Steve Palmer's Alfred Dunhill Championship first-round predictions & golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and analysis for the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek on the DP World Tour.

When to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 10am Thursday

Best bets

Charl Schwartzel to win 9.50am threeball
3pts 7-5 Betfair, Power

Preview

The Sky Sports cameras will fall mainly on two groups on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek - and there is a betting opportunity to be had in one of those marquee matches.

When coverage starts at 10am, Sunday's South African Open champion Thriston Lawrence is scheduled to tee off alongside former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and recent Andalucia Masters victor Adrian Otaegui.

Ten minutes earlier, four-time Leopard Creek champion Charl Schwartzel is alongside Dean Burmester and Sean Crocker. Anything odds-against about Schwartzel winning that threeball seems worth taking. As well as his quartet of Alfred Dunhill victories, he has finished runner-up four times.

Burmester, who is passionate about rhinos and their conservation, always takes full advantage of the safari opportunities at Leopard Creek and enjoys his week at this incredible venue. On the golf course, though, he has been a regular flop. Burmester has played nine tournaments at Leopard Creek and has missed the cut in seven of them.

The reasons for opposing Crocker are more recent, as the American has completely lost his way since winning the Hero Open in July. In ten starts since that maiden victory, he has missed seven cuts, including in the South African Open last week. Crocker has not bettered 36th place in that period - a finish which came in the no-cut Nedbank Challenge.

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