Justin Rose closed the gap with Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the Race to Dubai to just over 100,000 points thanks to last week’s win at the Turkish Airlines Open. It was Rose’s second win in as many weeks but he’s giving the rest of the European Tour a chance this week as he is skipping the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.
Mixture of Power and Accuracy Required in Sun City
Rose’s understandable absence aside there’s a quality field assembled at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City. Always one of the most popular venues of the year thanks to its wonderful surroundings, Gary Player CC is a 7,831 yard par 72. That scary yardage is tempered somewhat as the course is at altitude and so the ball travels further but previous winners prove that power off the tee, providing it is harnessed alongside hitting fairways, is an important attribute to have here.
The best drivers of the ball have a distinct advantage at Gary Player CC but the course still poses plenty of challenges from the middle of the fairway. The greens are not only small but they are generally surrounded by bunkers. Hitting the putting surfaces in regulation is no mean feat and the majority of shots which miss will be further punished by those tricky bunkers.
Fleetwood Worth Chancing Again
Tommy Fleetwood turned up to Antalya last week hoping to all but confirm the Race to Dubai title. The 26-year-old was looking uncatchable at the top of the rankings after the competition had appeared to melt away but Rose’s dramatic win has given him plenty to think about. Still, Fleetwood has two more cracks at the title and he can sew it up before heading to Dubai next week at a course which suits his game.
There is no doubt that Fleetwood is playing the golf of his life right now. And yet, he already has a decent record at Gary Player CC with finishes of 14, 21, 14 in his last three starts. There is also no doubt that he has to overcome a high level of competition to get the win this week but he has served it up to the best players in the world this year and looks a good price for a big win at 20/1 with Coral.
Last Week’s Taste to Push Colsaerts On
Nicolas Colsaerts’ face after missing his birdie putt on the 18th green on Sunday said it all. It looked as though he couldn’t believe he had thrown his chance of winning away with his penultimate shot after such an incredible run through the tournament.
It’s been a long time since the Belgian was in with a chance of winning a big tournament. After a few years in the doldrums (at least for a player of his quality) Colsaerts can take great heart from his battle with Justin Rose down the stretch. In the end a couple of loose shots and a few putts cost him but if he plays anything like as well this week as he did last week, he’ll have a real chance of winning again. At 40/1 with Bet365, Colsaerts is a good value each way bet given his immense power.