OLIVER BEKKER 55/1 SKYBET 8PL £5EW
MARCO PENGE 80/1 SKYBET 8PL £5EW
GAVIN GREEN 50/1 PADDY POWER 7PL £5EW
SCOTT JAMIESON 40/1 888 6PL £5EW
RYAN VAN VELZEN 80/1 SKYBET 8PL £5EW
DARREN FICHARDT 80/1 SKYBET 8PL £5EW
6 X £5 EACH WAY BETS = TOTAL £60
THE ALFRED DUNHILL SA
The Alfred Dunhill Championship has an illustrious history with a list of former World Number One golfers, Major winners, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players having played in the tournament over the years.
Alfred Dunhill’s support of golf in South Africa includes the sponsorship of the Alfred Dunhill PGA Championship at Houghton Golf Club from 1996 to 1999, whose winners include Ernie Els, Nick Price and Tony Johnstone. This was one of the first tournaments the European Tour ever co-sanctioned globally, thus helping to launch the Tour’s highly successful co-sanctioning strategy. In 2000, the Alfred Dunhill Championship teed off at Houghton Golf Club as a standalone tournament, before moving to its current home at Leopard Creek in 2004.
The Alfred Dunhill Championship has hosted a list of former World Number One golfers, Major winners, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players over the years, including Rory McIlroy, John Daly, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke, Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace.
Three renowned names recorded their first professional wins at the Alfred Dunhill Championship – former Masters champion Adam Scott in 2001, Justin Rose in 2002, and four-time Alfred Dunhill Championship winner Charl Schwartzel in 2004.
Branden Grace is the only player to have achieved the double of winning both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Fellow South African, Charl Schwartzel, has won a record four Alfred Dunhill Championship titles claiming victory in 2004, 2012, 2013 and 2015. In 2012, he won by a record 12-shot margin, recording a superb 24-under par score, which so far has not been beaten. Amazingly, he has also finished runner-up four times at Leopard Creek.
LEOPARD CREEK
Leopard Creek has grown out of the vision of a banker and skills and expertise of one of the world’s great golfers. It is founded on the values of friendship, a common love of the game of golf and a shared reverence for nature. Innovative architectural and landscaping techniques ensure that the Leopard Creek golf course and living areas are naturally protected from animals, while lakes and small streams have been diverted through the development to create scenic vistas and interesting golf strategies.
Golfing hazards take on a new dimension at Leopard Creek, for much of the water is home to the magnificent creatures for which the river is named, crocodiles. Extensive use has been made of water features and sightings of crocodile, hippo, antelope, buffalo and elephant are commonplace, on the course or in the Kruger Park bordering the course.
PAST RESULTS
2022 Ockie Strydom 270 -18 2 strokes
2021 Cancelled due to the effect of COVID-19 related travel restrictions
2020 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 274 −14 4 strokes
2019 Pablo Larrazábal 280 −8 1 stroke
2018 David Lipsky 274 −14 2 strokes
2017: No tournament due to course renovation
2016 Brandon Stone 267 −21 6 strokes
2015 Charl Schwartzel 273 −15 4 strokes
2014 Branden Grace 268 −20 7 strokes
2013 Charl Schwartzel 271 −17 4 strokes
OUR PICKS
OLIVER BEKKER 55/1
Olly is ready to seal that win here this week.
His build up into here has impressed all of the team:
- Vodacom Finals – 14TH
- Joburg Open – 54TH
- SA Open – 17TH
The weakness through 2023 has been his driving accuracy as for his short game and putting there are only a few players in the field this week who could beat this man on the putting green for a few pounds.
From what we have seen over the past three events has been a marked improvement with the big stick, and he has looked good and boy can he launch it, average distance we have clocked on our own track man on the range and live on course has been over 350 with an accuracy percentage of over 60% to match.
He could walk away with the win here this week if these on course stats stay the same.
NAP for an Xmas big drink
MARCO PENGE 80/1
Marco is a close friend of ours. In fact we played a lot of golf together whilst he was on the EuroPro Tour back in 2019. His career has progressed very steadily since then and after earning his status on the Challenge Tour he has never really looked back.
He comes into this week hot and could be the surprise package. Winner last month at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final beating the rest by six clear shots which was pretty dam impressive.
Missed the cut at the Joburg Open but he didn’t play bad the course was just not set up for his strengths but this week is a different story. He found his grove at this level already after a stunning 12TH place at the SA Open last week. Reckon he does the same again here this week if not get close to that win.
One to watch for 2024, he will win on the DP World Tour and feel his game could see him break into the world’s top 100 by June next year, currently at 347.
GAVIN GREEN 80/1
Green has gone off the radar for a while now we did make a few pounds of him in the past and feel he is ready to get us a good pay day here this week.
On looking through his career we were surprised he has still not won on the DP World Tour.
It will happen he went very close at the Portugal Masters last year in fact if Jordan Smith didn’t play the best week’s golf of his life he could have got over the line but that’s golf for you.
I have tipped him once this year at the Jonsson Open back in March when he was at 50/1 and he did place returning us a £31.25 Profit.
His best two results of late have come back to back in South Africa with an impressive top ten at the Joburg Open and then last week closing a 12TH place.
I think everything is close to clicking and this could be that week. ONE to WATCH
SCOTT JAMIESON 40/1
Scotty 2 Hotty gets in my line up this week and for good reason.
He is a player who seems to hit form very late in the year and also seems to always start strong at the start of a new season. I can see the same thing happening here again this season. Following two missed cuts in October then travelling to Qatar he was so close to getting that second DP World Tour win just finishing up in third place in the end just missing out.
I feel he is still throwing in one or two of those rounds which has cost him at both the Joburg and the SA Open over the past couple of weeks. It could be this course and set up that sparks all four rounds into place here this week. Like his chances and at this price we could be laughing to be the bank.
OTHERS THE TEAM ADVISED COULD FEATURE
RYAN VAN VELZEN 80/1
Sunshine Tour star should have a great week. Followed him in pratice this kid can play.
DARREN FICHARDT 80/1 SKYBET 8PL £5EW
We are taking money off the bookies here with this pick WOW !!! 80’s get him any ACCA this week folks should be a win win
