South Africa will host the first European Tour event of the decade with the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg getting underway this week at the Randpark Golf Club. Two years ago the event merged with the Joburg Open and now has a massive field of around 240 golfers that will require two championship courses. The Bushwillow and Firethorn tracks will be used over the first two days with the remaining players attacking the more difficult Firethorn course over the weekend. The homeland is represented with its best players since it is their national event, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see one of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace or Brandon Stone at the podium on Sunday. Oosthuizen is the betting favorite to repeat as champion and is featured in a few tournament matchups. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
South African Open Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Johannes Veerman -115 vs. Dean Burmester -105
Bryce Easton -125 vs. Nicolai Hojgaard -105
Haydn Porteous -120 vs. Connor Syme +100
Callum Shinkwin -120 vs. Jaco Ahlers +100
Chris Wood -110 vs. David Drysdale -120
Justin Harding -120 vs. Sam Horsfield +100
Brandon Stone +110 vs. George Coetzee -130
Chris Paisley -130 vs. Rasmus Hojgaard +110
Eddie Pepperell -145 vs. Brandon Stone +125
Min Woo Lee +105 vs. Richard Sterne -125
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -130 vs. Joachim B. Hansen +110
Louis Oosthuizen -200 vs. Charl Schwartzel +170
Louis Oosthuizen -205 vs. Erik Van Rooyen +173
Keith Horne -110 vs. Laurie Canter -120
Jeff Winther -120 vs. Louis De Jager +100
Niklas Lemke -120 vs. Oliver Bekker -110
Sean Crocker -115 vs. Tapio Pulkkanen -105
Lee Slattery -135 vs. Neil Schietekat +105
Robin Roussel -135 vs. Darren Fichardt +105
Branden Grace -260 vs. Shaun Norris +220
Thomas Detry -260 vs. Shaun Norris +220
Wil Besseling -110 vs. Jamie Donaldson -110
Andy Sullivan -105 vs. Zander Lombard -115
Eddie Pepperell -125 vs. George Coetzee +105
Erik Van Rooyen -130 vs. Charl Schwartzel +110
Branden Grace +105 vs. Thomas Detry -125
Need to Know
Due to the size of the field, the Randpark Golf Club will use both its championship courses. The field will play one round each on Bushwillow and Firethorn to reach the cut line. The final 36 holes will be played exclusively on the 7,506-yard, par-71 Firethorn layout. It is the more difficult of the two, but given the elevation and straightforward design, it is scoreable. Bushwillow is much shorter and players will look to make up strokes when playing there. Also a par 71, the course plays at 7,115 yards and is tight in spots, but yields plenty of birdies. Firethorn allows for big hitters with its length and also has several scoreable par 5s. The final three holes are demanding and could make for an interesting finish. Since it’s been a few weeks I had to look back at my matchup picks from the Australian PGA Championship and noticed I did well going 2-1 with a nice upset selection of Min Woo Lee. It’s time to get back at it now that the Holidays are over.
South African Open Matchup Picks
Branden Grace +105 vs. Thomas Detry
Considering how miserable his 2019 was, backing Grace is risky. But, he’s been money on home soil and he showed signs of snapping out of the funk that saw him plummet in the world rankings with a T3 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. And did I say he plays well on the native courses? Of course I did. Grace has been strong in South African events over his career and grabbed a share of seventh last time at Randpark. He also had a runner-up and a T4 at the SA Open in the previous two playings. It’s hard to back off from the plus odds on a strong home player.
Brandon Stone +110 vs. George Coetzee
Another local who’s performed well in the Motherland, Stone figures to be among the top of the heap once the weekend rolls around. It’s been a bit of a down year for him, but he picked up his game at the end of 2019 with a runner-up finish at the Portugal Masters and a T13 at the Mauritius Open. Winning the SA Open and Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2016 only added to his legacy of great golf on home soil. He closed with a 66 at Randpark 13 months ago to earn a T7.
Charl Schwartzel +110 vs. Erik Van Rooyen
Last year was a forgettable one for Schwartzel, but not because of poor play. An injury sidelined him for months and he recently returned by snagging a T3 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He’s at plus-odds because of his inactivity, and also because he’s matched up with a solid golfer in EVR. There are a number of strong South African players in the field and Schwartzel just might be the best if he’s moved past the injury. He’s performed well at this event earning a T3 at Randpark last time with four other top-5s in the previous five editions.
Zander Lombard -115 vs. Andy Sullivan
With so many quality South African golfers in the field you can’t go wrong wagering on them. Lombard isn’t the most recognizable of the locals, but he’s playing solid golf heading into this event. He led the Nedbank Challenge after 54 holes before settling for T8, and he one-upped that with a T7 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship with some mind-boggling scrambling numbers. That’s proven to be a huge stat at the last two events at Randpark, forcing me to lean on Lombard in this matchup.
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. The South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg is scheduled for January 9-12, 2020, and can be seen on Golf Channel.
