The European Tour returns for its first event of the calendar year in South Africa and the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni. Ernie Els plays host to Rory McIlroy, Andy Sullivan, Retief Goosen and Sir Nick Faldo to name just a few.
With a strong line-up assembling at Glendower Golf Club, our stats guru has crunched the numbers and come up with three players you need on yourDaily Fantasy team.
Pick of the favourites: Brandon Stone
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He may only be 23 and defending a title for the first time in his career but Brandon Stone could well be seen as the player to beat this week at Glendower. The young South African won his maiden European Tour title in emotional fashion last year, carding 27 birdies en route to a two-shot victory. Whilst he struggled in the middle of the season in 2016, missing seven of 12 cuts at one stage, he finished the year as he started, with a win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in his last start. In his last 11 appearances in South Africa, he has finished in the top 20 nine times, including three wins. It’s also worth noting that Stone started the week by shooting 61 in a practice round. He clearly likes it here.
Form horse: David Horsey
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David Horsey is one of a few players who probably didn’t welcome the Christmas off-season. The Englishman was in fine form at the end of 2016, finishing in the top 15 in six of his last nine starts whilst stringing together a streak of 28 straight rounds of par or better at one point. Horsey has won four European Tour titles in four different countries and will be looking to add South Africa to that list this week. The 31 year old has only played in this event twice, finishing in the top 20 in his debut back in 2009. His all-round game and improved putting should serve him well at Glendower Golf Club.
Wildcard: Retief Goosen
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Ranked outside the top 200 in the world and aged 47, most people would admit that Retief Goosen is now an outsider for a victory on the European Tour. However, his record at the SA Open is outstanding. In 13 appearances, he has a win (2005) and nine top six finishes. Last year, the two-time Major champion gave the local fans plenty to cheer for when he finished in the top five with an average driving distance of 306.4 yards. Only the tournament winner, Brandon Stone, made more birdies than Goosen’s 24. He has finished in the top 25 in each of his last seven starts in his native South Africa and will be looking to become the oldest winner of the SA Open, beating Mark McNulty who was 47 and 93 days when he won back in 2001.
Those are our picks, now it’s time to make yours. Good luck!
