Schwartzel Now in Front at Alfred Dunhill Championship


Charl Schwartzel is in good position to defend his title in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. After two 4-under 68s, the 2011 Masters champion fired a 67 at Leopard Creek Country Club in Malelane, South Africa, for a two-stroke lead in the European Tour's second event of the new season.

Schwartzel stands at 13-under 203, two shots ahead of Richard Finch, who also shot 67, and three in front of Victor Riu (67).

"It's one of those courses where I'm comfortable with all of the right lines," said Schwartzel, who won the tournament last year by a record 12 strokes.

"A lot of golf courses you need to hit it on lines that you feel awkward with, but this course is mostly right in front of you. And I think it helps that I've had good success here too.

"If I had really putted well today it could have been very low. The good thing is that I know it's there. It very easily could have been low, but it was still a solid round of golf and this is still a tough golf course," Schwartzel told reporters.

"I felt a lot more comfortable and consequently I was hitting a lot more positive shots. I felt a little more in control than the last few days. Sometimes those things are unexplainable. It's just human nature and you go through those waves. I hope a good round like this picks me up and I go out tomorrow and have the same."

The winner of the first European Tour event - the South Africa Open, Morten Orum Madsen, began the third round tied for the lead with Schwartzel. But the Dane slipped way down the leaderboard following a 79.

For all the scores, visit http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2014/tournamentid=2013095/leaderboard/index.html.