Local golfer claims his place in Alfred Dunhill Championship history
Shaun Norris of the Silver Lakes Golf Club probably achieved the biggest victory of his professional golfing career when he pocketed the winning cheque at the recent Alfred Dunhill Championship in the Lowveld.
Pretoria’s Shaun Norris was overcome with emotion after claiming a thrilling one-stroke victory in the recent Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.
Except for the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City (also known as Africa’s Major) and the SA Open, the Alfred Dunhill Championship is probably the most prestigious tournament to be won in South Africa.
Norris, who represents the Silver Lakes Golf Club in the east of Pretoria, had earlier made a strong charge through the field, sparked by an eagle on the second hole, and closed with a 67 to lead in the clubhouse on 13 under par and tied with several players.
But it ended up being only South Africa’s Ryan van Velzen who had a realistic chance of catching him as he teed off the 18thtied for the lead. As Norris warmed up on the driving range for a possible playoff, Van Velzen hit his approach into the water surrounding the treacherous 18th green and went on to make bogey.
“Unbelievable. Words cannot describe the feelings going through me at the moment. I am over the moon. I only knew I had shot 67 after I made the last putt. I was so stuck in my head focusing on every shot and doing what I needed to do. At the end of the day, it worked out nicely,” said Norris after claiming his second DP World Tour title.
Van Velzen closed with a 72 to share second place with England’s John Parry (69) and Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult (74) on 12 under par.
Before teeing off on the last day, Norris had told his brother and caddie Kyle that if they could be under par through the first five holes, they may stand a chance. And it was an eagle on the par-five second that gave him that chance.
“That eagle was key. It is massive to get off to a good start and put yourself in a nice rhythm,” he remarked.
A composed back nine featuring three birdies further strengthened his chances as he was the only player amongst the top four on the leaderboard who did not make a bogey on the back nine.
Norris was also overjoyed to win at a Leopard Creek course that holds a special place in every South African golfer’s heart.
“This title means everything to me. To win here at Leopard Creek, which is always in spectacular condition and where we have had such good champions such as Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen – to now put my name on this trophy is a blessing. This changes a few things for me. I have got so much to look forward to over the next few years. But now it is time for a holiday,” the new champion concluded.
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