Latest news with #AlfredDunhillChampionship
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Alfred Dunhill Championship moves from Leopard Creek to Joburg
The Alfred Dunhill Championship will return to its historical roots in Johannesburg when it will be played at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club from December 11 to 14 for the Leopard Creek golf course to recover after it hosted two big golf tournaments over the past summer. The Lowvelder reports that yesterday (July 25), the Sunshine Tour and organisers of the Alfred Dunhill Championship announced the decision to bring the championship back to the city where it was first played from 2000 to 2004 before moving to its traditional home of Leopard Creek. Leopard Creek course needs time to recover According to the Sunshine Tour, the hosting of the Alfred Dunhill Championship as well as the prestigious R&A Africa Amateur Championship in a short space of time over the intensely hot summer months in 2024, placed the Leopard Creek course under stress, and it requires a period of recovery. 'We're delighted to be bringing the Alfred Dunhill Championship back to Johannesburg where it was played for the first five years of its existence and are extremely grateful to Royal Johannesburg Golf Club for the opportunity,' said Thomas Abt, the commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.' Move to Royal Johannesburg Golf Club not permanent 'Royal Johannesburg Golf Club's East Championship Course is internationally renowned as a true championship venue and among the finest courses in Africa, and we look forward to showcasing the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Championship on such a challenging layout,' organisers said. The move back to Royal Johannesburg will only be effective for 2025, and the tournament will return to Leopard Creek in 2026.
The South African
5 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Shock as Alfred Dunhill Championship moves from Leopard Creek
The Alfred Dunhill Championship will return to its historical roots in Johannesburg when it is played at the venerable Royal Johannesburg Golf Club from 11-14 December 2025. The Sunshine Tour and organisers of the Alfred Dunhill Championship announced the decision, for this year only, to bring the championship back to the city where it was first played from 2000 to 2004 before moving to its traditional home of Leopard Creek. According to the Sunshine Tour, the hosting of the 2024 Alfred Dunhill Championship as well as the prestigious R&A Africa Amateur Championship in a short space of time over the intensely hot summer months placed the Leopard Creek course under stress, and it requires a period of recovery. 'We're delighted to be bringing the Alfred Dunhill Championship back to Johannesburg where it was played for the first five years of its existence, and are extremely grateful to Royal Johannesburg Golf Club for the opportunity,' said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour. 'Royal Johannesburg Golf Club's East Championship Course is internationally renowned as a true championship venue and amongst the finest courses in Africa, and we look forward to showcasing the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Championship on such a challenging layout.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
News24
6 days ago
- Sport
- News24
Alfred Dunhill Championship moves to Royal Johannesburg as Leopard Creek faces ‘stress'
The Alfred Dunhill Championship has moved from the iconic Leopard Creek Country Club and will be played at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club instead. According to the Sunshine Tour, organisers believe the course will be under stress over what is expected to be a busy and hot summer. The Alfred Dunhill Championship is schedule to take place in December. For more, visit News24's golf section. For the first time in two decades, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, a co-sanctioned DP World Tour event, will not be played at the iconic Leopard Creek Country Club this December. The tournament will now take place at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club from 11-14 December. READ | LIV stars confident SA's Major golf drought will end: 'We've got great young talent' Since 2005, the Alfred Dunhill Championship has called Leopard Creek home as it drove a new era of SA golfers with the likes of Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel lifting the heavy leopard bronzed trophy. The Alfred Dunhill Championship features a selection of the finest professionals on the Sunshine and DP World Tour competing for a total purse of €1.5 million (approximately R26.8 million). The move to Royal Johannesburg comes as Leopard Creek continues to struggle under 'intensely hot summer months' in Malelane, Mpumalanga. The Sunshine Tour and organisers of the Alfred Dunhill Championship announced the decision on Friday, but insisted it was 'for this year only'. It brings the championship back to the city where it was first played from 2000 to 2004 before moving to its traditional home of Leopard Creek. As stated by the Sunshine Tour, hosting the Alfred Dunhill Championship alongside the esteemed R&A Africa Amateur Championship (5-8 February 2025) within a short timeframe during the scorching summer months has caused stress to the Leopard Creek course, necessitating a recovery period. Royal Johannesburg/Supplied 'We're delighted to be bringing the Alfred Dunhill Championship back to Johannesburg where it was played for the first five years of its existence, and are extremely grateful to Royal Johannesburg Golf Club for the opportunity,' said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour. 'Royal Johannesburg Golf Club's East Championship Course is internationally renowned as a true championship venue and amongst the finest courses in Africa, and we look forward to showcasing the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Championship on such a challenging layout.' Leopard Creek has been a happy hunting ground for South Africans, with LIV golfer Branden Grace remaining the only player to have achieved the double of winning both the Alfred Dunhill Championship at St Andrews and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on home soil. Fellow Stinger GC teammate and 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is the last golfer to successfully defend the Alfred Dunhill Championship, winning back in 2012 and 2013. Already with four Alfred Dunhill Championship titles to his name, Schwartzel still owns the record tournament total of 24 under par and the biggest margin of victory of 12 strokes. Amazingly, he has also finished runner-up five times at Leopard Creek. Last year, countryman Shaun Norris kept the home streak alive as he sealed a one-stroke victory to win his second DP World Tour title.
The South African
02-07-2025
- Business
- The South African
Is THIS the course that will host LIV Golf event in South Africa?
Ever since reports broke that LIV Golf will stage a tournament in South Africa in 2026, questions have been asked as to which course would be best suited to hosting the event. Predictably, many suggested the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City or Leopard Creek as possible options having held the Nedbank Challenge and Alfred Dunhill Championship, respectively, for decades. Others mentioned Blair Atholl or Durban Country Club as alternatives. However, another venue in the Cape has gained support. Earlier this year, Filipino ports and casino billionaire, Enrique Razon, whose company won an multi-billion-rand bid to revive sub-Saharan Africa's biggest container port, bought a development that includes one of South Africa's top golf courses, Pearl Valley. Entities associated with Razon bought Pearl Valley – a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course – and the hotel on the property in the Cape Winelands from a company controlled by shareholders that include South African businessman and Olympic swimming gold medal winner, Ryk Neethling. Pearl Valley has consistently been ranked among South Africa's top golf courses and has previously held the South African Open, among several other Sunshine Tour and co-sanctioned events. Razon, who chairs and is president of Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. and is a major supporter of the sport in his home country, has an estimated net worth of $13 billion, according to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires List. At the time of publishing he's the 202nd-richest person in the world. Razon is reportedly dead-keen on hosting the LIV Golf event and is prepared to throw money – lots of it – at realising his dream. LIV Golf's 2026 season is shaping up to be one of the most internationally focused yet, with a schedule that includes nine tournaments outside of the United States. According to sources who have seen the preliminary schedule, LIV Golf's 2026 season will kick off with six straight international events, a significant increase compared to the four in the opening weeks of 2025. While the schedule has yet to be confirmed, reports are that these locations are '100 percent' confirmed, with the only expected changes being dates. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – February 5-7 – February 5-7 Adelaide, Australia – February 12-14 – February 12-14 Hong Kong – March 6-8 – March 6-8 Singapore – March 13-15 – March 13-15 South Africa – March 20-22 (first ever LIV event in South Africa) – March 20-22 Mexico City – April 17-19 – April 17-19 Washington DC/Virginia – May 15-17 – May 15-17 South Korea – May 29-31 – May 29-31 Spain – June 5-7 – June 5-7 New Orleans – June 26-28 – June 26-28 UK – July 24-26 – July 24-26 Chicago – August 7-9 – August 7-9 Indianapolis – August 21-23 – August 21-23 Michigan – August 28-30 South African tournament The 2026 schedule marks the first-ever LIV Golf event in South Africa. This highly anticipated addition is a win for the Stinger GC, the all-South African team consisting of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Dean Burmester, and Branden Grace, all of whom have long pushed for a tournament on their home soil. The venue remains unconfirmed, but the event will be a landmark moment for the tour. No Japan Event A previously rumoured Japan event looks to have been delayed, with the 2026 schedule not including a stop. Instead, Hong Kong and Singapore will see action in March. International focus early in the season The 2026 season would begin with six consecutive international tournaments in February and March, including notable locations like Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This marks a shift toward a truly global LIV Golf tour and presents significant international opportunities for players and sponsors alike. US leg starts late in the season The first LIV event in the United States will not come until May 15-17 in DC/Virginia, just a week before the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia. This marks a strategic move for LIV to avoid overlapping with the traditional PGA Tour schedule. No LIV Miami or Dallas In a notable omission, the LIV Golf Miami and LIV Golf Dallas events are absent from the 2026 calendar, despite the popularity of these locations in previous seasons. Instead, the tour continues its trend of visiting new cities and countries, suggesting that LIV Golf will continue to prioritise global expansion over returning to established US venues. If this schedule holds, LIV Golf will maintain its aggressive push to grow the sport globally, especially in emerging markets such as South Africa, South Korea, and Mexico. The addition of a South African event will undoubtedly be a significant moment for the country's golf scene, as well as a response to the growing call for more international representation on the tour. For LIV players, the extended international schedule provides more opportunities for travel, promotion, and securing sponsorships in regions where the tour is looking to make a lasting impact. With high-profile locations like Riyadh and Hong Kong, LIV continues to solidify its commitment to broadening the scope of professional golf. As the schedule remains unfinalised, LIV Golf fans and players alike are eagerly awaiting official confirmation, likely to come in the next few weeks. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Reuters
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Norris opens up four-shot lead at Joburg Open
March 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's Shaun Norris carded a 67 to take a four-shot lead on 14 under-par at the end of Saturday's third round in the DP World Tour's Joburg Open on a difficult day of scoring at the Houghton Golf Club. Norris carded a 63 on Friday despite being troubled by an ear infection and held a one-shot advantage going into the weekend. He has extended that lead despite a double-bogey on the par-four third hole and another dropped shot on the 15th. France's Adrien Saddier (70) and South African Jacques Krusywijk (68) share second place at 10 under-par, with the German Nicolai von Dellingshausen (69) a further stroke back. Norris, 42, won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in December, his second victory on the DP World Tour after the Steyn City Championship in 2022.
