• Three chanced at the South African Open

• Read my Hero World Challenge preview here

• Read my South African Open preview here

The PGA Tour returns this week with the Hero World Challenge but our only option for a triple-figure priced pick in Albany is the tournament host - Tiger Woods - and it's difficult to imagine him beating an elite field in his first start since he withdrew at the US Masters back in April.

That just leaves us with the two DP World Tour events - the Australian Open and the South African Open.

Last week's 9/110.00 Australian PGA Championship winner, Min Woo Lee, heads the market Down Under and like last week's event, the Australian Open is very often won by one of the market leaders. I was mildly tempted by the likes of Tom McKibbin, Grant Forrest and Jason Scrivener but, given I haven't studied the event in any sort of detail, I'm going to head to South Africa for this week's three picks.

Renato Paratore @ 100.099/1

As highlighted in my debrief yesterday, three players that had recently earned their 2024 DP World Tour cards at the Final Stage of Q School - Darren Fichardt, Jacques Kruyswijk, and Darius Van Driel - finished inside the top-10 at the Joburg Open last week so I was keen to side with at least one qualifier here.

There are plenty in the line-up but the one I like best is the hugely talented Italian Renato Paratore who's already won twice on the DP World Tour.

Paratore missed the cut at the Joburg Open last week but, as highlighted in the preview, all of the contenders last year had either not played in the Joburg, or underperformed there so that doesn't unduly worry me. He's already shown an aptitude for this venue having finished 15^th last year.

He is not a spectacularly good price at 100.099/1 but he knows how to get the job done if he starts nicely, so I was prepared to take the chance.

Place order to lay 8u @ 10.09/1 & 12u @ 2.01/1

Deon Germishuys @ 130.0129/1

I've backed the talented 24-year-old Deon Germishuys a few times since he caught the eye in the spring.

The Challenge Tour graduate finished ninth in Japan and 15^th at the Soudal Open before he really impressed at the KLM Open at the end of May, where he finished third.

He went off the boil after that though and between June and September he missed eight of 10 cuts.

That can happen to a young player who is finding his feet on Tour and he's found a bit of consistency of late, making it through to the weekend in each of his last five events, culminating in a decent tied 21^st last week in the Joburg Open.

This is Germishuys' third visit to Blair Atholl and the lengthy Gary Player layout appears to suit him.

He finished 21^st in the Blair Atholl Championship back in 2021 and he was 23^rd in this event last year, although he sat ninth with a round to go after three consecutive 69s.

Germishuys appears to have a bright future and he might just be primed to produce the goods this week.

Place order to lay 8u @ 10.09/1 & 12u @ 2.01/1

Neil Schietekat @ 200.0199/1

At the other end of the scale, Neil Schietekat will be 40 in a couple of months' time, so the bulk of his career is behind him. But there's still time for him to win on the DP World Tour and this looks like a decent opportunity given he's in form and was second last year.

An obvious candidate, Schietekat has won twice on the Sunshine Tour this year.

He won the Zimbabwe Open in May by four strokes, having led by seven after 54 holes, and he won the Vodacom Origins - Final at the start of the month, shooting 67 in round four to win by two, having sat second with a round to go.

Many a player has found something on or around a significant birthday and Schietekat appears to be playing nicely as he approaches the big four zero.

Since winning in his homeland at the start of the month he's finished a respectable 24^th on the Asian Tour at the Indonesian Open and rounds of 70, 69, 66 and 67 saw him creep unnoticed into the top-12 last week at the Joburg Open.

He's no bigger than 125/1126.00 on the High Street so I was more than happy to chance him to go one place better than last year at 200.0199/1.

Place order to lay 8u @ 10.09/1 & 12u @ 2.01/1

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Read The Punter's South African Open preview here