Sharvin 25th as Bezuidenhout wins by four at Leopard Creek
Christiaan Bezuidenhout with his trophy during day 4 of the 2020 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on November 29, 2020 in Malelane, South Africa. EDITOR'S NOTE: For free editorial use. Not available for sale. No commercial usage. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images)
Cormac Sharvin recorded his best finish since August when he claimed 25th behind South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.
Winner of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Valderrama last year, Bezuidenhout (26) came from three strokes behind overnight leader Adrian Meronk, carding a three-under 69 to win by four strokes from Meronk, the up-and-coming South African star Jayden Shcaper, England’s Richard Bland and American Sean Crocker on 14-under par.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout celebrates victory on the 18th green at Leopard Creek Country Golf Club. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Sharvin (28) made the cut on the mark, then carded a four-under 68 to move into the top 25 before closing with a 74 in a two-club wind to tie for 25th on two-under.
It’s the Ardglass man’s second best result of a disrupted season and his best since he tied for 19th in the English Championship at Hanbury Manor in August.
As for Bezuidenhout, he followed three early birdies with three dropped shots in two holes on the front nine before and making three key birdies on the back nine to clinch his second win this year after winning the Dimension Data Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour in February.
The win came two weeks after he made his debut in The Masters and finished tied 38th.
“I’m really pleased I pulled it off,” said a delighted Bezuidenhout. “Leopard Creek has always been a special place for me, and the golf course this week was immaculate. You don’t get much better than this. I’ve always wanted to win this tournament.”
Bezuidenhout started the final round three shots off the lead of Meronk. Meronk struggled to a final round of 76. The door was briefly open for Schaper as he moved to the top of the leaderboard, but then a back nine of 40 crushed his title hopes as he closed with a 75.
Bezuidenhout also thought he might be out of the running after his double bogey at the seventh and then a bogey at the eighth.
“I thought after that double bogey on seven it would be tough to come back from there. It was tough out there,” the champions said.
“We played in a two-club wind that was swirling all over the place. You stood over your ball and it was downwind, and then when you hit it was suddenly into the wind. The pins were also tucked away on the greens. I just tried to play clever golf today. But all credit to my caddie. He stuck in there with me today and we pulled it through together.”
The Sunshine Tour and European Tour South African Swing travels to Sun City this week for the South African Open at the Gary Player Country Club where Sharvin and Jonathan Caldwell will fly the flag for Irish golf.