‘Baby-faced assassin’ Jayden Schaper eagles play-off hole to win Alfred Dunhill Championship

Jayden Schaper came of age as he sunk a 15-foot putt for eagle on the first play-off hole to win the rain-shortened Alfred Dunhill Championship at Royal Johannesburg on Sunday.

The 24-year-old and defending champion Shaun Norris had finished the 54-hole tournament on 16-under-par 198, forcing them into the sudden-death duel on the 18th, where both had missed chances to win the tournament in regulation.

In the play-off Schaper drove into the fairway bunker on the right while Norris sent his ball sailing down the middle of the fairway.

Norris, 43, then put his second onto the green, about 23-foot from the hole.

And that’s when Schaper turned into the baby-faced assassin, hitting a rescue club 238m straight at the pin, with the ball settling just off the back of the green about 15 feet from the hole.

It was so sweet that even Norris applauded as they walked to the green.

Norris missed his eagle shy and once again Schaper, who had finished tied for second at last weekend’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, displayed nerves of steel as he rolled in his putt for the first professional triumph of his career.

The fireworks had started earlier in the day with Norris launching his challenge with a chip-in eagle three on the eighth, followed by five birdies in the space of six holes on his back nine to take a two-shot lead with a round of eight-under 62.

At that stage Schaper had struggled to ignite under a gloomy sky which threatened more rain that had already forced organisers to shorten the par-five sixth to a par three and cancel Saturday’s round.

“The weather was so tough out there. It was so gusty, it was a little bit colder, it was a light rain that kind of kept coming,” said Schaper, who was level par for the round at the 14th.

But a birdie three there lifted his spirits, though his frustration returned after his tee shot on the par-three 16th landed just off the green.

“I was a little upset that it went over the green,” said Schaper, who chipped in to reduce the deficit to one stroke. “For that to fall in, I kind of thought, ‘OK, cool, we’re on here’.”

On the par-four 17th he knocked his approach close to secure another birdie and draw level with Norris.

But the shot of the day — perhaps the tournament — was his magic out the fairway bunker. “I just had a good lie, it was set up and I just had a feeling — it’s one of those shots where you feel comfortable.

“I looked at Keagan [Snalam, his caddie], he knew what I was thinking … to see it come out and I just knew it was going to be good, but then to just roll in the putt as well from just off the green, it’s always a bit of a tricky putt … especially with the kikuyu grass and with the green so wet.

“But, ja, just an incredible finish to such a cool week.”

Schaper said watching the ball drop put an exclamation mark on years of improving his craft. “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, a lot of work behind the scenes,” said the golfer who joined the paid ranks in 2020 after an impressive amateur career.

“We’ve been close quite a few times,” added Schaper, whose parents Ryan and Yolanda were in the crowd supporting him.

“I’ve always worked on consistent golf … I was never too fazed with maybe not winning this tournament … If you’re consistent eventually you’re going to put yourself in a few positions to win.”

Full leaderboard here