The second of two European Tour events taking place this week has those not in Dubai competing in the South African Open. This event has the normal Thursday-Sunday format so the side-by-side tournaments will have a final round all to themselves. Both offer the same prize money and Race to Dubai points ahead of next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, so it will definitely be an odd week with plenty of intrigue and betting opportunities. Just like the previous events held in South Africa there is a strong contingent of local talent. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who topped the field at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship opened as the batting favorite. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds and to place your wager.
Odds to Win South African Open at BookMaker.eu
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +750
Dylan Frittelli +800
Brandon Stone +1300
Wilco Nienaber +1300
Matthias Schwab +1900
Scott Jamieson +1900
Shaun Norris +2100
George Coetzee +2400
Joost Luiten +2400
Johannes Veerman +2400
Daniel van Tonder +2400
Jayden Schaper +2700
Garrick Higgo +2700
Richard Bland +3400
Darren Fichardt +3400
Dean Burmester +3900
Jamie Donaldson +4900
Calum Hill +4900
Zander Lombard +4900
Louis De Jager +5900
Pablo Larrazabal +5900
Julian Suri +5900
Richard Sterne +6500
Adrian Meronk +6900
Jacques Blaauw +6900
Bryce Easton+6900
Neil Schietekat +7000
Shubhankar Sharma +7400
Jaco van Zyl +7500
Scott Vincent +7900
Jaco Ahlers +7900
MJ Daffue +8000
Aaron Cockerill +9000
Connor Syme +10000
Justin Walters +10000
Dale Whitnell +11000
Jonathan Caldwell +11000
Martin Rohwer +11000
Odds Analysis
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +750
It’s not always a good play to back the favorite or the winner from the previous week. Bezuidenhout just happens to be both. There usually isn’t a lot of value in the favorite and winning back-to-back events is a rarity. So, am I wasting money backing the South African? Some would probably say yes, but there is logic for the choice. Mainly it’s that Bezuidenhout plays really well on home soil punctuated with a win last week and a T15 at the Joburg Open. You know what, I talked myself out of backing Bezuidenhout and will look for better value picks down the list.
Richard Bland +3400
Bland has been consistently good over his lengthy career and appears ripe for a victory after a pair of top-10 showings the last two weeks. He’s liking the South African climate posting a T7 at the Joburg Open and co-runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week. That gives Bland four top-20s in his last five starts. The approach game is clicking and he ranked in the top-5 in total strokes gained. Bland also has a top-20 on this track making this pick even better.
Scott Jamieson +1900
There is some added motivation for a strong showing with Jamieson just outside the top-60 in the Race to Dubai. Couple that with his strong play in South Africa and you have a player poised for a big week. He earned a top-20 at the Joburg and followed that up with a T6 at Leopard Creek last week. He also has a runner-up finish on this course from a few years ago.
Pablo Larrazabal +5900
There’s nothing that currently stands out about Larrazabal’s game, which is probably why he’s further down the odds board. But we’ve seen the Spaniard break out at odd times, just like he did at the Alfred Dunhill Championship last November. He’s finished outside the top-20 in every event since the restart, but his T7 in Qatar before the lockdown followed a T65 in Oman. You get where I’m going here. He’s also enjoyed success in South Africa which is why he’s worth the risk.
Johannes Veerman +2400
Veerman’s game is better suited for the length of Gary Player’s course than it is the previous two layouts. That doesn’t mean he’s going to win the tournament, but his play has been solid and he’s looking to catch a break. Prior to arriving in South Africa, Veerman carded the lowest 72-hole score at the Cyprus Showdown, only to be out of luck with the unusual scoring system. He earned a T35 at the Joburg and followed that with a T25 at Leopard Creek. The game is sound and a course more to his liking should yield a better finish.
Course: Gary Player Country Club – 7,827-yards, Par-72
With the Nedbank Challenge off the schedule due to COVID, the longtime host of that event will instead take over the duties for the second playing this season of the South African Open. One of the longest courses on Tour at nearly 7,900 yards, Gary Player Country Club will be a test for the field. The parkland track has narrow fairways that can negate some of the advantage big hitters would have. The greens are smaller than average and also well-protected, putting a heavy emphasis on approach play and expert work with the flat stick. The layout is unlike what most are used to, so having previous experience could be an important factor, which is probably why the top of the odds board is littered with South African players.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu.
