Alfred Dunhill Championship

Last updated

Alfred Dunhill Championship
Tournament information
Location Malalane, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Established2000
Course(s) Leopard Creek Country Club
Par72
Length7,249 yards (6,628 m)
Tour(s) European Tour
Sunshine Tour
Format Stroke play
Prize fund €1,500,000
Month playedDecember
Tournament record score
Aggregate264 Charl Schwartzel (2012)
To par−24 as above
Current champion
Flag of South Africa.svg Louis Oosthuizen
Location map
South Africa relief location map.svg
Icona golf.svg
Leopard Creek CC
Location in South Africa
South Africa Mpumalanga relief location map.svg
Icona golf.svg
Leopard Creek CC
Location in Mpumalanga

The Alfred Dunhill Championship is a men's professional golf tournament which is played in South Africa. It is part of the Southern African Sunshine Tour and is one of several events in South Africa that are co-sanctioned by the more prestigious European Tour.

Contents

History

The tournament was founded in 2000, but its origins lie in Dunhill's sponsorship of the South African PGA Championship between 1995 and 1999. Following the 1999 Alfred Dunhill PGA Championship, the company decided to discontinue their association with the South African PGA, and create their own stand alone tournament. The first event was held in January 2000 at the Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, and replaced the South African PGA Championship on the European Tour calendar.[ citation needed ]

In 2004, the tournament was rescheduled to December, resulting in two events being staged that year; one in January and one in December. Following this change, the Alfred Dunhill Championship has formed part of the following year's European Tour season. In addition, the event was moved to the Leopard Creek Country Club, just south of the Kruger National Park in Malalane, Mpumalanga.[ citation needed ]

The 2021 event was scheduled to take place at Leopard Creek Country Club from 9–12 December. It was to be a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in place in the UK from South Africa, the event was cancelled less than two weeks before the tournament was due to start. [1]

Flagship event

In 2016, the Alfred Dunhill Championship replaced the South African Open as the tour's flagship event by the Official World Golf Ranking governing board. The winner was awarded 32 OWGR points. The change only lasted for one edition before reverting to the South African Open the following year as no tournament was held. [2] In 2020, the Alfred Dunhill Championship once again became the tour's flagship event. [3] The event was intended to be the flagship event again in 2021. However, due to the cancellation of the tournament, the flagship event status was passed onto the South African Open. [4]

Winners

Sunshine Tour (Flagship event)2016, 2020
Sunshine Tour (Regular)2000–2015, 2017–2018, 2022–
#YearTours [lower-alpha 1] WinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upVenue
Alfred Dunhill Championship
23rd2023 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Louis Oosthuizen 270−182 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel Leopard Creek
22nd2022 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Ockie Strydom 270−182 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Adrián Otaegui Leopard Creek
–2021 AFR, EUR Cancelled due to the effect of COVID-19 related travel restrictions [5]
21st2020 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Christiaan Bezuidenhout 274−144 strokes Flag of England.svg Richard Bland
Flag of the United States.svg Sean Crocker
Flag of Poland.svg Adrian Meronk
Flag of South Africa.svg Jayden Schaper 		Leopard Creek
20th2019 AFR, EUR Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Larrazábal 280−81 stroke Flag of Sweden.svg Joel Sjöholm Leopard Creek
19th2018 AFR, EUR Flag of the United States.svg David Lipsky 274−142 strokes Flag of Scotland.svg David Drysdale Leopard Creek
2017: No tournament due to course renovation
18th2016 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Brandon Stone 267−216 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Richard Sterne Leopard Creek
17th2015 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel (4)273−154 strokes Flag of France.svg Grégory Bourdy Leopard Creek
16th2014 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Branden Grace 268−207 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Louis Oosthuizen Leopard Creek
15th2013 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel (3)271−174 strokes Flag of England.svg Richard Finch Leopard Creek
14th2012 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel (2)264−2412 strokes Flag of Sweden.svg Kristoffer Broberg Leopard Creek
13th2011 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Garth Mulroy 269−192 strokes Flag of Scotland.svg George Murray Leopard Creek
12th2010 AFR, EUR Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Martín (2)277−112 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Anthony Michael
Flag of Denmark.svg Thorbjørn Olesen
Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel 		Leopard Creek
11th2009 AFR, EUR Flag of Spain.svg Pablo Martín 271−171 stroke Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel Leopard Creek
10th2008 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Richard Sterne 271−171 stroke Flag of Sweden.svg Johan Edfors
Flag of England.svg Robert Rock 		Leopard Creek
9th2007 AFR, EUR Flag of England.svg John Bickerton 275−131 stroke Flag of South Africa.svg Ernie Els
Flag of England.svg Lee Slattery 		Leopard Creek
8th2006 AFR, EUR Flag of Spain.svg Álvaro Quirós 275−131 stroke Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel Leopard Creek
Dunhill Championship
7th2005 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Ernie Els 274−143 strokes Flag of South Africa.svg Louis Oosthuizen
Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel 		Leopard Creek
6th2004
(Dec)		 AFR, EUR Flag of South Africa.svg Charl Schwartzel 281−7Playoff Flag of England.svg Neil Cheetham Houghton
5th2004
(Jan)		 AFR, EUR Flag of Germany.svg Marcel Siem 266−22Playoff Flag of France.svg Grégory Havret
Flag of France.svg Raphaël Jacquelin 		Houghton
4th2003 AFR, EUR Flag of England.svg Mark Foster 273−15Playoff Flag of Denmark.svg Anders Hansen
Flag of South Africa.svg Trevor Immelman
Flag of Scotland.svg Paul Lawrie
Flag of Scotland.svg Doug McGuigan
Flag of South Africa.svg Bradford Vaughan 		Houghton
3rd2002 AFR, EUR Flag of England.svg Justin Rose 268−202 strokes Flag of England.svg Mark Foster
Flag of South Africa.svg Retief Goosen
Flag of South Africa.svg Martin Maritz 		Houghton
Alfred Dunhill Championship
2nd2001 AFR, EUR Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Scott 267−211 stroke Flag of England.svg Justin Rose Houghton
1st2000 AFR, EUR Flag of England.svg Anthony Wall 204 [lower-alpha 2] −122 strokes Flag of Scotland.svg Gary Orr
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Phillip Price 		Houghton

Notes

  1. ↑ AFR − Sunshine Tour; EUR − European Tour.
  2. ↑ Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

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References

  1. ↑ "Irish golfers battling travel chaos to get back from South Africa after pulling out of Joburg Open". Irish Independent. 26 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "SA Open receives world ranking flagship status". News 24. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "How the ranking evolved". Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ↑ Sherman, Michael (1 December 2021). "SA Open goes ahead without co-sanctioned status for first time in 25 years". IOL. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  5. ↑ Butler, Lynn (26 November 2021). "Sunshine Tour confirm SA Open to go ahead in Sun City, Alfred Dunhill Championship cancelled". Sport24. News24. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
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