THREE OF the world’s top four will contest the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City this week, with a first prize of €933,000 up for grabs.
World number three Lee Westwood is the defending champion after his commanding eight-shot victory last year, but he faces tough competition from world number one Luke Donald and number four Martin Kaymer.
Donald has already won the money list on the US PGA Tour and looks certain to top the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, making him the first player to achieve such a double. The Englishman has not played for five weeks, during which time he experienced the death of his father and birth of his second daughter. That prompted speculation the 33-year-old might not play again this season, but he said yesterday: “I’m in the best form of my life . . . and am looking forward to the challenge.
“This is always one of the best tournaments of the year. Lee (Westwood) played extremely well here last year. It’s always exciting to go up against him and we’ve had some good head-to-heads, although I went one up on him at Wentworth (winning a play-off for the BMW PGA Championship). He’s got the better of me too, so it’s a friendly rivalry. There are also world ranking points on offer.”
Westwood added: “It’s a great course, a great field and a great spot. It’s a very important tournament because a good week here can kick things off for you, especially in terms of confidence.”
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will be aiming to give the home crowd something to cheer when he tees off alongside Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who replaced the injured Thomas Bjorn in the 12-man field. “I have found quite a lot of confidence in my achievements,” Schwartzel said. “This is one of the first events I came to, the first tournament ever, and it would be special for me if I can manage to win it.”
British Open champion and firm SA favourite Darren Clarke heads off with Kaymer, who is making his debut at the event, in the most attractive pairing on day one. It is also Graeme McDowell’s first time to play in the challenge and he is paired with South Korea’s Kyung-Tae Kim.
NEDBANK CHALLENGE
Course: Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa.
Prize money: €3.7 million (€933,000 to the winner).
Length: 7,832. Par: 72. Field: 12.
The layout: Enormous course with immaculate fairways and fast bentgrass greens, guarded well by mounds and numerous bunkers. There are two par-fives on the two nines and birdies are hard to come by on the ninth and the 14th.
Last year: Lee Westwood won the event by eight shots from Tim Clark.
Type of player suited to challenge: Big hitters will have the edge.
Key attribute: Power.
Weather forecast: Chance of showers all week. Little wind.
On TV: Sky Sports 1 from 9am.
