The penultimate event on the European Tour takes place once again at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, when the field congregates for the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge. The Race to Dubai winner has been all but settled, but there are still spots open for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship next week, so there is plenty at stake. Native South African Brendan Grace returns to defend his title and at +1375 he’s the fourth favorite on the odds board at BookMaker.eu. Rory McIlroy at +650 and Sergio Garcia at +825 are the betting favorites in a top-heavy field. BookMaker.eu also offers matchup betting and we’ll dive into a few of them.
2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge Matchup Odds
Lucas Bjerregaard -140 vs. Danny Willett +120
Matthew Fitzpatrick -130 vs. Danny Willett +110
Martin Kaymer -110 vs. Charl Schwartzel -110
Sam Horsfield -105 vs. Jordan Smith -115
Ashley Chesters -110 vs. Ashun Wu -120
Maximilian Kieffer +105 vs. Mike Lorenzo-Vera -135
Joost Luiten -130 vs. Lee Westwood +110
Tom Lewis -125 vs. Julian Suri +105
Chris Paisley +110 vs. Paul Dunne -130
Darren Fichardt -135 vs. Hideto Tanihara +105
Haotong Li -120 vs. Shane Lowry +100
Branden Grace -135 vs. Shane Lowry +115
Mikko Korhonen -125 vs. Adrian Otaegui +105
Marcus Kinhult -105 vs. Matthias Schwab -115
Jason Scrivener +105 vs. Matthew Southgate -135
Gavin Green -120 vs. Joakim Lagergren -110
Alexander Levy -125 vs. Lucas Herbert +105
Dylan Frittelli -130 vs. Thomas Detry +110
Andrea Pavan -120 vs. Ross Fisher +100
Nacho Elvira -110 vs. Thomas Aiken -120
Erik Van Rooyen -105 vs. Ryan Fox -115
Robert Rock -155 vs. Shubhankar Sharma +135
Oliver Fisher +100 vs. Pablo Larrazabal -130
Andrew Johnston -120 vs. George Coetzee -110
Jorge Campillo -130 vs. Nicolas Colsaerts +110
Rory McIlroy -125 vs. Sergio Garcia +105
Sergio Garcia -140 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +110
Kiradech Aphibarnrat -115 vs. Andy Sullivan -105
Matt Wallace -115 vs. 7478 Alexander Bjork -105
Rory McIlroy -185 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +160
Lucas Bjerregaard -105 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick -115
Renato Paratore -110 vs. Trevor Immelman -120
Haotong Li -120 vs. Branden Grace +100
Matthieu Pavon -110 vs. Paul Waring -120
Need to Know
The course can stretch out to over 7,800 yards making it an absolute beast. And because of that it’s safe to assume that heavy-hitters would have an advantage. And for the most part that is the case, as long as they keep the ball on or close to the fairways. Veering off the path can get players in trouble and the greens are small and well guarded. So just hitting the ball a long way isn’t going to cut it. Plenty of sunshine and light winds are in the forecast making the course the only challenge. If you’re looking at course form, keep in mind that this event was invitation only up until 2014 and the field consisted of 12 players. Over the last two years the number of entrants increased to over 70.
2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge Matchup Picks
Lee Westwood +110 vs. Joost Luiten
It’s a sentimental pick with Westwood in this matchup but he’s worth it given his fondness for Gary Player’s course. Westwood knocked off 11 other players to win back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. And to prove that wasn’t a fluke and he still has game, Westwood returned last year and grabbed a share of sixth. He missed the cut at the British Masters, but rebounded with a top-5 at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters last month. He fell off the pace with a third-round 74 at the Turkish Airlines Open, but closed strong with a 66.
Shane Lowry +100 vs. Haotong Li
Two golfers on top of their game will make for an interesting matchup. I’m fading Li simply because he gagged on the first playoff last week to lose the Turkish Airlines Open. Staring down a 12-foot putt for the win, he ended up three-putting and handed the hardware to Justin Rose. His resolve will be tested, but that’s going to be tough to get over. The layout fits Lowry’s short game and he’s coming off consistent rounds of 68-70-67-68 for a T14 at the Turkish Airlines Open. He grabbed a runner-up finish to Sergio Garcia at Valderrama the event before that.
Sergio Garcia +105 vs. Rory McIlroy
How about a matchup between the two favorites? That’s what we have here and it could come down to the last hole on Sunday to decide. It’s hard to assess McIlroy’s game since he’s played just once since the Ryder Cup and that was a woeful T54 at the WGC-HSBC Champions last month. He is the favorite, but it’s probably wise to fade him until he figures out his game. Garcia has also started just once since the Ryder Cup, but he claimed a victory at his own tournament at Valderrama and grabbed a T7 at the Portugal Masters before dethroning the U.S. in France.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Nedbank Golf Challenge is scheduled for November 8-11 and can be seen on Golf Channel.
