Schwartzel repeats as Alfred Dunhill Championship winner

MALELANE, South Africa, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Charl Schwartzel completed a third consecutive bogey-free round and defended his Alfred Dunhill Championship Sunday in South Africa.

Schwartzel turned a 4-under-par 68 in the final round, leaving him at 17-under 271 for the tournament. Richard Finch ended up at 13-under after a final-round 70 and was second.

Simon Dyson fired a 67 Sunday, while Ross Fisher had a 69 and Romain Wattel 71 to forge a three-way tie for third at 10-under for the tournament.

Schwartzel was very consistent through the week. He had a double bogey at No. 1 and a bogey at 17 Thursday but posted 20 birdies and 50 pars on the other holes of the event.

Schwartzel started the final round two strokes up on Finch, who shared the lead Sunday after birdies on two of the first three holes. Schwartzel pulled back ahead with a birdie at No. 5 and both players had birdies at 6 and 8.

Finch stumbled with a bogey at 11 and, after Schwartzel birdied 13, a double bogey at the par-4 14th. That put Schwartzel up by five. Pars the rest of a way gave him a clear win.

Sunday marked Schwartzel's first European Tour win since he claimed the Alfred Dunhill Championship last December. He has 12 wins as a professional.

It was his third time winning the tournament. His first professional win came in December 2004 at the Dunhill. Of the three times he's won the event, this year's was the closest. He took the 2004 title by seven strokes and won by 12 a year ago.