Three of the world’s top 10 golfers and eight of the top 20 will contest the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge over the Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City, beginning on Thursday.
South Africa’s world number five, Ernie Els, who is chasing a record four victories in the 27th edition of the tournament, is the highest ranked player in the 12-man line-up.
Also included are top-tenners in Adam Scott (6) of Australia and England’s Justin Rose (8), who topped the Order of Merit on the 2007 European Tour after winning the end-of-season Volvo Masters.
Other players in the top 20 shooting for the $1,2-million first prize are South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini (11), Australia’s 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy (13), Swede Henrik Stenson (16), England’s Luke Donald (17) and Niclas Fasth (19), also of Sweden.
Fasth is a late replacement for defending champion Jim Furyk of the United States, who also won here in 2005 but has withdrawn because of a neck injury.
Ireland’s British Open winner Padraig Harrington and Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who like Furyk has won twice at Sun City, have also pulled out.
Harrington wants to be at the side of his heavily pregnant wife, Caroline, who is expecting their second child, while Garcia is taking a rest after what has been an exhausting year for him.
Trevor Immelman of South Africa replaces Garcia and American Stewart Cink has come in for Harrington.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen and compatriot Charl Schwartzel, who earns a spot by topping last summer’s Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, complete the 12-man line-up.
At 7 162m, the Gary Player Country Club course is one of the longest in world golf and tournament director Alastair Roper expects it to play even longer than normal is week.
”We’ve had a lot of rain recently so the fairways are very soft and there will be hardly any run on the ball,” he explained.
”What’s more, the kikuyu rough is particularly punishing this year because of the wet summer we’re having. So it’s going to be a tough test.”
Stenson, who finished second on 10-under-par 278 last year — two behind winner Furyk — says the greens are rolling very true and are receptive because of the rain.
”So the plus is we can fire at the flags, even with a long-iron, and can expect to get some spin and therefore some control.”
Like Rose, Sabbatini is a tournament rookie but he, too, is coming off a big year in which he won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and earned in excess of $4,7-million on the US PGA Tour.
”Apart from Johnny Miller the very first year, a tournament rookie has never won at Sun City before but clearly Rory and Justin have a good chance this time,” said Els, pointing out that Ogilvy and Fasth are also first-timers and also playing well. — AFP
