By John Huggan
Often enough, the winning of golf tournaments at the professional level is more about the elimination of serious error than the making of plentiful birdies and eagles. An eventful Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek turned out to be one of those times. While those around him floundered amidst a flurry of bogeys, doubles and triples over the closing nine holes, the only member of the top-five finishers making steady progress was eventual champion Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The combination of some evil pin positions and an ever-freshening breeze proved to be too much test for the rest.

Bezuidenhout’s bogey-free back-nine 34, three under par over the picturesque lay-out that sits across the Crocodile River from the stunning array of African animals populating the Kruger National Park, was at least three shots better than anyone else in that top five. And that steadiness under pressure proved to be the key to the 26-year-old South African’s second European Tour victory. His beautifully constructed closing 69 took him to 14-under-par 274 for the week, four shots better than the four runners-up, Jayden Schaper, Adrian Meronk, Richard Bland and Sean Crocker.

RELATED: Christiaan Bezuidenhout was once banned from amateur golf. Now he’s a two-time European Tour winner

“This is incredible,” said Bezuidenhout, who suffers from a stutter resulting from his ingestion of rat poison as a 2-year-old. “This tournament has been close to my heart ever since I played here for the first time. It is one I have always wanted to win. So to pull it off is very special to me, especially on a such a difficult day. That was a two-and-a-half club wind out there. It swirled a lot and led to my double bogey on the seventh. I actually hit a decent shot, but it just drifted way right on the breeze. But I’m proud of myself. It was all about sticking in there today.”

Still, making his Masters debut two weeks earlier, where he finished T-38, also turned out to have some lasting benefits.

“I had a plan this week,” Bezuidenhout revealed. “I played a practice round with Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel at Augusta National. They told me to play the course as I would have done with the previous grass on it. I thought of it that way and played it as if it was firm and fast all week, which is how it was here today. I’m really pleased to have pulled it off.”

In contrast to the winner’s obvious excitement at triumphing in his homeland, there were obvious moments of regret for all of the second-place finishers.

Some examples:

• Standing on the 18th tee at 13 under par and one stroke back, Crocker badly pulled his tee shot on the 552-yard par 5, the ball rebounding out-of-bounds off the roof of a cart path. It all added up to a triple-bogey 8 for the Zimbabwe-born former USC All-American.

• Leading with nine holes to play, Schaper—widely viewed as the next star of South African golf—hit three balls off the 10th tee. Although he found the first one unplayable, the 19-year-old could do no better than a triple-bogey 7. Eight holes later, another drive flew OB off the 18th tee, the eventual bogey costing Schaper the chance to finish alone in second.

Warren Little
With his runner-up showing, Jayden Schaper, a 19-year-old South African, had the best finish of his nascent European Tour career.

• Long-time leader Adrian Meronk’s quest to become the first Pole to win on the European Tour came to an end with a 6-6 run (bogey, double bogey) on the 13th and 14th. That he found water again on the final hole cost him, like Schaper, second place on his own.

• Bland was the steadiest of the four runners-up, playing the back nine in level par. But the experienced Englishman, winless in 468 European Tour starts, wasn’t quite mistake-free. The 47-year-old’s lost ball off the 15th tee led to a scrambled bogey on the 580-yard par 5.

Such catastrophic events weren’t all down to the pressure that comes with contention either. Far down the leader board, Englishman Eddie Pepperell’s closing 81 contained a back-nine of 47 marked by a pair of triple bogeys, one double and two other dropped shots. At least for one day, the Crocodile River separated not only golf course from national park, but wildlife from wild shots.

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By Kent Gray
Josh Hill hopes an equipment tweak will help him quickly forget recent history. Jayden Schaper just wants to let the good times roll.

Together the teens have been cast in an intriguing amateur subplot at this week’s 31st Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The key takeaway from their joint media conference on Monday? Neither might be eligible for a share of the $3.25 million purse, but don’t think they are at Emirates Golf Club to make up the numbers.

“Basically, everyone wants to come out and go for the win,” said Schaper after the South African 18-year-old took the honour to answer a question about their targets for the week on the Majlis. “Obviously that’s what you want to do. I’m just going to take it one step at a time, one shot at a time and one hole at a time and I’m just going to take it as it comes and enjoy the experience overall.”

Hill followed with an equally emphatic answer. “I agree. I think if you don’t aim to win, you’re preparing to fail. Aim for the win and just go out there and have fun and see where that leaves you.”

On the evidence of their respective European Tour debuts, Schaper at the South African a week before Hill’s bow in Abu Dhabi, the South African will take the not insignificant advantage of confidence onto the tee Thursday.

Jayden Schaper.

Fresh from a share of sixth at Randpark G.C., Schaper can also draw on a 1½ (from a possible three) point debut for the Internationals at the Junior Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne before Christmas. Before that he captured the Junior Players Championship on the same course, TPC Sawgrass, that the world’s best compete on for the big boys’ version.

But Hill isn’t about to let a missed cut in Abu Dhabi define his recent body of work, highlighted by his maiden MENA Tour win at the Al Ain Open win in October to become the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event.

A wayward driver contributed to the Dubai-domiciled English Boys’ representative missing the weekend by seven shots on The National but he hopes to have sorted a on-going problem with his big stick over the intervening four days.

“I just put a new shaft in the driver, so hopefully that will improve it,” said Hill who will again have Trump Dubai clubmate Steven Kelbrick, a survivor of the cut at The Senior Open last season, on his bag this week. “I played nine holes yesterday and it did, so hopefully keeps going that way.

Hill is also much more comfortable on the Majlis than he was The National.

“A lot of tee shots, like 8, for example, such a great view, it always makes you smile before you hit the tee shot, which I think helps you a bit.”

At just 15 years old…. life doesn’t get much better than this #MadeForGreatness #ODDC #JoshHill pic.twitter.com/RB8MIDRHLP

— OMEGA Golf Dubai (@OMEGAGolfDubai) January 20, 2020

So too do all the doglegs. “Yeah, I think so, because when I try to hit it hard I like to hit a massive hook. I find it fun doing that. So yeah, there’s a lot of holes which are doglegs right-to-left, so it suits my eye a bit.”

Like Hill who savoured a partial practice round with world No.1 Brooks Koepka in Abu Dhabi, Schaper enjoyed playing with 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen at their national championship a fortnight ago.

“Playing with Louis two weeks ago, he basically said, you know, just keep doing the same and have fun… he said it’s the same 14 clubs in the bag, same golf course, just different field,” Schaper said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it. Nothing should change how you approach the game because how you’ve been playing to that point is what got you there, so nothing should change.”

Why would you change a game that has helped Schaper win 11 times in the past 104 weeks. It’s been a giddy ride that earned a doff of Rory McIlroy’s cap after the teen’s win at TPC Sawgrass.

Congrats @schaperjayden!#ThePlayers #JrPlayers https://t.co/7OwjlkEYvm

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) September 5, 2019

Like Hill’’s experience with Koepka in Abu Dhabi, the acknowledge from his idol was a huge fillip for Schaper.

“Obviously South Africa, we have so many great golfers. Obviously Louis Oosthuizen being one of them, I look up to him. He’s an unbelievable player. He is definitely one of the best from tee-to-green that I’ve seen, and yeah, I was just fortunate to play with him.

“But Rory is just something special. It’s pretty special to watch him off the golf course and on the golf course he’s just magical, his swing, the way he approaches the game. There’s so many people to look up to, and I see Rory as a guy that I want to go up and kind of compare my game to his and just work towards that. “

The journey for Schaper and Hill continues with another steep learning curve in Dubai. It will be fascinating to see if either can emerge from the amateur subplot and become part of the main narrative in Dubai this week.

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Junior Presidents Cupper Jayden Schaper (pictured above) has accepted an invite to the $3.25 million European Tour event from Jan. from 23-26. The 18-year-old South African will fight for amateur honours against Hill after the Dubai-based England age-group international qualified for Emirates Golf Club by winning the MENA Tour’s amateur Journey to Jordan title.

Schaper is playing for the Internationals in the Junior Presidents Cup at the Royal Melbourne after a rise to prominence highlight by victory in the AJGA Junior Players Championship in September. That followed on from an unprecedented ‘grand slam’ of amateur Nomads titles in South Africa where his recent win at the U-19 level saw him complete the U-13, 15, 17 and 19 sweep.

“My game has really come on this year and to receive this invite is another fantastic achievement,” said Schaper.

“To test my game against some of the best players on the European Tour will be an incredible experience, especially at an event as iconic as this one. South Africans have a good history there and, while I might not be targeting a win, it would be great to see where my game is at and what I need to improve on. I really am already counting down the days.”

Hill is also excited about what will be an exciting start to 2020 after a stellar year on the MENA Tour. 

“I can’t wait to make my European Tour debut and it will be even more special to do it at home in Dubai,” said Hill who won the Al Ain Open to become the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event.

“I’ve been coming to watch this tournament for years, so to be wandering inside the ropes will be a completely different experience. To have this opportunity so early in my career is amazing and it will be so cool seeing the best players up close. I just hope I’ll be able to give them a good game.”

Josh Hill

Hill and Schaper will rub shoulders with some of the game’s biggest names including defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and former winners Rafa Cabrera Bello, Sergio Garcia, Haotong Li, Henrik Stenson and Danny Willett.

“The OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic has established itself as an incredible platform for identifying talent,” said Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director. “Some of the biggest and best players have announced themselves right here in Dubai, whether that be Rory McIlroy winning his first European Tour event at Emirates Golf Club in 2009, Haotong Li overcoming the Northern Irishman to take the title two years ago, or Bryson DeChambeau proving his international credentials back in February. To give both Josh and Jayden this opportunity is both a privilege and our responsibility to provide the next best players with the opportunities they need. We look forward to welcoming them.”

The inaugural OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic was won by England’s Mark James and has gone on to establish a roll of honour boasting some of the biggest names in golf over the past 30 years – including the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods.

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