(GOLF) Tshwane Open Preview and Betting Tips
Tshwane Open
The European Tour stays on South African soil as the players head to Pretoria County Club for the Tshwane Open. This is the 5th time the event will be played, with the first 2 editions being held at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate in Centurion before the switch to Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof in 2015. With many of the worlds top players choosing to play the World Golf Championship in Mexico, the field comprises mainly of steady but not spectacular European Tour card holders as well as a number of home nation entrees.
Last Year: Charl Schwartzel stormed to the title with a score of -16, 8 shots clear of his nearest challenger. Unfortunately the South African will not be defending his title as he has instead chosen to play in Mexico; meaning a different name will be etched onto the trophy this year. Last year, 9 of the leading 12 players were from South Africa, meaning this year could follow the same trend. In this article, I will examine player's form at the Pretoria Country Club as well as their form in recent months. Using this information, I will then come up with a judgement on who I think will be the players to look out for in the upcoming event.
*The odds for for each player to win the event is provided by Sky Bet.
My Tips:
George Coetzee - 10/1: The South African has been listed as the favourite for this week's event and it is easy to see why. He won this event in 2015, and followed up this win with a strong T14 finish in last year's edition. Despite a lull in form at the start of the year, he has recently come back strong; with 3 top 15 finishes in his last 4 events. His odds are low so it may not be worth putting money on him, but given his recent form he is due another strong finish in this year's edition.
Dean Burmester - 14/1: The second favourite with Sky Bet this year is Dean Burmester. the 27 year old has been in electrifying form in recent weeks which has seen him reach the cusp of the world's top 100. In his last 10 events world wide the South African has finished in the top 20 on 8 occasions, including 5 top 10 finishes. He also has a history of strong showings in this event, with a T3 in 2015 and a T4 in 2016. Burmester has not yet won on the European Tour, but given his recent form this week could well be his week.
Dylan Frittelli - 33/1: At 33/1, Frittelli is expected to contend this week but many suspect he only has an outside chance of lifting the trophy. Coming off the back of a strong Challenge Tour showing in 2016 where he recorded 8 top 10 finishes and a win, the South African has also started 2017 in a similar manner. In the past 3 weeks he has finished in the top 16 on all 3 occasions, including a T2 at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship where he lost in a playoff. In addition to this, he is also comfortable at Pretoria Country Club, having finished T14 in this event in 2016 and T10 in 2015.
Justin Walters - 80/1: Walters has had a fairly horrendous start to this year, but amongst the plethora of missed cuts he has also had some steady finishes. But his form at this event catches the eye and is the reason why I included him as one of my picks. In 2015 he finished in a T23, but last year he did even better with a T4. Although not in great form, at 80/1 Walters has good odds and I will not be surprised if he were to replicate his form from last year's event and finish in the top 5.
Anthony Michael - 125/1: The World number 640 is not one of your household names, but he has good history at this year's event and he could be in for another strong showing. He has done fairly well in recent weeks, making his last 3 cuts and finishing in the top 25 in 2 of those. At this event in the past 2 years, he also has a T35 and a 3rd place position to his name. At 125/1, Michael has long odds and punters will no doubt attracted to his price this week.
Morten Orum Madsen - 300/1: Does anyone remember Madsen? The Dane was a steady European Tour player just a few years ago, and he even managed to win the South African Open Championship in 2013, beating the likes of Charl Schwartzel and Andy Sullivan in the process. But he has been in dismal form in recent years, and he has not been able to address this problem and has thus slid to a lowly 1164 in the world. In fact, his best finish in the past 1 and a half years has been a T33. But he has had good finishes in this event, with a T8 in 2013 and z 13th place finish in 2014. Since the event switched to Pretoria Country Club, he has a T15 in 2015, but did not play in 2016. At 300/1 he is expected to finish at the back of the field and many people would be hesitant to back him. But at 28 years old he is far from washed up, and if he could ignite his form from a few years ago he could well be a contender at this event.
Others that could contend: Thomas Aiken, Jacques Blaauw, Darren Fichardt, David Horsey, David Howell, Jean Hugo, James Morrison, Hennie Otto, Haydn Porteous, Jordan Smith, Peter Uihlein, Jaco Van Zyl
The European Tour stays on South African soil as the players head to Pretoria County Club for the Tshwane Open. This is the 5th time the event will be played, with the first 2 editions being held at Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate in Centurion before the switch to Pretoria Country Club in Waterkloof in 2015. With many of the worlds top players choosing to play the World Golf Championship in Mexico, the field comprises mainly of steady but not spectacular European Tour card holders as well as a number of home nation entrees.
Last Year: Charl Schwartzel stormed to the title with a score of -16, 8 shots clear of his nearest challenger. Unfortunately the South African will not be defending his title as he has instead chosen to play in Mexico; meaning a different name will be etched onto the trophy this year. Last year, 9 of the leading 12 players were from South Africa, meaning this year could follow the same trend. In this article, I will examine player's form at the Pretoria Country Club as well as their form in recent months. Using this information, I will then come up with a judgement on who I think will be the players to look out for in the upcoming event.
*The odds for for each player to win the event is provided by Sky Bet.
My Tips:
George Coetzee - 10/1: The South African has been listed as the favourite for this week's event and it is easy to see why. He won this event in 2015, and followed up this win with a strong T14 finish in last year's edition. Despite a lull in form at the start of the year, he has recently come back strong; with 3 top 15 finishes in his last 4 events. His odds are low so it may not be worth putting money on him, but given his recent form he is due another strong finish in this year's edition.
Dean Burmester - 14/1: The second favourite with Sky Bet this year is Dean Burmester. the 27 year old has been in electrifying form in recent weeks which has seen him reach the cusp of the world's top 100. In his last 10 events world wide the South African has finished in the top 20 on 8 occasions, including 5 top 10 finishes. He also has a history of strong showings in this event, with a T3 in 2015 and a T4 in 2016. Burmester has not yet won on the European Tour, but given his recent form this week could well be his week.
Dylan Frittelli - 33/1: At 33/1, Frittelli is expected to contend this week but many suspect he only has an outside chance of lifting the trophy. Coming off the back of a strong Challenge Tour showing in 2016 where he recorded 8 top 10 finishes and a win, the South African has also started 2017 in a similar manner. In the past 3 weeks he has finished in the top 16 on all 3 occasions, including a T2 at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship where he lost in a playoff. In addition to this, he is also comfortable at Pretoria Country Club, having finished T14 in this event in 2016 and T10 in 2015.
Justin Walters - 80/1: Walters has had a fairly horrendous start to this year, but amongst the plethora of missed cuts he has also had some steady finishes. But his form at this event catches the eye and is the reason why I included him as one of my picks. In 2015 he finished in a T23, but last year he did even better with a T4. Although not in great form, at 80/1 Walters has good odds and I will not be surprised if he were to replicate his form from last year's event and finish in the top 5.
Anthony Michael - 125/1: The World number 640 is not one of your household names, but he has good history at this year's event and he could be in for another strong showing. He has done fairly well in recent weeks, making his last 3 cuts and finishing in the top 25 in 2 of those. At this event in the past 2 years, he also has a T35 and a 3rd place position to his name. At 125/1, Michael has long odds and punters will no doubt attracted to his price this week.
Morten Orum Madsen - 300/1: Does anyone remember Madsen? The Dane was a steady European Tour player just a few years ago, and he even managed to win the South African Open Championship in 2013, beating the likes of Charl Schwartzel and Andy Sullivan in the process. But he has been in dismal form in recent years, and he has not been able to address this problem and has thus slid to a lowly 1164 in the world. In fact, his best finish in the past 1 and a half years has been a T33. But he has had good finishes in this event, with a T8 in 2013 and z 13th place finish in 2014. Since the event switched to Pretoria Country Club, he has a T15 in 2015, but did not play in 2016. At 300/1 he is expected to finish at the back of the field and many people would be hesitant to back him. But at 28 years old he is far from washed up, and if he could ignite his form from a few years ago he could well be a contender at this event.
Others that could contend: Thomas Aiken, Jacques Blaauw, Darren Fichardt, David Horsey, David Howell, Jean Hugo, James Morrison, Hennie Otto, Haydn Porteous, Jordan Smith, Peter Uihlein, Jaco Van Zyl
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