Joburg Open Tips & Preview: Course Guide, Tee Times & TV

A handful of years ago we used two tracks at this venue but last seasons edition and this season we delve only into the tougher Firethorn course. It plays shorter than the yardage due to altitude and over the years hasn't overly suited one type of golfer in particular. The odd swashbuckling type has usually made it into the top 5 after the curtain descends but there's no clear indication that a long ball gives you a distinct edge here. Dealing with the difficult rough near the greens becomes a problem and those who scramble well usually feature in the finish. 

Dylan Frittelli at 20/1 (8 Places)

Hatton, Casey, Dustin, Morikawa, Horschel, Hovland, Willett and Cabrera-Bello have all come off the PGA schedule this year to win on the European Tour. The drop in class in many of these events can not be underestimated and this week in South Africa the standard sinks even deeper. Dylan Frittelli isn't in the same class as many in the list above but he also won't need to be anywhere near his best to win this. He faces a fair challenger in Burmester but I don't quite believe one should be half the price of the other. He shot 69-80 to miss the cut at the RSM but it's worth noting that conditions were tough on day two and maybe not to his liking. I certainly couldn't imagine a crisis after shooting a 69 the day before. He posted a similar woeful effort at the Fortinet only to finish inside the top 40 next time out at Sanderson. Afterewards missed cuts were sandwiched in between 22nd in Bermuda and 19th in Houston. Top 20s on the PGA tour will be enough of a standard to win this event this week and if Frittelli can produce anything near his best he could be another to add to that list. For someone who has top 5s in the Masters and Open in the past 12 months, the upside to his game is an awful lot bigger to anyone else in the field currently. Short game can be key around the greens here also and he excels in that department. I believe that yo-yo form in the States in still a better standard than the majority in this field and the 20/1 is closer to double what I'd make it. 

3pts each-way D.Frittelli  20/1 (1/5 8)

Zander Lombard at 70/1 (7 Places)

Zander Lombard looked like one of the standout prices early on Monday and although some of the bigger prices have been gobbled up, the 70/1 still looks a fair price to get involved with. Lombard has hit the bar on numerous occasions on tour and could possibly see out his career as a 'nearly' man. I'm hoping not though as he takes to a track where he has finished inside the top 20 twice on his last three efforts. The closer he got to the greens in Dubai a couple of weeks ago the more he improved and it wouldn't take a lot more to be competitive here. Some South Africans taste a lot more success on the Sunshine Tour but that can't even be said of Lombard whose sole win on his home tour came back in 2018. The top 25 in Dubai looks ideal preparation for a course he likes a lot.

1pt each-way Z.Lombard 70/1 (1/5 7)

Daniel van Tonder at 50/1 (8 Places)

There are plenty of unknowns in this field and I feel investing in them is risky. It'll be interesting to see what Vorster does here having shot 23 under around here before. Helligkilde is all the rage also and bookmakers are well on top of his chances. Daniel Gavins is another one worthy of interest given his win at the Galgorm earlier in the year and impressive results since. How well will Santiago Tarrio go this year after busting into the worlds top 100? It is all hard to predict and I'd air on the side of caution with a lot of these guys until we see some more evidence. One who is proven in these parts is Daniel Van Tonder and having gone through a lean spell of late may just be coming out of it. Earlier in the year Van Tonder rose to 72nd in the world rankings following his win in Kenya and a run of hot form on the Sunshine Tour that saw him win four times in the space of six starts. Sunshine form often hasn't translated to the big tour but in Van Tonder's case it did with that win in Kenya. 55th at the USPGA and 40th at the Open followed and he looked to be backing that form up. Recently has saw him miss five cuts on the trot before a return to form which saw him shoot four rounds in the 60s to finish 19th in Dubai two weeks ago. He has little form around here despite talking fondly of the greens and saying it's a place he looks forward to playing. There are others shorter in price who have worse records here though and I don't put a huge importance on that this week.

1pt each-way D.Van Tonder 50/1 (1/5 8)