The Opening Swing phase of the new DP World Tour season continues with a third tournament in South Africa - the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club.
Last year, Ockie Strydom won the tournament along with a cheque for €255,000 (around $276,000) from its €1.5m (around $1.62m) purse, and there's an identical sum on offer this year.
Even though there hasn't been an increase in the purse this year, it's still more than was available in each of the other four DP World Tour events of the season so far, after the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship offered around $1.31m, the $1.5 purse of the Investec South African Open Championship and the $1.1m available at both the Joburg Open and ISPS Handa Australian Open.
This week's top prize is also considerably more than the winner of the LIV Golf Promotions event will claim - $200,000 from a purse of $1.5m. However, the main goal of that tournament is, of course, to finish in the top three for a chance to earn life-changing money with a place in next year’s LIV Golf League.
As well as the prize money being offered at this week’s DP World Tour event, an extra $200,000 will be awarded to the winner of the Opening Swing phase of the season, which will conclude with next week’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
For the fifth tournament in succession, 3,000 Race to Dubai points are also up for grabs.
Below is the prize money payout for the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Alfred Dunhill Championship Prize Money Payout
Who Are The Star Names In The Alfred Dunhill Championship?
Dean Burmester is the man of the moment having followed up his win at the Joburg Open with his second successive victory at last week’s tournament. That was his fourth on the DP World Tour, and, considering his recent form, he will be among the favourites.
The champion is another South African, Ockie Strydom, who claimed his maiden DP World Tour win last year. He defends his title this week, hoping for a third win on the Tour after also winning February's Singapore Classic.
They’re far from the only local players in the field. Burmester’s fellow LIV Golf players Branden Grace, 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, who won The Masters a year later, also play. Schwartzel, in particular, will be confident of success after four previous wins in the tournament, most recently in 2015.
Other highly rated South Africans in the field include four-time DP World Tour winner Thriston Lawrence, 2020 champion Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 2016 winner Brandon Stone and Erik van Rooyen, who won an emotional World Wide Technology Championship on the PGA Tour in November.
Aside from South African players, other names to look out for include three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi and fellow Italian Edoardo Molinari, who was one of Luke Donald’s Team Europe Ryder Cup vice-captains.
Scot Ewen Ferguson, whose most recent win came in the 2020 ISPS Handa World Invitational, and four-time DP World Tour winner Ashan Wu also play, along with the ever-popular Andrew “Beef” Johnston.
Who's In The Field For The Alfred Dunhill Championship?
The field is dominated by South African players, including LIV Golf players Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, who is looking for his third successive victory. Another local player, Ockie Strydom, defends his title.
Where Is The Alfred Dunhill Championship?
The Alfred Dunhill Championship has been played at Leopard Creek Country Club since 2005. The par-72 7,249-yard course is a Gary Player-designed affair that borders Kruger National Park.
