The Alfred Dunhill Championship debuts a new venue this week, and so far, it hasn’t got off to the best possible start. The legendary Leopard Creek is under renovation, and after 20 consecutive years (2005-2025), the tournament will be held at the Royal Johannesburg Club, the venue for the Joburg Open between 2007 and 2017. It will, therefore, be the sixteenth DP World Tour tournament at this course. It also hosted the South African Open ten times.
We say it’s not getting off on the right foot at the Alfred Dunhill Championship because today, Monday, only a few practice holes could be played before a historic downpour, including hail, hit. The torrential rain forced the suspension of the training day, and things don’t look very promising until Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday have Pro Am scheduled, but we’ll see if they can be played. The forecast is slightly better for Tuesday and really bad for Wednesday.
The conclusion is that the tournament’s preparation will be significantly affected. It could be the case that some players won’t have the chance to practice the 18 holes of the East course, where the tournament is held, before Thursday. On the other hand, the course conditions will obviously be greatly affected. Until the skies opened, the course was hard, with firm and fast greens and a really high level of difficulty. Now everything changes. The greens, as expected, will be more receptive and slower, and the course will play heavier and longer. In theory, better scores will be seen than if the conditions had been like this morning.
Here is a video of how it was hailing this Monday morning at the Royal Johannesburg Club:
We’ll see how the week progresses and if the players at least have the chance to play 18 holes before Thursday. At the Alfred Dunhill, we have a strong contingent of the Armada in action this week, seeking the second victory of the season, after David Puig’s triumph at the PGA Australian Championship: Eugenio Chacarra, Alex del Rey, Ángel Hidalgo, Nacho Elvira, Pablo Larrazábal, Ángel Ayora, Jorge Campillo, Manu Elvira, Iván Cantero, Sebas García, Quim Vidal, and Rocco Repetto. Both Manu Elvira and Iván Cantero are starting their season here. Additionally, Adri Arnaus is the third reserve. There are some invitations that haven’t been granted yet, so it’s not out of the question that the player from Moià might end up entering the tournament.
