Golf: South African Open
Venue: Gary Player Country Club, Sun City.
Dates: Thursday 3rd – Sunday 6th December 2020
Tournament Preview
The South African swing of the European Tour continues as it amalgamates with the African Tour once more for the South African Open. As the third event in as many weeks played in South Africa, the players are well accustomed to the playing conditions and will all be looking to cash in as 2020 comes to an end. Few golf environments are as idyllic as the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City and with some of the biggest names in South African and European golf in action, it promises to be a fascinating week. Ernie Els is a 5-time winner of the event and has his name etched into the fabric of the tournament whilst other notable previous winners include Henrik Stenson and Andy Sullivan.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
Plenty of the biggest names in South African golf are present in Sun City meaning it should be a hotly contested weekend:-
Christiaan Bezuidenhout – 7.00
Young South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout came from behind to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship last weekend and could take some stopping on recent form.
Having made some of the running at the Masters last month, Dylan Frittelli should arrive full of confidence here in the familiar surrounds of Sun City.
Home favourite Brandon Stone has enjoyed a decent year on the European Tour and if he plays to his strengths, he could be very much in the mix come Sunday afternoon.
Scotland’s Scott Jamieson is a solid performer on the European Tour and with back to back top 10 showings, he should be in the mix come Sunday here.
George Coetzee – 25.00
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Former Welsh Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson has been showing form of old in 2020 and he could get off to a flyer here in favourable playing conditions.
Fresh off the back of a top 15 finish at the Joburg Open a fortnight ago, Zander Lombard could be one of the early pace setters here at Sun City.
Zimbabwean Scott Vincent has enjoyed top 20 finishes in his last 2 outings in South Africa and is playing some excellent golf currently.
Top Ten Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Sun City, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday:-
Emerging South African Wilco Nienaber finished inside the top 15 in both of his last events and he looks well set to compete on Sunday afternoon once more, here in Sun City.
Young Austrian Matthias Schwab looks to have a big future ahead of him on the European Tour and he will want to finish a difficult 2020 on a high.
Experienced Englishman Richard Bland has finished in the top 10 in both of his events played in South Africa so far this year and he looks to be in the form of his life currently.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Dylan Frittelli – 22.00
1st Round Leader: Jamie Donaldson – 35.00
Top Ten Finish: Richard Bland – 4.00
