Jayden Schaper secures his first DP World Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in a dramatic playoff against Shaun Norris.
Jayden Schaper claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory at the Alfred Dunhill Championship after a thrilling playoff against fellow South African Shaun Norris. Following a rain-soaked weekend that saw Saturday’s play canceled due to flooding and the tournament shortened to three rounds, Schaper emerged victorious with a total score of 16-under-par. Marcel Schneider and Joel Girrbach also finished strong, with Girrbach tying for 13th and Schneider ending at T23 with a score of -9. Marcel Siem wrapped up the event at T56.
DP World Tour: Schaper seals first win with playoff eagle
Sunday marked a dream come true for Jayden Schaper as he clinched his first DP World Tour title on home soil. The 24-year-old held his nerve in a tightly contested final round, where Shaun Norris had earlier surged ahead with a stunning 8-under-par round. Schaper’s front nine was a rollercoaster, with birdies on holes 1 and 8 immediately followed by bogeys. He made the turn at even par but turned up the heat on the back nine. Birdies on 14, 16, and 17 brought him level with Norris, and he narrowly missed a winning putt on 18. In the playoff, Schaper delivered a moment of brilliance, holing an eagle putt from the fringe to capture the title in spectacular fashion.
Girrbach finishes T13, Schneider just outside top 20
Joel Girrbach enjoyed a strong showing in South Africa, bouncing back from a slow start to the season. After solid rounds on Thursday and Friday, the Swiss golfer entered the weekend inside the top 10. Despite an early tee time due to weather delays, he opened with a birdie on hole 1 and added another on 7. A bogey on 11 was quickly offset by a birdie on 12, but a costly double bogey on the par-3 16th knocked him out of the top 10. He finished with a birdie on 18, carding a final round of -1 and a total of 10-under-par.
Marcel Schneider also delivered a steady performance on the final day. He birdied the first hole but gave it back with a bogey on 2. Another birdie on 7 saw him make the turn at -1. The back nine started shakily with bogeys on 10 and 12, but he rebounded with birdies on 13 and 14, finishing cleanly to post a total of -9 and a T23 result.
Marcel Siem ended his final round at 1-under-par. Despite a bogey on the front nine, he recovered with two birdies on the back. However, his poor Friday round left too much ground to make up, and he concluded the tournament at 4-under-par, tied for 56th.