- Nine-time major champion Gary Player was impressed with Christiaan Bezuidenhout's triumph at the Alfred Dunhill Championship this past weekend.
- Bezuidenhout sealed his second European Tour title at Leopard Creek with a four-shot victory.
- Player believes the future of South African golf is "looking bright".
Nine-time major champion Gary Player has hailed countryman Christiaan Bezuidenhout after his incredible win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on Sunday.
Bezuidenhout signed a 3-under final round to finish the tournament at 14-under to seal a four-shot victory in Malelane.
The win was Bezuidenhout's second European Tour title after his maiden triumph at last year's Andalucia Masters in Spain.
Player congratulated Bezuidenhout on Twitter and proclaimed that the future of South African golf was bright.
"Congratulations @BezChristiaan! What a fantastic result at a special golf course. He keeps getting better and better. The future of South African golf is looking bright," wrote Player.
Bezuidenhout is also the fourth South African to win on the European Tour this year, the others being Branden Grace (SA Open), George Coetzee (Portugal Masters) and Garrick Higgo (Open de Portugal).
Meanwhile, the win saw Bezuidenhout jump 20 places - from 61st to a career-best 41 on the world golf rankings - making him the second-highest ranked SA golfer, behind Louis Oosthuizen (20).
The 26-year-old pocketed a whopping €252 639 (R4.6 million) for his efforts and moved to ninth on the European Tour's Race to Dubai rankings.
"This tournament has been close to my heart since I played it for the first time. It's always been a tournament I wanted to win and to pull it off today is really, really special to me," said Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout will next tee off in this week's South African Open at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.
Congratulations @BezChristiaan! What a fantastic result at a special golf course. He keeps getting better and better. The future of South African golf is looking bright. All my best. https://t.co/MtmCNug2NB
— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) November 29, 2020
