This week sees the penultimate event in what has been another thrilling DP World Tour season, with the 41st staging of the famed Nedbank Golf Challenge (lovingly known as Africa’s Major).
2022/2023 DP World Tour
Nedbank Golf Challenge
Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
9th-12th November
This week sees the penultimate event in what has been another thrilling DP World Tour season, with the 41st staging of the famed Nedbank Golf Challenge (lovingly known as Africa’s Major).
This is one of those weeks that taps into my sporting subconscious, generating nostalgia for an event that has been pivotal in shaping the South African sporting landscape.
The Nedbank Golf Challenge
This was one of the most lucrative events in golf when first staged in 1981, with Johnny Miller pocketing a then-unfathomable half-a-million-dollar purse for his victory.
This event helped to sell the notion that South Africa was a serious sporting nation. The tournament collected an esteemed winner’s roster, with titans like Faldo, Els and Ballesteros emerging victorious in Sun City.
But it slowly started to fade in relevance, with growing worldwide purses making it seem more and more quaint with each passing year. It really started to feel like little more than a glorified exhibition match.
2013 was a pivotal year in the evolution of the event, as it was expanded from a 12-man invitational to a 30-man event co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour. This paved the way for an even more dramatic revamp in 2016, where the event suddenly ballooned to a 72-man field.
It was part of the now-defunct Final series before being elevated to Rolex Series status in 2019. The Covid fallout saw the event sidelined for three years but it returned to the roster last season (minus its Rolex Series designation).
As it was in 2019, and last season, this week’s event will be the penultimate event before the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
It is a limited field gathering for the leading 60 available players from the DP World Tour. The field will also include the winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and a couple of high-profile tournament invites.
The Gary Player Country Club
The Gary Player Country Club is undoubtedly one of the most iconic sporting venues in Africa. Set in an extinct volcanic crater, this parkland layout is a beast that can be stretched in excess of 7,800 yards. That being said, the ball does travel a bit further due to the altitude.
Still, length off the tee is certainly advantageous here. But it’s probably more important to safely find these deceptively narrow kikuyu fairways. The kikuyu rough is notoriously difficult and needs to be avoided at all costs.
What you really need is a nice combination of distance and accuracy: it’s little wonder that driving machine Lee Westwood has won here on three previous occasions. The small bentgrass greens are guarded by plentiful bunkers (which is commonplace on a Gary Player layout).
Scrambling will become a key stat as players are left with plenty of tricky little shots around these greens. Also keep an eye out for Par 5 Scoring stats this week.
The Contenders
Tommy Fleetwood will be aiming for a Sun City threepeat after what has been a consistent- if frustrating- campaign. He will be one of four European Ryder Cuppers in attendance. Max Homa and Justin Thomas will provide some balance to that equation.
Two of the more successful American players in Rome, Homa and Thomas certainly add a bit of glamour to proceedings. They both seem to be embracing their trip to South Africa, flooding their respective social media feeds with stereotypical safari footage.
Elsewhere, Adrian Meronk and Ryan Fox will look to take advantage of Jon Rahm’s absence and potentially leapfrog him into second place in the Race to Dubai standings. The players towards the bottom of the standings will also be looking for a strong week to ensure qualification for next week’s 50-man DP World Tour Championship field.
Past Winners
2022: Tommy Fleetwood (-11)
2021-2020: event cancelled
2019: Tommy Fleetwood (-12) *playoff
2018: Lee Westwood (-15)
2017: Branden Grace (-11)
To Win Outright:
Tommy Fleetwood 7/1 | Max Homa 8/1 | Justin Thomas 12/1 | Ryan Fox 14/1 | Adrian Meronk 16/1
Value Bet
Nicola Hojgaard- To Win 25/1 | To Place 11/2
I think that Nicolai Hojgaard provides a hint of value in the upper echelons of the betting market. The Ryder Cupper was 31st last time out at the ZOZO Championship. But Narashino GC is an extremely tight test that differs in regard to this one. Sure, it’s important to hit the fairways here. But this week’s test really puts an emphasis on long, straight driving. He should have won the Czech Masters at Albatross GC (another long course played at altitude). His two wins have come on courses that require long and straight driving (Al Hamra and Marco Simone). I just think he suits this layout and his recent Ryder Cup experience should give him some added confidence.
The Man to Beat- Justin Rose- To Win 20/1 | To Place 44/10
This is a tournament where the cream usually rises to the top and I have no doubt that former US Open champ Justin Rose has what it takes to contend this week. He has recaptured his form this season, contending in the PGA Championship and finishing 9th in Sawgrass. He also really should have won the British Masters (which he hosted). His driving has been exceptional this season and that’s the part of his game that needs to shine this week. Rose was also born in Johannesburg and he actually won his first professional title in South Africa. He also finished in a tie for 7th here when he last appeared a decade ago. Currently 91st in the Race to Dubai standings, Rose probably needs a top-three finish to qualify for next week’s grand finale. If he can get his putter to cooperate this week- watch out.
