Alfred Dunhill Championship 2025 FRL Tips: Three to fire early in South Africa

Royal Johannesburg’s famed East Course sets the stage for tomorrow’s opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship. While conditions look scoreable, the forecast does suggest a slight advantage for those out late on day one.

You can read Jamie's thoughts on the opening round and his three selections for the Alfred Dunhill Championship FRL Market here on Betfred Insights...

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You can read Jamie's full Alfred Dunhill Championship 2025 Betting Tips main preview here. 

The early starters tee off at 6.20am in extremely humid, cloudy conditions, which will stick around throughout the morning. Although there is just a gentle breeze to begin, it will rise steadily, with gusts hitting 20mph by 10.00am.

However, those gusting winds decrease in intensity just as play for the afternoon wave commences at 11.20am. With much brighter, less humid, and warmer conditions (reaching highs of 24°C) also scheduled, the later starters appear to have the edge.

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1 pt Casey Jarvis each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 40/1

Start time: 12.30pm

I’ve selected three players from that second half of the draw, beginning with the in-form Casey Jarvis. He’s won twice in his last three Sunshine Tour starts, and having also picked up two victories at Royal Johannesburg during his amateur days, this is a venue at which he’s entirely comfortable.

Jarvis had seven top-20 finishes on the DP World Tour last season, which helped him retain his tour card with little fuss. The last of those results came at the DP World India Championship at the end of October, and he’s carried that positivity back to South Africa over the last month.

He won his first Sunshine Tour title in the Hyundai Open five weeks ago, beating Ryan Van Velzen by one shot. That was followed by the second of back-to-back triumphs two weeks later, as he got the better of another rising star, Barend Botha, in a playoff to take the Vodacom Origins Final.

The 22-year-old has been firing low rounds for fun over those starts, including a nine-under 63 in the Hyundai Open and a 10-under 62 in the Vodacom Origins Final – both coming in round two. In addition, he’s made some fast starts, ranking 27^th in this field in first-round performance over the last three months; a 65 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and a 66 in the DP World India Championship taking him to 3^rd place on day one.

Jarvis is one of the most promising amateurs to come out of South Africa in recent years, winning just about every top title at that level in his home country. He’s twice won here – in the 2019 Central Gauteng Open and 2020 South African Amateur Championship – and he can rely on those experiences to get off to a quick start tomorrow.

1 pt Sam Bairstow each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 12.10pm

Sam Bairstow has played some promising golf in Australia over the last two weeks, where his driver and putter have looked close to their best. He’s no stranger to Royal Johannesburg, competing here in the 2020 South African Amateur Championship, and having recorded a first-round lead just three starts ago in Spain, we know he can take it low in round one.

Bairstow’s end-of-season struggles were in stark contrast to his form at the beginning of the year, when he recorded eight top-25s over his first 12 starts. He did make three of his final four cuts of the season, over which time he collected three first-round top-10s, culminating in a six-under 65 earning him a share of the first-round lead in the Open de Espana.

He carried those green shoots of positivity over to Australia, playing the best golf of anyone over the weekend of the Australian PGA Championship to finish 10^th. Although he missed the cut in last week’s Australian Open, he only did so by one, responding commendably to his opening 75 with a three-under 68 in round two.

The putter has been firing over those starts, ranking 2^nd in the Aussie PGA and 13^th in the Aussie Open. He’s also driven it strongly, ranking high for both accuracy and length in each event – a potent combination around this course.

Bairstow shot a 69 here to finish 5^th in the Proudfoot Trophy in 2020 – the stroke-play qualifying segment of the South African Amateur Championship. He should be relishing a return to the course and can come flying out of the blocks from what looks an advantageous start time.

1 pt Shaun Norris each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 12.10pm

Last up is defending champion and Johannesburg man, Shaun Norris. He arrested a poor run of form with an excellent 5^th-place finish in the Nedbank Challenge, and with each part of his game looking sharp, I expect him to keep it rolling this week.

Norris won this title at the end of 2024 and made a superb start to this year, recording four top-10s in his first seven appearances, including a runner-up finish in the Joburg Open.

He was completely out of sorts in the two months leading up to the Nedbank, missing the cut in the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the Japanese Tour following a disastrous 91 in round two. However, the return home looks to have done the trick, firing rounds of 68-72-69-68 to finish 5^th at Gary Player Country Club, and he especially excelled with his putting and approach play, ranking 6^th and 7^th in each area, respectively.

Norris rarely played well here in the Joburg Open, recording a best of 24^th back in 2012. That said, he’s become a much more accomplished player since, regularly contending and occasionally winning these co-sanctioned events. I see no reason why he won’t be able to pick up where he left off last week in Thursday’s opening round at Royal Johannesburg.

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