Golf Tips: Best bets for the Joburg Open and Australian PGA Championship

• Steve Rawlings' in-depth preview and outsiders to back

• Matt Cooper's bets for the Aussie PGA Championship

• Dave Tindall's First Round Leader tips for Down Under

• Andy Swales' stats and course info for both events

• Sign up for our World Cup Newsletter

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Joburg Open: Bezuidenhout a very worthy favourite at Houghton

Steve Rawlings says: "Although trading at a single-figure price, Joburg resident, Christiaan Bezuidenhout is a great price at a venue that sure to suit."

"In addition to winning the Andalucía Masters at tree-lined Valderrama, Bez has finished no worse than 44th in three visits to Augusta and he has Wentworth form figures reading 3-40-5.

"He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open back-to-back in his homeland two years ago and he finished fifth in the Nedbank Challenge last time out in South Africa. He's very much the man to beat and a very fair price at anything over 7/1.

"I was more than happy to back the favourite, Bezuidenhout, at 15/2 with the Sportsbook in their Enhanced Win Only market."

Steve's bet: Christiaan Bezuidenhout @ 15/2 Enhanced Win Only (Sportsbook)

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Joburg Open: Form stats for this week's DP World Tour event

Andy Swales says: "Houghton is a lush parkland course, approximately two and a half miles north-east of Johannesburg city centre."

"The course has staged eight South African Opens, the first of these in 1951, while the most recent was 30 years ago.

"During its long and illustrious history, the club approached the Jack Nicklaus design group of architects to upgrade the layout.

"Oliver Bekker is a seven-time winner on his home Sunshine Tour, but still chasing a maiden title on the 'European' equivalent. The South African came close to breaking this 'Euro' duck, in Spain, in early May when he lost a six-hole play-off to Adri Arnaus."

Andy's One to Watch: Oliver Bekker @ 27.026/1

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Find Me a 100 Winner: Hansen a huge price to double up

Steve Rawlings says: "As already highlighted, four of the last five winners of this event went off at a triple-figure price and Hansen, who went off at 60.059/1 when he won two years ago, is the odd man out.

"Hansen then won the penultimate event of the 2021 season in November last year - the Dubai Championship - but the win didn't carry the normal two-year exemption and after a disappointing campaign, that saw the Dane finish 142nd on the Race to Dubai, he was forced to traipse to Q School to try and win back his playing privileges.

"Hansen shot 66 in round three at Q School, but it was too little too late after rounds of 74 and 76 and he must be wondering what earth has just happened to his career.

"The shock of losing his card could be the kick up the backside required to reignite the classy Dane's career and given he's won in November in each of the last two years, that he's in search of his second victory in this event, and that he finished seventh at Wentworth in 2020 (sat second with a round to go), I thought he was worth chancing at 220.0219/1."

Steve's bet: Back 1u JB Hansen @ 220.0219/1

Place order to lay 10u @ 10.09/1 & 10u @ 2.35/4

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Australian PGA Championship Each-Way Tips: Jeunghun back with a Wang

Matt Cooper says: "At just 26-years-old, Jeunghun Wang has packed an awful lot into his post-school life. Ten years ago he finished fourth in the China Masters, he was a winner there in 2014, then superb throughout Asia in 2015 and 2016.

"Midway through that latter year he won back-to-back on the DP World Tour in Morocco and Mauritius, and he was a fine champion at the Qatar Masters in 2017.

"Late in 2018 I played a little table football with him and his caddie at the Turkish Airlines Open before we chatted about his form. He'd attempted a swing change and seemed pre-occupied - understandably - about his imminent national service.

"His form picked up in 2019 but in late 2020 he said goodbye to golf for 18 months.

"Since then he's been fifth on home soil, 23rd in Morocco and third last time out, when in the top 10 all week. That's nice enough form and I like that Royal Queensland features no long grass. It's key defences are wind, bunkers and scrambling from short grass.

"Wang's victory in Doha at the Qatar Masters was especially notable for his quality in all three of those elements."

Matt's bet: Jeunghun Wang 1pt each-way @ 33/1

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Australian PGA Championship First-Round Leader Tips: Fox to get a flyer

Dave Tindall says: "Ryan Fox has been a first-round specialist in 2022 and there's every chance in a pretty modest field like this he can finish top of the charts again on day one.

"Fox has secured four 18-hole leads this season, those quick starts coming at the Ras al Khaimah Championship, the British Masters, the Irish Open and the Nedbank Golf Challenge. The latter came just two weeks ago when he started out with a 66.

"Fox is coming off a brilliant season after finishing sixth in the DP World Tour rankings with earnings of 3,318,365 Euros and he'll be keen to put on another show here with plenty of New Zealanders likely to be out in support.

"He has a win and a second in two of his last four starts in Australia and, in terms of this market, Fox has ended day one in the top 15 in five of his last six visits.

"To get his competitive juices flowing, Fox has been put in an all-star three-ball alongside Cam Smith and Adam Scott at 06.00.

Dave's bet: Back Ryan Fox First Rond Leader @ 22/1

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Australian PGA Championship 2022: Course and current form stats

Andy Swales says: "Royal Queensland Golf Club was opened in 1921, although the course staging this week's tournament is only 15 years old.

"This more modern layout was completed in December 2007, having been designed by former Tour pro Mike Clayton. Clayton created a flat course where the fairways are wide and there is very little rough.

"The course is located on the north bank of the Brisbane River, and the Royal Queensland club can boast to having former Masters' champion Adam Scott as a member.

"Ryan Fox has enjoyed a career-changing year on the DP World Tour finishing second to Rory McIlroy in the 2022 Race to Dubai standings. In addition to a brace of victories, Fox added five podium finishes."

Andy's One to Watch: Ryan Fox @ 16.015/1

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