It is the week of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, held since 2004 at one of the iconic venues of the European circuit, the unique course of the Leopard Creek Country Club (Malelane, South Africa). And, as every time this tournament arrives, a reference to Charl Schwartzel is mandatory, winner on four occasions and runner-up five times, always on this course. Last year, for instance, he finished in second place, only behind his compatriot and close friend Louis Oosthuizen. Both Charl and Louis are present this week at the event and are, of course, the main favourites.
Indeed, Leopard Creek is something like Schwartzel’s personal garden. He is the absolute King in those parts. The South African has played this tournament 16 times at Leopard Creek (he played twice at the Houghton Golf Club) and in nine of those 16 he has finished first (4) or second (5). A true feat. He has played up to 58 competitive rounds at Leopard Creek with a total score of -149 and his average score is therefore 69.43.
Whichever way you look at it, his numbers in this corner of Africa are extraordinary, although he has also missed the cut three times. But there is a detail that goes unnoticed, as you have to dig deep to find it, and it truly blows the mind… It has to do with this player’s historic performance on two specific holes at Leopard Creek, the 2nd and the 6th. Granted, these are two of the holes that year after year appear among the easiest on the course. One, the 2nd hole, is the first par 5 of the course. Another, the 6th hole, is a very short par 4 where most aim for the green from the tee. The point is that Schwartzel, in 58 competitive rounds, has never made a bogey on the 2nd hole. Never. It is the only hole on the course where he hasn’t recorded a single bogey. Is it really possible that in twenty years and 58 attempts he has never made a mistake to the point of marking a blemish on that hole? It’s almost witchcraft. Additionally, on the 6th hole, the short par 4, Schwartzel made a bogey the first time he played it in his career, the first round of that December 2004 edition which was also the first time this course hosted the Alfred Dunhill Championship, but since then he hasn’t made another. Not one more. 57 consecutive rounds without a bogey on the 6th hole. We insist: it is true that historically they are two of the easiest holes on the course, but such a streak on both is otherworldly. A marvel of reliability, but surely also pure chance.
Not everything is a bed of roses for this player at Leopard Creek. After all, it is a very demanding course. The 7th hole, a par 3, is usually one of the three most difficult on the course each year and it is also challenging for Charl, who has barely managed to make four birdies in the 58 times he has played it in competition, with a total score of +16. He also doesn’t fare well on the 17th hole, a par 4, whose average difficulty each year tends to be moderate, but where he has a historical total of +7.
We’ll see what he is capable of this week. And if he maintains such streaks on holes 2 and 6. For now, let’s say it wouldn’t be bad news for the Armada if Schwartzel finished in second place this week, as on three of the five occasions he finished second, the tournament winner was a Spaniard (Álvaro Quirós in 2006 and Pablo Martín in 2009 and 2010).
