Schwartzel wins 'Dunhill' for fourth time

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Charl Schwartzel underlined his status as the king of Leopard Creek Country Club with a fourth victory at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa today.
The home favourite won the event in the 2005, 2013 and 2014 seasons and his fourth triumph means he has finished in the top two in eight of his 11 appearances in Malelane with an aggregate score of 122 under par.
He had looked in danger of throwing away his three-shot overnight lead when he turned in a one over par 36 but he came home in 34 to finish 15 under, four shots clear of Grégory Bourdy, as records tumbled in the first event of the 2016 Race to Dubai.
Schwartzel became the first South African to win an official European Tour event four times and the third of his countrymen to win ten events behind Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
At 31 he also became the youngest South African to ten European Tour victories, eclipsing Els who was a year older when he got into double figures at the 2002 Dubai Desert Classic.

Outside of his recent hat-trick at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Schwartzel has not won since his triumph in the 2011 Masters Tournament, causing him to drop to 50th in the Official World Golf Rankings.
But this victory should put him back in the Top 40 and he is glad to see his hard work paying off.
"It feels good," he said. "The way I've played the last few years, I've been down in quite a slump, I didn't really see myself coming out and winning.
"But we've put in so much hard work in the last 18 months and it's frustrating when week-in, week-out you're playing well and it feels like it's never going to turn.
"I guess there's no better fit than for it to turn around here. This place has treated me really well. I got my first win here and now my tenth so I think it's pretty fitting.
"It turned on the back nine. I felt more comfortable today.
"My chipping was really fantastic on the weekend and that's what got it going. I made birdie on 11 and 13 and 14. 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.
"Once I saw the board on 16 then I felt comfortable and I knew it was up to me not to make any mistakes."
Frenchman Bourdy recovered from a triple-bogey on the seventh to post an impressive 68 and finish a shot clear of countryman Benjamin Hebert, whose solo third place was the best finish of his European Tour career to date.
Bourdy picked up shots on the third and fourth to get to nine under while Hebert and rookie Sébastien Gros were a shot ahead after starting with pars on the first and second.
Schwartzel had spoken of discomfort with his long game during Saturday's third round and he made a bogey on the third after sending his tee shot a long way right as Gros made a double to drop to eight under.

A second double-bogey followed for Gros on the next as he tumbled back but countryman Bourdy was heading in the other direction with birdies at the fifth and sixth making it four in a row and getting him to 11 under, just one shot behind the leader.
He was soon joined by Hebert who made a birdie on the fifth but Bourdy put his second shot on the par three seventh into the water to record that triple-bogey.
Schwartzel took advantage of the driveable sixth to chip to within two feet and claim a birdie, and when Hebert failed to get up and down from a bunker on the eighth, the lead was back up to three shots.
Gros fought back with birdies on the fifth and seventh getting him to eight under but Schwartzel failed to get up and down after a poor second shot on the eighth and surrendered a second bogey of the day.
Bourdy and Hebert then both picked up shots on the 11th as Schwartzel made a smart up and down to save par on the tenth, and the leader then also took advantage of the next with a 10-footer getting him to 13 under.
Another Bourdy birdie came on the 13th but Schwartzel would not let the gap close and made a gain of his own on the par five before an excellent 12-foot putt on the 14th got him to 15 under and four shots clear of Hebert.

Gros had also picked up shots on the 11th and 13th but bogeys on the 14th and 16th ended his chances while Bourdy bogeyed the 14th but then made birdies on the 15th and 16th to move into a share of second.
Hebert had made six straight pars but dropped a shot on the last to drop to third place while a lengthy birdie putt on the 18th moved Gros, who finished second on last season's Challenge Tour, to nine under and up to fourth on his own in just his second European Tour event.
Gros' countryman and fellow Challenge Tour graduate Thomas Linard was then at eight under alongside Matt Ford and Joost Luiten.
Defending champion Branden Grace was a further shot back after seeing his late charge, which began with an eagle on the par four 11th, ended as he found the water on the 16th and 18th.
Jaco Van Zyl was also at seven under after firing the round of the day with a 64, alongside Eddie Pepperell who ended his week with a 68.
Two-time champion Pablo Martin was then in the group at six under with last season's Road to Oman winner Ricardo Gouveia and Qualifying School rookie Brandon Stone among those at five under par.
David Drysdale finished tied 18th on 284 after a disappointing final round of 74, by three shots the worst of his four efforts.
Scott Jamieson tied for 41st place on level par 288 after a closing round of 73. 
Jamie McLeary, Craig Lee and Bradley Neil missed the halfway cut.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72) Yardage 7,287

1	Charl Schwartzel	66	67	70	70	.			273
2	Gregory Bourdy	70	72	67	68				277
3	Benjamin Hebert	68	70	68	72				278
4	Sebastien Gros	71	72	63	73				279
T5	Matt Ford	67	74	69	70				280
T5	Thomas Linard	72	71	67	70				280
T5	Joost Luiten	68	70	71	71				280
T8	Jaco Van Zyl	71	72	74	64				281
T8	Eddie Pepperell	74	65	74	68				281
T8	Branden Grace	71	73	66	71				281
T11	Mikael Lundberg	71	71	72	68				282
T11	Pablo Martin	69	69	75	69				282
T11	Dean Burmester	71	70	70	71				282
T11	Shaun Norris	70	70	71	71				282
T11	Tom Murray	71	71	69	71				282
T11	Lasse Jensen	70	72	67	73				282
T11	Dylan Frittelli	69	73	66	74				282
T18	Brandon Stone	69	75	72	67				283
T18	Romain Wattel	73	71	72	67				283
T18	Ricardo Melo Gouveia	72	72	71	68				283
T18	Justin Walters	73	70	71	69				283
T18	Rhys West	71	73	69	70				283
T18	Thomas Aiken	72	68	72	71				283
T18	Vaughn Groenewald	68	73	70	72				283
T18	Keith Horne	70	72	69	72				283
T18	David Drysdale	71	69	69	74				283
T27	Andrew Georgiou	73	70	72	69				284
T27	Darren Fichardt	70	72	71	71				284
T27	Jbe' Kruger	73	70	70	71				284
T27	Jason Scrivener	69	70	72	73				284
T31	Erik van Rooyen	72	70	73	70				285
T31	Doug McGuigan	69	72	72	72				285
T31	Ryan Evans	71	70	71	73				285
T34	Alex Haindl	71	72	74	69				286
T34	Richard Sterne	68	70	77	71				286
T34	Daniel Im	70	74	71	71				286
T34	Laurie Canter	71	73	71	71				286
T34	Jean-Paul Strydom	68	75	69	74				286
T34	Andrew Curlewis	70	72	69	75				286
40	Renato Paratore	73	69	74	71				287
T41	Jorge Campillo	75	69	75	69				288
T41	Scott Jamieson	70	74	71	73				288
T41	Ben Evans	71	69	73	75				288
T44	Richard Bland	71	71	76	71				289
T44	Jacques Blaauw	73	70	74	72				289
T44	Chris Hanson	70	71	75	73				289
T44	Felipe Aguilar	70	73	73	73				289
T44	Andrew Johnston	75	67	73	74				289
T44	Callum Shinkwin	74	69	69	77				289
T44	Niclas Fasth	68	74	69	78				289
T51	Colin Nel	69	75	75	71				290
T51	Linus Gillgren	70	74	73	73				290
T51	Jens Fahrbring	71	72	72	75				290
T54	Rourke van der Spuy	73	70	77	71				291
T54	Clement Berardo	73	69	72	77				291
T54	Lyle Rowe	69	73	72	77				291
T57	Tyrone Mordt	73	71	73	75				292
T57	Christiaan Basson	64	76	72	80				292
T59	Johan Carlsson	71	70	76	76				293
T59	Louis De Jager	72	70	73	78				293
T59	Mark Williams	67	72	76	78				293
62	Lindani Ndwandwe	69	75	74	76				294
T63	Tyrone Ferreira	71	73	76	75				295
T63	Jaco Ahlers	72	70	71	82				295
65	Lee Slattery	72	70	75	80				297
T66	Oliver Bekker	70	75	MC	MC				145
T66	Edouard Espana	73	72	MC	MC				145
T66	Mark Foster	71	74	MC	MC				145
T66	Jared Harvey	72	73	MC	MC				145
T66	Jean Hugo	71	74	MC	MC				145
T66	Francesco Laporta	74	71	MC	MC				145
T66	Jamie McLeary	70	75	MC	MC				145
T66	JC Ritchie	74	71	MC	MC				145
T66	Ryan Tipping	68	77	MC	MC				145
T66	Danie Van Tonder	71	74	MC	MC				145
T66	Tjaart Van der Walt	74	71	MC	MC				145
T77	Bjorn Akesson	72	74	MC	MC				146
T77	Nino Bertasio	73	73	MC	MC				146
T77	Rhys Davies	69	77	MC	MC				146
T77	John Hahn	73	73	MC	MC				146
T77	Richard McEvoy	76	70	MC	MC				146
T77	Edoardo Molinari	78	68	MC	MC				146
T77	Garth Mulroy	73	73	MC	MC				146
T77	Louis Oosthuizen	70	76	MC	MC				146
T77	Chris Paisley	76	70	MC	MC				146
T77	Sam Walker	75	71	MC	MC				146
T87	Magnus A. Carlsson	74	73	MC	MC				147
T87	Daniel Gaunt	71	76	MC	MC				147
T87	Estanislao Goya	70	77	MC	MC				147
T87	Gregory Havret	76	71	MC	MC				147
T87	P.H. McIntyre	73	74	MC	MC				147
T87	Max Orrin	75	72	MC	MC				147
T87	Kevin Phelan	70	77	MC	MC				147
T87	Haydn Porteous	78	69	MC	MC				147
T87	Neil Schietekat	76	71	MC	MC				147
T87	Chris Swanepoel	76	71	MC	MC				147
T87	Toby Tree	74	73	MC	MC				147
T87	Ulrich Van Den Berg	72	75	MC	MC				147
T99	Merrick Bremner	74	74	MC	MC				148
T99	Adilson Da Silva	75	73	MC	MC				148
T99	CJ Du Plessis	78	70	MC	MC				148
T99	Paul Dunne	73	75	MC	MC				148
T99	Justin Harding	74	74	MC	MC				148
T99	Michael Hollick	70	78	MC	MC				148
T99	Espen Kofstad	73	75	MC	MC				148
T99	John Parry	76	72	MC	MC				148
T99	Jake Redman	71	77	MC	MC				148
T99	Matthew Southgate	74	74	MC	MC				148
T99	Ockie Strydom	75	73	MC	MC				148
T99	Borja Virto	68	80	MC	MC				148
T99	Jeff Winther	76	72	MC	MC				148
T112	Heinrich Bruiners	72	77	MC	MC				149
T112	Trevor Fisher Jr.	76	73	MC	MC				149
T112	Stuart Manley	73	76	MC	MC				149
T112	Madalisto Muthiya	74	75	MC	MC				149
T112	Adrian Otaegui	72	77	MC	MC				149
T117	Ryan Cairns	77	73	MC	MC				150
T117	JB Hansen	73	77	MC	MC				150
T117	James Kamte	77	73	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Peter Karmis	78	72	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Craig Lee	74	76	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Ross McGowan	75	75	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Titch Moore	73	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Nicolo Ravano	71	79	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	James Robinson	76	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T117	Toto Thimba Jr.	75	75	MC	MC	-	-	-	150
T127	Christiaan Bezuidenhout	75	76	MC	MC	-	-	-	151
T127	Michiel Bothma	74	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	151
T127	Alexander Levy	79	72	MC	MC	-	-	-	151
T130	Dwayne Basson	77	75	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Jens Dantorp	80	72	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Pelle Edberg	80	72	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Jeff Inglis	69	83	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Thriston Lawrence	75	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	J.J. Senekal	74	78	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Divan Van Den Heever	75	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T130	Ruan de Smidt	75	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	152
T138	Matthew Baldwin	79	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	153
T138	Lucas Bjerregaard	75	78	MC	MC	-	-	-	153
T138	Wynand Dingle	79	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	153
T138	Jacquin Hess	79	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	153
T138	Callum Mowat	76	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	153
T143	Morten Madsen	80	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	154
T143	Bradley Neil	77	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	154
145	Jake Roos	78	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	155
T146	Nacho Elvira	76	80	MC	MC	-	-	-	156
T146	Thanda Mavundla	77	79	MC	MC	-	-	-	156
T146	Makgetha Mazibuko	75	81	MC	MC	-	-	-	156
T149	Trevor Mahoney	77	80	MC	MC	-	-	-	157
T149	Hennie Otto	72	85	MC	MC	-	-	-	157
T151	Terence Salo	81	78	MC	MC	-	-	-	159
T151	Steve Surry	78	81	MC	MC	-	-	-	159
153	Wallie Coetsee	86	74	MC	MC	-	-	-	160
154	Oliver Wilson	85	77	MC	MC	-	-	-	162
155	Werner Van Niekerk	87	86	MC	MC	-	-	-	173
156	Peter Lawrie	79	WD