Alfred Dunhill Championship

Schwartzel pounces to defend at Leopard Creek

ESPN staff

December 1, 2013

Charl Schwartzel successfully defended the title he won 12 months ago © Getty Images

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Charl Schwartzel successfully retained his Alfred Dunhill Championship title with a four-shot victory at Leopard Creek Country Club, finishing 17-under par for the tournament.

The South African ended his weekend with a four-under-par 68 - the third in four rounds - to finish well clear of Richard Finch and posted his third flawless card in Malelane. Birdies at five, six, eight and 13 were enough to secure victory from the Englishman.

Schwartzel, a former Masters champion, dropped only three shots in the entirety of the event, which all came in his opening visit. From there, the 29-year-old enjoyed three excellent rounds in order to secure his third Alfred Dunhill Championship crown.

"I had that hiccup in the first round through 17 and the first hole, and after that pretty much flawless with no bogeys from there on in," Schwartzel told the European Tour's official website. "Most of the time if you play 60 holes or whatever it may be without bogey then hopefully you'll win. It's always nice to get a win and get some confidence up."

British pair Simon Dyson and Ross Fisher made a 67 and 69 respectively to share third place, along with Frenchman Romain Wattel.

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