King of the Creek

02 December 2016 - 12:53 By MICHAEL VLISMAS
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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa plays out of a bunker on the 14th during day one of The Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Golf Club yesterday.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa plays out of a bunker on the 14th during day one of The Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Golf Club yesterday.
Image: GETTY IMAGES

Charl Schwartzel does his best to play down his dominance of Leopard Creek, the host of this week's Alfred Dunhill Championship.

But the stats won't let him.

After a round of six under par to share the lead with Ireland's Paul Dunne in yesterday's first round, Schwartzel is now 128 under par for his career in this tournament. That includes his four victories in this event, and his four second-place finishes.

It makes him 83 shots better than any other player.

And when Schwartzel headed to the practice range following his round it was an ominous sign that he feels he can be even better here. Even playing partner Pablo Larrazabal had to admit, "You see, that's why he's so good here. He goes to the practice range. I'm going to the pool."

Schwartzel described his round as a grind on the front nine before he found some form on the back.

"I wasn't doing anything wrong really. A couple of shots just didn't finish as I planned. I knew if I could get through there that my game was feeling good and that it was just a matter of getting the execution I was looking for. And on the back nine it came together nicely.

"There was nothing off about my game on the front nine. I was hitting good shots, but they were finishing the wrong distances, and on this golf course, with all the slopes, you can sometimes end up a long way away."

Dunne could well have led on his own were it not for a double bogey on the ninth, where the young Irishman decided not to try his luck against the hazards of Leopard Creek.

"I tried to hit a sweeping draw off the ninth fairway and I blocked it. It landed on the path and then kicked in the middle of the bush. I looked for it around the edge of the bush but I wasn't fancying going deep in there to try and find it. I mean, it's not worth getting bitten by a snake or anything like that."

Schwartzel and Dunne are one stroke clear of a pack of six players, who include reigning South African Open champion Brandon Stone, who set the early clubhouse target of five under.

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