South Africa’s Shaun Norris was overcome with emotion after claiming his place in Alfred Dunhill championship history with a thrilling single-stroke victory at Leopard Creek on Sunday, December 15.

Teeing off six shots off the pace on the fourth and final day, Norris needed a strong start and consistency to claw his way back into contention. This South African of Silver Lakes Country Club delivered. On the second he found the back of the cup for an eagle. “That eagle was key. It’s massive to get off to a good start and put yourself in a nice rhythm,” said the 42-year-old who turned pro in 2002.

A composed back nine highlighted by three birdies saw him close on 67, leading into the clubhouse on 13 under par, tied with a handful of players.
However, as they fell one by one, Norris ended up being the only player among the top four on the leader board who did not make a bogey on the back nine.

“I only knew I’d 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,” he said.

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Teeing off on the 18th, fellow South African Ryan van Velzen, who started the day on 12 under par, was the only player left with a realistic chance of snatching the title.
All he had to do was lay up and sink a birdie putt. That did not happen. Attacking the pin, Van Velzen overshot the treacherous island green and found the water at the back. He then missed a 12-foot par putt that would have secured a play-off. In a devastating case of ‘the one that got away’, 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.

In a scorching week during which the mercury touched the 50°C mark on day two, Norris carded scores of 67, 70, 71 and 67. Praising the condition of the course, Norris said adding the Alfred Dunhill Championship title to his CV meant everything. “It’s been a difficult year,” Norris said as his eyes welled up.

“This title means everything to me. To win here at Leopard Creek, which is always in spectacular condition and where we’ve had great 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’ve got so much to look forward to over the next few years. But now it’s time for a holiday.”

This is Norris’s second DP World Tour win after he claimed his first tour win at the Steyn City Championship in March 2022. “This just shows my golf is good enough to compete against the best,” he said. It is also his fourth Sunshine Tour victory adding to the Steyn City title as well as the 2008 Africa Open and the 2011 Nashua Masters.

Norris has been in Japan for nine years playing exceptional golf and raking in no fewer than seven titles – including the 2021 Japan Open, which he still regards as the biggest win of his career to date.

“To win any national open, no matter where in the world, is massive. I would love to win the SA Open or another national open somewhere else,” he said.

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While Sunday’s win secured him a two-year exemption to the DP World Tour and entry to the 2025 British Open, it remains to be seen on which tour Norris will focus his attention.
“I will definitely start the year off by playing a few more tournaments in Europe. Let’s see how it goes from there. I love Japan, the tournaments; I love the people out there, and for some reason it brings out the better golfer in me.”
Although Norris has won four titles in South Africa, he remains slightly underappreciated in his home country.

“Japan doesn’t advertise or put their golf on TV, so people don’t see what we do there. At the end of the day, I just want to play golf, enjoy myself and play on good courses. And if I can win tournaments, then I’m very blessed in doing that,” Norris said.

His Alfred Dunhill triumph has seen Norris climb to 129th in the Official World Golf Rankings, which is the highest he’s been ranked since January 2023. It also catapults him to first place on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, with only three tournaments played in 2024, overtaking Daniel van Tonder.