Staff WriterThe Alfred Dunhill Championship is back in Johannesburg for the first time in twenty years, and you can feel the nostalgia hanging over Royal Johannesburg like early-morning mist. Even before the players reached the clubhouse, the sight of those famous gates seemed to flick a switch in the minds of the veterans who’ve won here, lost here, or grown up dreaming of lifting this particular trophy.
This year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship brings together a stacked Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour field, led by former winners and fronted by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen. It’s not often a tournament feels like a reunion and an audition at the same time, but Royal Joburg’s East Course – one of Gauteng’s top three tracks – manages exactly that.
A defending champion with unfinished business
Shaun Norris rolled into town knowing exactly what this week means to him. Last year’s win at Leopard Creek didn’t just come with a trophy; it rewired his career.
“Winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship last year was massive for me. Every South African wants to win this tournament, and it was a special week for me,” said Norris.
He hasn’t forgotten the responsibility that comes with defending a title, nor the rare comfort of playing a major week from the familiarity of home.
“There’s a little bit of extra emotion in a week when you’re defending a title because you always want to try and defend. It’s also nice to be in Johannesburg and staying at home, so I’m a little bit more relaxed. This has always been a great golf course and as South Africans we all love it. It’s a demanding test.”
Old champions, old ghosts, and one German who swears he’s still 24
Branden Grace, the only man to win both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, knows the East Course like his own backyard and tends to play it that way. Richard Sterne, another former champion, is equally dangerous when the Johannesburg air turns warm and the fairways start running.
Then there’s Marcel Siem, who looks around Joburg and sees his younger self staring right back.
“It feels like I’m defending the title 21 years later. It feels great to be back here. I was still a baby at 24 years old. I remember the playoff with Gregory Havret and Raphael Jacquelin. It was the kickstart to my career. It meant a lot, and all the people in Joburg were so nice to me,” said Siem.
He’s older now, sure, but there’s something about being back where it all began that might just spark another run.
A rising star and a Spanish threat
Casey Jarvis isn’t looking backwards. For him, Royal Johannesburg is where he put the exclamation point on his amateur days by winning the South African Amateur in 2020. Two wins in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour last month have turned him from promising to dangerous.
“I’m feeling very confident. To get the two wins is very special. It’s nice to head into a week like this on a golf course I know very well, and with some confidence,” he said.
Spain’s Ángel Ayora, meanwhile, has become something of a Dunhill specialist without even meaning to. Fifth here last year. Fifth at the Alfred Dunhill Links earlier this season. He’s starting to look like someone who saves his best golf for this brand of pressure.
“It’s just a special event for me. I love being here in South Africa as well – the people, the food, the golf courses. And the weather. I prefer to play in hot climates. I’m just happy to be here again in this tournament,” he said.
A return that actually means something
The Alfred Dunhill Championship arriving back in Johannesburg isn’t just a calendar note. It’s a reminder of where the tournament came from, what it still stands for, and why so many players – from seasoned winners to hungry newcomers – have planted a flag on this week.
Royal Johannesburg has thrown open its gates. Now we’ll see who walks out with the trophy, the memories, and maybe a new chapter in a tournament that already carries plenty of history.
