Charl Schwartzel wins Alfred Dunhill Championship

South Africa's Charl Schwartzel won the Alfred Dunhill Championship by four shots at Leopard Creek Country Club yesterday to clinch the first tournament of the new European Tour season.

The 31-year-old former US Masters champion led by three strokes overnight and carded a final-round 70 to end 15 under, ahead of France's Gregory Bourdy, who shot 68.

Two more Frenchmen, Benjamin Hebert and tour rookie Sebastien Gros, finished 10 under and nine under after rounds of 72 and 73 respectively.

Schwartzel, who has slumped to 50 in the world rankings, opened with rounds of 66, 67, 70, and he mixed four birdies with two bogeys yesterday for a 10th European Tour win.

Success

It was his first title since success at the same event on the southern boundary of the Kruger National Park in 2013.

Bourdy made a fast start on the final day with four consecutive birdies from the third but a triple bogey on the par-three seventh hole slowed his momentum.

Gros, playing in only his second European Tour event after finishing second on last season’s Challenge Tour, hit a tournament-low 63 in the third round, but struggled with an erratic 73 to finish.

The Leopard Creek event marks the start of the 2016 European Tour, which moves to Sun City next weekend for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

“It’s an honour playing here,” Schwartzel told the European Tour website.

“I knew I was going to have to shoot at least two or three under on the back nine to give myself a good chance of winning and I’m very happy with that.”

Youngest

It meant Schwartzel became the third South African to win 10 European Tour events, alongside Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and is the youngest to do so ahead of Els.

The event marked the start of the 2016 European Tour.