European Tour: Alfred Dunhill Championship Power Rankings
By Sam Belden
South Africa’s Branden Grace will look to defend his title this week. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Well, did you miss it?! Just a few days after Rory McIlroy was crowned winner of the 2015 Race to Dubai, the 2016 European Tour season is getting underway at South Africa’s Alfred Dunhill Championship. Nowadays, there’s hardly an offseason in golf, and for die-hard fans, that’s a good thing.
One thing that last season emphasized was the importance of getting off to a good start in the Race to Dubai. Eventual runner-up Danny Willett won his first event before the calendar even turned to 2015. McIlroy wasn’t far behind, hoisting his first trophy in January. The R2D is a lot less volatile than the FedEx Cup, so European Tour members need to get moving while we’re still on the early part of the schedule.
The field at Leopard Creek Country Club won’t be a terribly strong one. The event is co-sanctioned between the European and Sunshine Tours, so quite a few slots are reserved for relatively inferior South African players. Besides, after the slog of the Final Series over the past few weeks, many of the world’s elite are taking the increasingly rare opportunity to spend a week at home.
Of course, there will still be some stars about. A trio of top 50 South Africans, loyal to their home country, are in the field this week, and incidentally, they’re the top three in my power rankings. Without further ado, let’s go ten deep and check out some of the best bets for success for the Alfred Dunhill Championship.