Pablo Larrazabal Leads Race to Dubai After Opening Week Win
By Matt Coles
With victory at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa this weekend, Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal takes the early lead in the Race to Dubai standings.
Pablo Larrazabal took a one-shot victory at Leopard Creek on Sunday afternoon, having battled through the pain of blisters on his feet, and the pain of carding a front nine of 41.
The victory gives the Spaniard a lead of 155 points at the top of the Race to Dubai standings for the 2020 season, as he took home 460 points for winning his fifth European Tour title.
The 36-year-old last took a victory on the Tour in 2015, when he won the BMW International Open for a second time, having also won the title in 2011. He has also lifted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Open de France crowns in his career.
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Runner-up in South Africa was Joel Sjoholm, who sits on 305 points after his efforts this week, in what was his best ever result on the European Tour.
The 34-year-old Swede only has a single professional victory, which came at the Italian Challenge Open, a Challenge Tour event, back in 2017.
Branden Grace, Wil Besseling and Charl Schwartzel all finished in a tie for 3rd at the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Sunday, and they sit in the same spot on the Race to Dubai list.
Schwartzel is a four-time winner of the Alfred Dunhill, and he returned to the European Tour after a seven-month layoff with injury last week.
Johannes Veerman, Zander Lombard, and Justin Harding are all in a tie for 6th in the Race to Dubai list for the new season, with the trio all taking home 66.8 points home from their week’s work in South Africa.
Connor Syme and Garrick Porteous are the last two men inside the top ten, with 48.8 points each, but it is Larrazabal that leads the way after the first event of the season.
The AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open takes place next week, with 2,000 points on offer, with the winners’ share being 460 points once again.
Race to Dubai Leaderboard:
1: Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) – 460.0
2: Joel Sjoholm (SWE) – 305.0
T3: Branden Grace (RSA) – 141.6
T3: Wil Besseling (NED) – 141.6
T3: Charl Schwartzel (RSA) – 141.6
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Next Five Events:
Dec 5-8: AFRASIA BANK Mauritius Open – 2,000 points available
Dec 19-22: Australian PGA Championship – 2,000
Jan 9-12: South African Open – 2,000
Jan 16-19: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – 7,000 (Rolex)
Jan 23-26: Omega Dubai Desert Classic – 4,250