European Tour's long road begins in South Africa

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2005 South African Airways Open | Preview | 18 Jan 2005

The European Tour hits the start of a long and winding road in 2005 when the South African Airways Open gets underway on Thursday at the Durban Country Club in the province of Kwazulu Natal. It is the start of a road which for many will take them from to Singapore, Melbourne, Auckland and Kuala Lumpur over the next five weeks.

The course, adjacent to the Indian Ocean, was built back in 1922 and was designed by George Waterman and Laurie Waters. It has undergone some redesign by Gary Player and his company, but much of the quality original design has stood the test of time. The course is staging the event for the 16th occasion. The Durban Golf Club has long been considered one of the top few courses in South Africa and again after a break of two years, the event is back at what many consider the home of South African golf.

The defending champion is the fine 25-year-old Trevor Immelman, who in the last two years has emerged as one of the leading players in Europe. In 1999, Immelman played the US Masters as an amateur having gained a start there via the US Public Links Championship and while it took him a season or two to find his feet in professional golf, he has now established himself as one the stars of the European Tour. Immelman has in fact won this event the last two years, both times when the event was held at the Erinvale Golf Club in Western Cape Province and he enters this year’s event not without a chance of a “three-peat”.

The last time the tournament was held here was in 2002 when Tim Clark ran out the winner over England’s Steve Webster. Immelman’s last event was at the Volvo Masters when he finished in 9th place, completing a year which saw him win this event and the Deutsche Bank SAP Open in Germany. He has therefore had quite a break from competitive golf.

Other players who will be very much in favouritism for the event include Darren Clarke, who has spent some time at home of late with a sick wife, Tim Clark, David Howell, and Charles Schwartzel who won the Dunhill Championship late last year in South Africa following an 8th place the week before in Hong Kong. That leaves Schwartzel in 2nd place on the 2005 Volvo Order of Merit with those two events being part of the 2005 season despite being played in 2004. In 2002, as a 17-year-old, Scwartzel finished 15th here so if natural improvement is anything to go by then he should be a consideration this year.

Another player who may do well is the experienced David Frost, who seems to be emerging from a dark patch in his game. Last Friday he qualified via the International Qualifying for this year’s British Open which may provide the encouragement to do well here at an event he won in 1999.

No Australasians are in the field this week, most Australasian players who are European Tour members preferring instead to wait for the first event of the 2005 Australasian Tour, the co-sanctioned Heineken Classic, in order to start their European campaign for 2005. With the event being isolated this year instead of being played either immediately before or after the Dunhill Championship, there is little incentive for Australasian golfers to fly across the Indian Ocean for the one event. The event has been part of the European Tour since 1997.

The tournament carries prizemoney of €713,000 or AUD$1.3 million.