Louis Oosthuizen Wins First Title In Five Years As LIV Golfers Continue DP World Tour Success
The South African held off the challenge of his LIV teammate Charl Schwartzel to claim his tenth DP World Tour title
Louis Oosthuizen has won the weather-affected Alfred Dunhill Championship by two shots, the South African holding off his fellow countryman and LIV teammate Charl Schwartzel to claim his tenth DP World Tour title.
The former Open champion, normally quite a reserved character, faced a 20-footer for par on the par-5 18th, and he punched the air in the delight after it found the bottom of the cup.
Schwartzel needed to produce something special going down Leopard Creek’s dramatic final hole, but the former Masters champion had to settle for second place.
“I feel very calm now,” said a relieved, and very wet, Oosthuizen. “I can't believe we got a fourth round in with everything we got. It’s such a great place to come to. This is a tournament that I really, really wanted.”
Entering the final round on Sunday sharing a five-shot lead at 15 under, the Major-winning pair completed just four holes before there was a delay of nearly five hours due to the threat of lightning.
Although the players were able to play a further 42 minutes, another day was always going to be required – and it was Oosthuizen who found some of his best stuff on Monday.
Schwartzel, a three-time winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, started the back nine with a bogey, before responding with back-to-back birdies to spring back into life.
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However, his birdie on 12 was his last of the day, and it was his Stinger GC teammate who took control with three successive birdies from the 13th.
With Dean Burmester’s South African double and Joaquin Niemann’s win at the Australian Open, the last four DP World Tour tournaments have been won by LIV players.
It’s a statistic people will point to and, once again, argue the point that LIV Golf players should be earning Official World Golf Ranking points.
Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.
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