Wilco Nienaber will be looking to cement his spot at the season-ending Grand Final in Mallorca when he tees it up at the Hangzhou Open on Thursday.
Currently sitting in 43rd in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, the South African finds himself on the right side of the top 45 cut off, but nervously looking over his shoulder at those who could leapfrog him, and see his season end this week.
Nienaber will be looking to make sure that doesn’t happen and he reaches the season finale, a fine achievement considering he doesn’t feel his results have reflected his game this campaign.
“It’s been a weird season,” he said. “I’m not in the position I’d like to be, but I’m still playing.
“The game is definitely improved. I’m not quite getting the scores and results that I feel would reflect how I’m playing but that’s how this game works and you’ve got to keep going.”
At the start of the season, Nienaber decided he was going to focus all his energies on the HotelPlanner Tour, having split his time between the DP World Tour and Road to Mallorca in previous years.
Although he says this has made planning his season less stressful, it hasn’t reduced the challenge the two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner faces week-to-week, with one part of the game standing out as to where improvement is needed.
“Scheduling has been way easier this season but it’s still tough,” he added.” “It’s still really good golfers, it’s still tough to get good results. I’m happy I did it just to focus on one thing and I definitely feel I’ve learnt a lot.”
“I just need to be consistently putting better. I think, with the stats that I keep, if I have a good week in putting then I’ll be up there, but I’m just kind of still trying to figure out what it is that’s keeping me from putting consistently.
“It’s an ongoing process but the game is definitely there, it’s just getting everything to work together.”
Nienaber’s season has been one of consistency. The 26-year-old has made 17 of his 21 cuts on the Road to Mallorca, with the highlight coming in a second placed finish at the Dormy Open.
But this remains the only top ten of his season and leaves him with work to do this week in China.
Nienaber is hopeful that he can rise up the Rankings for a third consecutive week at Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club, a golf club that suits his eye, and put himself in position to compete for what’s at stake at the Grand Final.
“I’m just going to do what I do, stick to my process and see Sunday if it’s enough or not.
“Over the last few events I’ve moved up in the Rankings every week so if I can keep doing that and hopefully have a big one in the next two that would be nice but it is what it is, I’ll just try and do my thing.
“Being long off the tee helps this week. The course feels a little dryer than the last time so not sure if the rough will be as thick, just being in play off the tee and holing putts.
“I enjoy playing in China. It’s different golf courses, bigger golf courses than Europe, I can play more my type of game and it’s obviously a different culture which I enjoy.”
Nienaber joins a strong field at the Hangzhou Open that includes Road to Mallorca number one and two Christopher Blomstrand and Pablo Ereno, as well as 48 players from the China Tour.
The South African tees off on Thursday at 11:40am local time with compatriot Ryan Van Velzen and Yin Ho Yue from Hong Kong.
