Centurion - A grand total of 20 South Africans will be in action on the premier golf tours this week, with 14 teeing it up at the Kenya Open, at the Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi, starting on Thursday.
Leading the SA charge in the DP World Tour’s (DPWT) Kenya Open will be defending champion Justin Harding.
The 36-year-old is 11th in the DPWT rankings with two top-10 finishes this year and a 25th place his worst result from his three events. Harding also notched up a tie for 24th on the Asian Tour’s Saudi International at the beginning of February.
With Harding in promising form, there’s every chance he will produce a strong title defence.
Defending champion @JustinHarding60 plotting his way around @muthaigagolfclub at The #MagicalKenyaOpen - A return to the inaugural venue of this historic event. Previous winners here include #Seve #Woosnam #Immelman Coverage starts Thursday! pic.twitter.com/gNwf7w6LwV
— Iona Stephen (@Iona_Stephen) March 2, 2022
Another South African who could be in contention is Zander Lombard. The 27-year-old has two third place finishes in his last two events, starting with The Ras Al Khaimah Classic on the DPWT three weeks ago; and the co-sanctioned Sunshine and European Challenge Tour’s Cape Town Open a week later.
Joburg Open champion Thriston Lawrence has moved down to 19th on the DPWT rankings after winning the first event of the 2022 season in November. Since his breakthrough victory, which also earned him exemption into The Open at St Andrews later this year, the 25-year-old has found good results rather more elusive. In his next five events he has missed two cuts and notched up two top-20 finishes.
Meanwhile, SA Open champion Daniel van Tonder will fancy his chances at the Kenya Open. Van Tonder won the Kenya Savannah Classic last year down the road at Karen Country Club. Since then, Van Tonder tasted victory at the SA Open and will return to the East African nation full of confidence.
The other SA players in the field are Hennie du Plessis, Toto Thimba Jnr, Dean Burmester, Bryce Easton, Oliver Bekker, Jacques Blaauw, Jayden Schaper, Haydn Porteous, Jacques Kruyswijk, and Richard Sterne.
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Over the pond on the US PGA Tour, six South Africans will gun for glory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Dylan Frittelli could provide the best showing based on current form. The 31-year-old has finished 26th and 16th in his last two starts. In fact, Frittelli was just two shots off a top-10 finish at the Honda Classic last week. Currently one of the big-hitters on tour, as he ranked inside the top-20 in driving distance last season, there’s every chance Frittelli could be in contention this week.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, as the top-ranked SA player in the field at 59th in the world, is already playing his seventh event on the PGA Tour this season. Though he has picked up just two top-20s in his first six tournaments, he will be hoping to move back into the world’s top-50 and improve on his career high ranking of 33rd he achieved in January last year.
His last 4 worldwide starts:
2nd
T21
1st
T29
He's currently T7 at @APInv.
Meet Christiaan Bezuidenhout: pic.twitter.com/GzLvDiDQlh
Erik van Rooyen will be playing his sixth event of 2022, and his fourth on the PGA Tour. His best finishes this season came in the two DPWT events he played in January with 12th and fourth place result to his name.
A quiet tie for 29th followed for the 32-year-old on his his return to the PGA Tour at the Genesis Invitational on February 20, and after a break last week Van Rooyen should be ready for a strong performance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Branden Grace, Garrick Higgo and Charl Schwartzel complete the SA lineup. The 2011 Masters champion Schwartzel, in particular, will be hoping to find something in his game, and quickly, after three missed cuts in a row.