Championship success. He returns to defend this week, whilst Schwartzel is also back, going for a fifth win in the event.

THE COURSE

Leopard Creek Country Club has been the exclusive home of the Dunhill Championship since 2005, after the first six editions were staged at now Joburg Open host, Houghton Golf Club.

Designed by Gary player, the course opened for play in 1996 and as mentioned, underwent a renovation in 2017. The main changes included kikuyu grass being completely removed from the property and replaced with bermudagrass, whilst some fairways were widened and bunkers altered to make it more strategic off the tee.

This par 72 will play at over 100 yards shorter than it has in previous years, measuring in at 7112 yards this week. It possesses 4x par 3s (162-199 yards), 10x par 4s (311-489 yards) and 4x par 5s (544-580 yards).

The course provides a difficult all-round test but there are plenty of scoring opportunities, with several shorter par 4s – including the drivable 311-yard 6^th – and all par 5s reachable in two for most in the field. It has averaged a winning score of -14.4 since the 2017 renovation.

Leopard Creek has one of the most spectacular backdrops in golf, with the world-famous Kruger National Park sitting adjacent the course, separated only by the Crocodile River. We can expect to see regular shots of wildlife throughout the week, with the 13^th hole a particular highlight, as the river sits directly to the left of the putting surface.

The two nines are rather contrasting at this tree-lined venue. The front nine is played along flatter and less interesting terrain than the hillier, more undulating back, where the players will face more frequent elevation changes. Water is also more prevalent, coming into play on five of the last six holes, which along with three par 5s coming up over that same run, sets up an exciting and possibly volatile finish.

The average-width fairways can run firm and are intelligently protected by strategic bunkering. This can make them tough to find and with more danger to be found in the shape of sticky bermudagrass rough, players will be punished for straying from the short grass too often.

Its small and slick bermudagrass greens are home to one of the most challenging short game tests on the DP World Tour, ranking 2^nd and 10^th for scrambling and putting difficulty respectively. They are protected by smart bunkering, often to the front of the putting surfaces, as well as some steep run-off areas.

Risk/reward holes are commonplace down the stretch at Leopard Creak, no more so than on the 544-yard closing par 5. Players will need to find one of the narrowest fairways on the course to feel confident of attacking the small island green complex in two, with eagles and double-bogeys both on the cards.

Like many over that final six, it’s a hole that can make or break a player’s week and we’ll no doubt see plenty of drama over these closing holes again this week.

THE WEATHER

It’s forecast to be a hot and humid week in South Africa, with temperatures hitting close to 40C over the opening two rounds, which brings with it the possibility of thunderstorms.

The wind looks largely mild, blowing at under 10mph. Though there is the chance of gusts at 25mph+ that could make things a touch more interesting.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation

With reasonably small and tough-to-hit greens, it’s iron play that often proves key at Leopard Creek. Stats for the event are a little muddled, as the DP World Tour only records data for their own players, but we still have plenty of evidence to back this opinion up.

That high-class South African trio of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who finished 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd last year, are all players who have excelled in approach throughout their careers. Additionally, 4^th-place finisher there, Darius Van Driel ranked 1^st in approach and 2^nd in greens-in-regulation of the players who had numbers recorded.

We again don’t have any data of how Ockie Strydom took the title in 2022. However, his two closest challengers both produced excellent iron play, with runner-up, Adrian Otaegui ranking 1^st in approach and 6^th in GIR, whilst 3^rd-place finisher, Laurie Canter ranked 1^st in GIR and 2^nd in approach.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout ranked 2^nd in greens-in-regulation when taking the title in 2020, with three of the players who tied for 2^nd ranking inside the top 10 in approach.

Lastly, Pablo Larrazabal was superb in approach in 2019, ranking 1^st as well as 3^rd in GIR; three of his four nearest challengers ranked 7^th or better in approach.

• SG: Around-the-Greens/Scrambling

These relatively small and speedy greens can unsurprisingly be a challenge to hit and with Leopard Creek’s scrambling test one of the most difficult around, players need to be sharp around the greens.

It played a major part in Adrian Otaegui finishing 2^nd here in 2022, as he ranked 2^nd around-the-greens and 15^th in scrambling.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout was top 10 in each area in 2020. Sean Crocker and Jayden Schaper in 2^nd ranked 1^st and 6^th ATG respectively; meanwhile, along with Richard Bland, they all ranked inside the top 8 in scrambling.

The demanding 2019 edition saw Pablo Larrazabal rank 4^th ATG; runner-up, Joel Sjoholm led the field in each area; Branden Grace in 3^rd ranked 2^nd in scrambling and fellow 3^rd-place finisher, Charl Schwartzel ranked 6^th ATG and 7^th in scrambling.

• SG: Putting (bermudagrass)
• Par 5 Scoring

Although the putter is not a prerequisite to contend at Leopard Creek, players who excel on bermudagrass should feel more confident on these greens than most and finally, with the prevalence of these scoreable holes down the stretch, par 5 scoring looks a vital stat.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Nedbank Golf Challenge (Gary Player Country Club)

Last week’s host venue, Gary Player Country Club is another tree-lined course that possesses a similarly demanding tee-to-green test as here at Leopard Creek. They rank especially closely to one another in bogey avoidance and scrambling, and of course, are both designed by Gary Player.

Notable correlating form:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 3^rd) / South African Open (1^st)

Branden Grace:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 3^rd) / Nedbank (1^st, 3^rd)

Louis Oosthuizen:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 2^nd) / Nedbank (3^rd)

Ockie Strydom:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st) / Nedbank (6^th)

Thorbjorn Olesen:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / Nedbank (3^rd, 5^th)

Scott Jamieson:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd, 3^rd, 4^th) / Nedbank (2^nd)

Andy Sullivan:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd) / Nedbank (3^rd)

Indian Open (DLF Golf & Country Club)

DLF Golf & Country Club is a fellow Gary Player design that hosts the Indian Open. This quirky tree-lined course features fairways that are average in width and provides players with one of the toughest scrambling tests on tour, around the grainy bermudagrass greens.

Notable correlating form:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 3^rd) / India (4^th)

Pablo Larrazabal:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st) / India (4^th)

Thorbjorn Olesen:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / India (6^th)

Scott Jamieson:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd, 3^rd, 4^th) / India (3^rd)

Joost Luiten:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (5^th) / India (3^rd)

Joburg Open (Houghton Golf Club)

The original host of this event, Houghton Golf Club is now the host of the Joburg Open. It was renovated by Jack Nicklaus in 2009, and the changes have helped it play similarly to this week’s host. It ranks closely to Leopard Creek in all areas, particularly in short game difficult around the small putting surfaces, ranking as the most difficult scrambling test on the DPWT in recent years.

Notable correlating form:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 3^rd) / Joburg (3^rd)

Jayden Schaper:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / Joburg (9^th)

Zander Lombard:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd) / Joburg (4^th)

Darius Van Driel:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (4^th) / Joburg (9^th)

Daniel Van Tonder:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (6^th) / Joburg (3^rd)

Kenya Open (Muthaiga Golf Club)

I’m going to stay on the African continent next and believe Kenya Open host, Muthaiga Golf Club can prove a fruitful guide. It provides a comparable ball-striking test through its narrow tree-lined corridors; features two distinct nines, with the front half of the course more undulating than the back; and much like Leopard Creek, water becomes a more prominent danger down the stretch.

Notable correlating form:

Adrian Otaegui:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / Kenya (4^th)

Jayden Schaper:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / Kenya (7^th)

Darius Van Driel:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (4^th) / Kenya (1^st)

Aaron Cockerill:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (4^th) / Kenya (2^nd)

Oliver Bekker:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (4^th) / Kenya (8^th)

Andalucia Masters (Real Club Valderrama)

Former Andalucia Masters host, Valderrama is a tree-lined course with strategically bunkered fairways and small, fiery greens that are hard to find. It possesses a demanding short game test and was the toughest layout on tour in bogey avoidance, an area that Leopard Creek ranks 4^th.

Notable correlating form:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st, 3^rd) / Valderrama (1^st)

David Lipsky:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (1^st) / Valderrama (4^th)

Adrian Otaegui:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (2^nd) / Valderrama (1^st)

Will Besseling:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd) / Valderrama (3^rd)

Laurie Canter:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd) / Valderrama (4^th)

Scott Jamieson:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (3^rd, 3^rd, 4^th) / Valderrama (6^th)

Joost Luiten:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (5^th) / Valderrama (2^nd, 2^nd)

Adri Arnaus:

Alfred Dunhill Championship (6^th, 9^th) / Valderrama (2^nd)

THE FIELD

Thriston Lawrence is the top-ranked player in the field at #46 in the world and is joined by just a further three from inside the top 100: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (#55), Erik Van Rooyen (#75) and Romain Langasque (#79).

The home challenge is strengthened by three players from LIV, in the shape of last year’s winner, Louis Oosthuizen, four-time champion Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester. Whilst last week’s Nedbank Challenge runner-up, Aldrich Potgieter will again tee it up.

There are seven former winners in attendance, with Oosthuizen, Schwartzel and Bezuidenhout joined by Pablo Larrazabal (2019), Brandon Stone (2017), Richard Sterne (2008) and Alvaro Quiros (2006).

Other notable entrants include Altin Van der Merwe, who won the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek earlier this year; the highest ranking South African amateur, Christiaan Maas will be hoping to continue his good form in this event, having finished inside the top 25 in the previous two years; and last year’s 4^th-place finisher, Matti Schmid returns to the event from the PGA Tour in good form, recording two top 5s in his last four starts.

Alfred Dunhill Championship Odds

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SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/5 6 places): Louis Oosthuizen 9/1, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 12/1, Dean Burmester 14/1, Thriston Lawrence 14/1, Charl Schwartzel 22/1, Laurie Canter 22/1

High-class home players usually dominate proceedings at Leopard Creek, and we don’t need to look too far for evidence of this, as Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Christiaan Bezuidenhout finished way out in front of the field last year.

With that, I’m going to take two of last year’s top 3 and returning from an over three-month absence to finish 6^th in last week’s Nedbank Challenge, Christiaan Bezuidenhout goes in as the headline selection.

4 pts Christiaan Bezuidenhout each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 10/1

Bezuidenhout has played some of the best golf of his career in 2024, racking up 13 top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour, going best when 2^nd in The American Express and 4^th in the Memorial Tournament. This took him to East Lake and the Tour Championship for the first time, which was the last time we saw him before his top 10 at Gary Player Country Club last week.

He's looked good across his game this year, ranking 2^nd in the field in strokes-gained total, whilst also sitting inside the top 10 in putting, approach and around-the-greens individually.

Bezuidenhout initially found the going tough at Leopard Creek, recording just one top 20 in his first four visits and missing two cuts. He then won the event in 2020 and has continued this good form, finishing 26^th and 3^rd in the last two years, generally looking at home on these greens. Possessing victories at Valderrama and Gary Player Country Club, as well as top 5s in India and the Joburg Open, he has an excellent book of comp form to boot, which can help him cap off a strong year by claiming a second Alfred Dunhill title this week.

2.5 pts Charl Schwartzel each way (1/5 -  places) @ 20/1 

Nobody enjoys Leopard Creek quite like Charl Schwartzel and coming into this having finished 2^nd on the Asian Tour two starts ago, he looks in good enough form to make a strong play for a 5^th Dunhill Championship win this week.

Schwartzel has had some solid performances on LIV this year, going particularly well when 2^nd in Jeddah and 3^rd in Adelaide. He was a little out of sorts in the final two events of the last campaign, but he returned from a two-month absence to finish 2^nd in the International Series – Qatar on the Asian Tour two weeks ago against a good field.

His stats on that circuit in 2024 suggest that any quality has been more about his short game than ball-striking, ranking top 25 in both scrambling and putting. That being said, he’s a high-class iron player at his best and I’d hope a return to this course will bring about a positive performance in this respect.

Schwartzel’s first win in this event came in 2004 at Houghton Golf Club, but each of his next three victories were here at Leopard Creek in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Recording finishes of 3^rd in 2019 and 2^nd last year, he’s shown he’s lost none of his ability to play this layout and arriving with much more promising form than last year, he was an easy selection this week.

1 pt Yurav Premlall each way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 100/1

Yurav Premlall was a prolific winner in South Africa at amateur level, which meant he was a name on many a tongue as potential future star. He turned pro early last year and naturally, his performances were up and down in that debut season. However, he comes into this after finding some eye-catching consistency in recent months and with some strong amateur form at Leopard Creek, he was the pick of those at bigger prices this week.

Premlall won 13 titles in five years at junior/amateur level, which included a victory in a professional event in 2019 on the Big Easy Tour (the Sunshine Tour’s development tour). His results were inconsistent when first turning pro last year and he predominantly struggled at the beginning of 2024, but he’s been excellent from May onwards.

The 21-year-old hasn’t missed a cut in any of his last 19 starts and has eight top-5 finishes. He’s finished 2^nd on three occasions but went one better than that in the Vodacom Origins – Sishen at the end of September to record his first pro victory. He looked solid at this level when finishing 54^th in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland five starts ago, and he comes into this after a 19^th-place finish on the Asian Tour in Qatar on his latest start.

He's hitting the ball well, ranking 3^rd in greens-in-regulation on the Sunshine Tour and when married with ranking 3^rd in putting, it makes for a deadly and enviable combination. Also sitting top 20 in scrambling he has all of the relevant skills to tackle Leopard Creek.

That may not be evident from Premlall’s two missed cuts in this event, but he looks a completely different prospect now and having finished 2^nd at this course in the 2022 African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, he does at least have some positive experience of Leopard Creek than can drive him to a much better finish this time around.

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