Brandon Stone admits he is forever awestruck by the beauty of Leopard Creek Country Club as he hopes a return to the scene of past glory can serve him well at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.
The South African’s seven-shot victory on home soil in 2016 was the second of his three DP World Tour titles, following hot on the heels of his breakthrough triumph in his national Open earlier that year and preceding victory at the 2018 Scottish Open.
After a tough 2022 season in which Stone lost his full playing rights, Stone is delighted to be back at an event he is yet to miss the cut at in his five previous appearances.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “You just need to look behind me to see how unique and special this place is to everyone.
“I think South Africans sometimes take it for granted but I can definitely find myself staring at the sunset, staring at the park and decompressing from a very stressful and difficult 2022. To be here is spectacular.”
Six years ago, Stone began the 2017 season with an impressive display of frontrunning over the weekend as he ran away from his challengers, including 2008 champion Richard Sterne.
Asked what is required to challenge for the title on the edge of the magnificent Kruger National Park, he added: “It takes a lot of patience and skill. You can’t have one facet of your game not firing on all cylinders.
“I can very distinctly remember I stood on this wall here at the 13th in 2016 and was staring at a hippopotamus, knew how fortunate I was to be where I was and took it all in.
“If you cross off all those things, then I am sure you will be top of the list come Sunday afternoon.”
Stone’s countryman Christiaan Bezuidenhout won the most recent edition of the prestigious event in 2020, before last year’s tournament had to be cancelled amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
As for many South African golfers, Leopard Creek has left a lasting impression on the 29-year-old Stone, who describes the course as the “holy grail of golf”.
“Everything about Leopard Creek is my favourite,” he continued.
“If I had one round of golf left in my entire golfing career then it would be here.
“It’s so special. It’s the holy grail of golf for me. I do hope one day when I am maybe 75 I get to play one last round here as an old man, go out on my shield and shoot an 87 or something like that.
“I’ll be able to say I got my revenge in 2016 and got a win here so it is time to give back to the course.”
