PREVIEW: 2022 DP World Tour – Nedbank Golf Challenge

2021/2022 DP World Tour
Nedbank Golf Challenge
The Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
10th-13th November

The tour returns after a one-week hiatus for the event lovingly dubbed Africa’s Major: the Nedbank Golf Challenge. This event conjures up wonderfully nostalgic memories for a South African sport enthusiast.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge was first staged in 1981 and the legendary Johnny Miller pocketed the then-astronomical half-a-million-Dollar purse. The event faded in relevance over the years. It started to feel like a glorified exhibition for players keen on an early start to their holidays.

In 2013, the tour changed the format from a 12-man invitational event to a 30-man event. It was now a co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour, giving it relevance outside of a nice purse.

It was part of the now-defunct Final series before being elevated to Rolex Series status in 2019. Due to all the Covid ramifications, this will be the first time the event has been staged in three years.

The top 60 in the Race to Dubai standings will be whittled down to 30 ahead of next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

The Gary Player Country Club

The Gary Player Country Club is quite simply one of the most iconic sporting venues in Africa. Set in an extinct volcanic crater, this parkland layout looks an absolute brute at 7,833 yards.

That being said, the ball does travel a bit further due to the altitude. Still, length off the tee doesn’t harm your chances here. But the deceptively narrow Kikuyu fairways are crucial to find.

The Kikuyu rough is notoriously difficult and needs to be avoided at all costs. What you really need is a nice hybrid of distance and accuracy (think DJ).

It’s little wonder that driving maestro Lee Westwood has won here on three previous occasions. The small bentgrass greens are guarded by plentiful bunkers (which you would expect from a Gary Player layout). But scrambling could become a key stat as players are left with plenty of tricky little shots around these greens.

The Contenders

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood will be looking forward to this challenge. He finished fourth last time out at the CJ Cup and he will be desperate to add another win to his resume (he really needs more considering his ability).

Jordan Smith will be looking to make it back-to-back victories following his heroics in Portugal a fortnight back. Perennial bridesmaid Thomas Detry will feel quite confident following a successful two-week stint Stateside.

Ryan Fox’s length off the tee should be a huge asset while Robert Macintyre will want to further enhance his burgeoning Ryder Cup prospects. The likes of Rasmus Hojgaard and Min Woo Lee provide some pizazz further down the market.

This should be an exhilarating week as players tussle for their place at the season-ending showpiece.

Past Winners

2021-2020: no event
2019: Tommy Fleetwood (-12) *playoff
2018: Lee Westwood (-15)
2017: Branden Grace (-11)
2016: Alex Noren (-14)
2015: Marc Leishman (-19)

To Win Outright:

Tommy Fleetwood 9/1 | Jordan Smith 14/1 | Thomas Detry (16/1), Ryan Fox (16/1), Robert Macintyre (16/1)

Value Bets

Thriston Lawrence- To Win 40/1 | To Place 17/2

SA hopeful Thriston Lawrence has already made a significant splash on the newly-envisaged DP World Tour (winning the Joburg Open and Omega European Masters). Sure, he has been a little inconsistent outside of those wins. But this course should suit him down to a tee. He currently ranks 25th on tour SG: Tee-to-Green, and he was sixth last time out at the narrow Valderrama layout. Also, both of his victories have come at venues where he had to make altitude adjustments. He was 19th here last year at the SA Open and, he just looks great value to place at 17/2.

Gavin Green- To Win 45/1 | To Place 19/2

Gavin Green is a guy who comes into this event with great under-the-radar form. He has made his last 10 consecutive cuts. In that time, he has three runner-up finishes to his name! He only has a best finish of 21st in his two appearances here. But his current form is impossible to ignore. His approach play has seen him rank sixth, eightth and first in the field in his recent starts. This should come in handy with these small bentgrass greens to consider. He also has good course form at Doha and Crans (two courses that correlate well with this challenge).

The Man to Beat- Min-Woo Lee- To Win 20/1 | To Place 44/10

This has been an indifferent year for the mercurial Min Woo-Lee. He began the year well enough, finishing T4 at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. But he then went on a sequence of underwhelming results that lasted pretty much the whole year. There have been glimpses of his brilliance (he actually finished T14 at the US Masters and T27 at the US Open). He actually equalled the lowest-ever front-nine score at Augusta with a six-under-par score on Sunday. There is no doubting his talents. And he has started to show signs of improvement since returning to the DP World Tour. He placed 3rd at the Open de Espana and the Andalucia Masters. He seems to be trending well for a tilt at this title.