Charl Schwartzel has confirmed he will return to Leopard Creek this month in search of a record fifth Alfred Dunhill Championship title, adding his name to a glittering array of stars that will walk the fairways of South Africa’s number one ranked golf course from 12-15 December.
The 2011 Masters champion will join defending champion Louis Oosthuizen in a field that includes eight of the last 13 champions of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek along with Ockie Strydom, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Pablo Larrazabal, Brandon Stone, Richard Sterne and Alvaro Quiros.
PGA Tour winners Erik van Rooyen and Dylan Frittelli as well as multiple DP World Tour champions Thriston Lawrence and Dean Burmester, and rising star Aldrich Potgieter, who has just secured his PGA Tour card for the new season, add to the impressive lineup this year.
The 20-year-old Chinese sensation Wenyi Ding will make his debut in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
South Africa’s Altin van der Merwe returns to Leopard Creek where he made history by becoming the first winner of the inaugural Africa Amateur Championship in February this year, after which he later turned professional.
But amongst them all, Schwartzel will be more motivated than ever to add to his already incredible history in this tournament and at this golf course.
RECORD-HOLDER SCHWARTZEL
Schwartzel already has four Alfred Dunhill Championship titles to his name and still owns the record tournament total of 24 under par and the biggest margin of victory of 12 strokes.
But perhaps even more significant is that he has now finished runner-up five times in this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament. His most recent second place was last year when he pushed close friend Oosthuizen right until the final hole before finishing two strokes behind him.
“For me, growing up in South Africa and being privileged to grow up on a farm, I was around big space my whole life. I grew to love nature a lot. Our weekend getaways were always to the bushveld. Everybody has their place they go where they get that calming effect and where you feel like you’re alone in the world. To me the bush does that to me. I love the sounds and the smells. It gives me a lot of peace,” said Schwartzel.
“So that’s why Leopard Creek is so special to me. There is no setting like it in the world – to play golf on the edge of the Crocodile River and the Kruger National Park. It doesn’t get much better than that.”