Dream week for young South African Williams in Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Robin Williams made a spectacular debut in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and achieved one of the best finishes of a South African in the history of this tournament.
The 23-year-old Williams finished tied fourth in this prestigious DP World Tour event, adding to his country’s proud record in the tournament which includes Branden Grace’s victory in 2012, Ernie Els’s two runners-up finishes in 2001 and 2003, and Richard Sterne’s runner-up finish in 2016.
“This is such a strong field so to be able to perform the way I did against these guys means the world to me,” said Williams, who in December 2023 finished tied 20th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek after leading the first round. He’ll look to take this form back to Leopard Creek again this year.
“It means everything in terms of my confidence. At the start of this year I was at a really low point with my game and kind of questioning a lot of things. To be able to turn it around and be in this situation competing against the big names on such a big stage, it’s mind blowing. I would never have believed it at the start of the year. It’s more just seeing my name alongside some of the biggest names in golf,” said Williams, who finished this year’s tournament as the leading South African in a star-studded field of Major winners.
Walking up the 18th hole of the Old Course on a Sunday afternoon and in contention was a particular highlight for the young star.
“As we walked up 18, my caddie said to me, ‘Just enjoy this moment and soak it in. You’ve played this hole so many times on PlayStation, so just enjoy it and soak it in’. And I did that. And then they introduced us as we walked up. It’s a dream come true. My main goal was just to make the cut and enjoy the week, but I managed to play some good golf. I’m just trying to soak it all in,” he said.
