South African Open marks end of 2008
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 South African Airways Open | Preview | 17 Dec 2008
The final European Tour event of the calendar year 2008, the South African Open, is to be played at the Jack Nicklaus designed layout at the Pearl Valley Golf Estates in Paarl, in the Cape Winelands to the north and east of Capetown.
The event is being played at Pearl Valley for the second occasion following the surprise victory by James Kingston last year. Typically in the past this event has been played over traditional South African golfing layouts but the power of the corporate money involved this week sees the event being played here again.
This is a tough layout with only 4 under par winning last year and only six players under par at the completion of the week although much of the difficulty was brought about by windy conditions.
As could be imagined in an event where a national title is at stake the tournament has attracted the elite of South African golf along with several highly credentialed internationals.
Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Rory Sabbatini, Charl Schwartzel and last week’s Richard Sterne head the list of locals but with Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy also in the field, this promises to be a grand finale to the 2008 year.
Stenson is the leading world ranked player in the field just ahead of Els and coming off such a magnificent run of form in recent weeks the Swede will be hard to beat. At his last tournament start, Stenson made a one horse race of the Nedbank Challenge and it will be a major surprise if he does not at least contend this week.
Els has also played well in his latest starts but it has been a month since he has played that being when 15th at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. A multiple winner of this event, Els deserves respect but he had only an average week at this venue last year.
Tim Clark arrives off the back of his victory in the Australian open last week but if his comments to the media in Sydney about this venue are anything to go by then he will struggle to do well. His class and current form will take him a long way but he admits he struggles on this golf course where he could only manage a 41st placing last year.
Two time winner, Trevor Immelman has shown improved form in recent months and could well add a third national title to his name. He was 10th at the Nedbank Challenge and 5th at the Visa Taiheiyo in Japan suggesting that his game is not too far from where it needs to be to contend. Immelman withdrew from this event last year after a few holes with what was eventually diagnosed as a benign tumour on his lung and on which he had surgery before returning to win the US Masters.
Lee Westwood has been in marvellous form in recent months and despite a disappointing week last week when 16th at the Alfred Dunhill a big week is expected from him.
Rory McIlroy surprisingly missed the cut last week at the Alfred Dunhill but his form prior to that was good and while this is a tough field to beat he is a player who one day will handle these assignments with ease. He has had several near misses of late and the 19-year-old could do very well.
There are no Australasians in the event which is co-sanctioned between the European and Sunshine (South African) Tours.
