Golf
Chacarra charges and Schaper stays in the hunt at Royal Johannesburg─── MORGAN PIEK 08:01 Sat, 13 Dec 2025
Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra has put himself in a strong position heading into the weekend at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, opening up a two-shot lead as South Africa’s Jayden Schaper looms large once again in the DP World Tour title race.
Chacarra lit up the Royal Johannesburg East Course with a lively second-round 66 to move to 15 under par, setting the tone early with an eagle and a birdie in his opening three holes. A brief wobble in the middle of the round, with back-to-back bogeys, did little to dull his momentum as he finished strongly with two birdies in his final three holes.
“I started out very well, but the conditions were tricky with the wind,” said Chacarra.
“I didn’t have my best stuff on the back nine, but overall it was good golf. There’s still plenty of golf to play.”
The Spanish player was particularly pleased with the way he responded after his stumbles on the turn.
“After the bogeys on 10 and 11, the round could’ve gone a little south, so I was happy with the bounce back and the birdies at the end,” he added.
Chacarra knows the job is far from done on a course where low scores are always on offer.
Jayden Schaper. Photo: Sunshine Tour
“This is a golf course where you can go low, and a lot of players can still win. If I execute my game plan with my caddie and keep playing the way I have the last two days, I’ll give myself a good chance on Sunday.”
Closest in pursuit is Schaper, who continued his rich vein of form with a superb second-round 64 to climb to 13 under par.
The young South African is right back in the mix a week after finishing runner-up at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City a week prior.
“Last week was a good week for me, and I just wanted to build on that,” said Schaper.
“I had to adjust a bit to the yardages here, but I’ve done that now. This is a very familiar golf course for me, and I’m exactly where I want to be going into the weekend.”
Schaper will also be drawing on memories of 2020, when he came agonisingly close to lifting the Alfred Dunhill Championship trophy before finishing second behind Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Louis Oosthuizen. Photo: Sunshine Tour
England’s John Parry and South Africa’s Branden Grace are also firmly in the hunt at 12 under par, following solid second rounds of 66 and 67 respectively.
Former champion Louis Oosthuizen remains within striking distance as well, sitting on nine under par after a steady 68, rounding out the top 10 as the tournament heads into a wide-open weekend.
