Joburg Open 2020: Form guide for this week's event at Randpark's Firethorn layout

The European Tour heads to South Africa where Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the highest ranked pro taking part at this week's Joburg Open. Words and stats by Andy Swales...
"Among home-based golfers taking part is Daniel van Tonder who has won four times on the Sunshine Tour during the past two and a half months."
Just when it seemed that the European Tour was about to ease down for the year, four new tournaments have been added to its autumn schedule.
Starting this week in Johannesburg, three of these events will be staged in South Africa while the other one takes place in the United Arab Emirates, as a precursor to the end of season spectacular in Dubai.
These late additions to the calendar will have delighted many of the Tour's mid-ranked players who are unlikely to qualify for December's DP World Tour Championship, and so assumed that their competitive year would end in Cyprus.
Prize money for South Africa's triple offering will be similar to the purses provided for this summer's UK Swing, as well as many of the other hastily arranged new events.
This week's Joburg Open will be co-sanctioned with Southern Africa's Sunshine Tour and played over Randpark's Firethorn course.
Back from Augusta
Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the only golfer teeing-up on Thursday to have competed in last week's Masters Tournament when he tied-for-38th alongside Tiger Woods, Tony Finau and joint-first round leader Paul Casey.
The 26-year-old South African will be playing his first tournament on home soil since February when he won the Dimension Data Pro-Am, part of the Sunshine Tour.
Among the other home-based golfers taking part is Daniel van Tonder who has won four times on the Sunshine Tour during the past two and a half months.
Others include Louis De Jager, Dean Burmester and the experienced Darren Fichardt who finished second at Randpark as long ago as 2000 when the club hosted the national open.
Check out the latest betting ahead of this week's Joburg Open
Over a long career, the 45-year-old has won 18 events on the Sunshine Tour, and five times on its European counterpart.
Burmester, a former world No 86 but now at 204, tied-fifth on his most recent outing at the Italian Open.
And if you think South Africans are most likely to prosper this weekend, then Jaco Ahlers and JC Ritchie may be worth investigating too.
Overseas challenge
As for non-home pros taking part, Marcus Armitage and Gavin Green have enjoyed some decent form at Randpark in recent years.
Armitage, a 33-year-old Englishman, has posted a brace of Top-5s over Firethorn, and in his last four outings on the European Tour has finished inside the top-12 on each occasion.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Green has enjoyed top-20 finishes on his two previous trips to Randpark. Both Armitage and Green have yet to win at this level.
Venue background
Randpark Golf Club is situated in the north-west suburbs of the country's most populated city.
Opening its doors in the early 1940s, Randpark Golf Club is a lush, parkland venue with Kikuyu grass fairways, and putting surfaces that are sown with hard-wearing ostrich grass.
Firethorn, one of Randpark's two 18-hole courses, was designed by London-born pro Sid Brews, who finished second in The Open Championship of 1934.
Brews lived much of his life in South Africa, winning the country's national open eight times and he was commissioned to create Firethorn during the mid-1960s.
The course has undergone a number of modifications in more recent decades.
Most Top-20 finishes in European Tour events staged in South Africa during the past five years:
Total
9: Dean Burmester
7: Zander Lombard
7: Richard Sterne
7: Brandon Stone
7: Jaco Van Zyl
5: Jacques Blaauw
5: Darren Fichardt
5: Trevor Fisher
5: Justin Walters
4: David Drysdale
4: Keith Horne
4: Scott Jamieson
4: Joost Luiten
4: Haydn Porteous
Twitter: Andy Swales@GolfStatsAlive
MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut
Course form table: European Tour events staged at Randpark in 2017-18-20 were played over two layouts (Firethorn (54 holes) & Bushwillow (18 holes).)
Last 10 Weeks / Randpark Form (2017/20)
Position
- 1–5
- 6–15
- 16–25
Player | W46 | W45 | W44 | W43 | W42 | W41 | W40 | W39 | W38 | W37 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | 38 | 40 | MC | 55 | ||||||
Garrick Higgo | MC | 3 | 27 | 26 | MC | 1 | ||||
Shaun Norris | 28 | MC | MC | |||||||
Adri Arnaus | 5 | 32 | 26 | 23 | ||||||
Joost Luiten | MC* | 53 | 10 | MC | 19 | 11 | MC | |||
Daniel Van Tonder | 1 | 28 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Adrian Otaegui | 22 | 1 | MC | 42 | MC | |||||
Masahiro Kawamura | 2 | 34 | MC | 20 | 56 | 14 | 5 | |||
Gavin Green | 7 | MC | 48 | 42 | ||||||
JC Ritchie | 41 | 5 | MC | MC | ||||||
Matthew Jordan | 9 | 12 | 30 | 25 | 14 | |||||
Wil Besseling | 17 | 16 | 30 | 54 | 14 | |||||
Antoine Rozner | MC* | 21 | 10 | 28 | 36 | |||||
Dean Burmester | 5 | MC | MC | MC | 22 | |||||
Andrea Pavan | MC | MC | MC | MC | ||||||
Scott Vincent | MC | 49 | MC | MC | 8 | |||||
Brandon Stone | 16 | MC | 19 | 14 | ||||||
Marcus Armitage | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 23 | 50 | ||||
Joachim B Hansen | Wd | 7 | MC | 28 | ||||||
Jack Senior | MC | MC | 63 | MC | 28 | 14 | ||||
Steven Brown | 9 | MC | MC | 24 | MC | 39 | 64 | |||
Jaco Ahlers | 24 | 20 | 28 | 2 | 8 | |||||
Darren Fichardt | 5 | 43 | MC | 4 | ||||||
Ross McGowan | MC | 1 | MC | 67 | 42 | |||||
Johannes Veerman | 4 | 34 | 46 | Wd | 8 | |||||
Adrian Meronk | MC | MC | 22 | 51 | 10 | 36 | ||||
Scott Jamieson | 48 | 37 | MC | 36 | 54 | |||||
Justin Walters | MC | 16 | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Oliver Farr | MC | MC | 9 | 39 | ||||||
Richard Sterne | ||||||||||
Sebastian Rodriguez Garcia | MC* | 66 | MC | MC | 6 | |||||
Richard Bland | 16 | MC | 16 | MC | 14 | 27 | ||||
Darius Van Driel | 30 | 33 | 60 | MC | ||||||
Dale Whitnell | MC | 6 | 22 | MC | 39 | 24 | ||||
Louis De Jager | 9 | 34 | 22 | 17 | 4 | |||||
Scott Hend | MC | 10 | 59 | 11 | MC | |||||
Wilco Nienaber | MC | 53 | MC | 48 | 14 | |||||
Sean Crocker | MC | 9 | 44 | 36 | 39 | |||||
Thriston Lawrence | 24 | 40 | 18 | 7 | 14 | |||||
Adrien Saddier | MC | 9 | MC | 6 | 32 | |||||
Zander Lombard | MC | |||||||||
Robin Roussel | MC | MC | 53 | MC | MC | |||||
Matthieu Pavon | MC | 49 | 30 | 27 | 55 | MC | ||||
Yikeun Chang | MC | 63 | 39 | Wd | MC | |||||
Adilson Da Silva | 4 | MC | 2 | 24 | ||||||
Jonathan Caldwell | 16 | MC | 5 | 7 | 54 | 50 | ||||
Shubhankar Sharma | MC* | 14 | 37 | 48 | 26 | 64 | 44 | |||
Niklas Lemke | 9 | MC | 30 | MC | 54 | 6 | ||||
Joel Sjoholm | MC* | 58 | 22 | 69 | MC | |||||
MJ Viljoen | MC | 3 | 35 | 7 | 2 | |||||
Grant Forrest | MC | 49 | MC | 32 | 19 | 14 | ||||
Ewen Ferguson | MC | MC | 16 | 30 | 14 | MC | ||||
David Drysdale | MC | 10 | MC | 51 | MC | MC | MC | 70 | ||
Bryce Easton | MC | 16 | 16 | 50 | ||||||
Martin Rohwer | 5 | MC | ||||||||
Neil Schietekat | 24 | 2 | MC | MC | 8 | |||||
Cormac Sharvin | MC | 28 | 60 | MC | MC | MC | ||||
Alexander Levy | 7 | MC | 16 | 48 | MC | Wd | ||||
Fabrizio Zanotti | 62 | 48 | 7 | |||||||
Julian Suri | MC | 21 | MC | 36 | MC | 32 | 50 | |||
Ricardo Santos | MC | 34 | MC | 63 | 24 | 50 | ||||
Jacques Kruyswijk | MC | |||||||||
Philip Eriksson | 11 | 63 | MC | 53 | ||||||
Rhys Enoch | 12 | MC | 53 | 44 | ||||||
Emilio Cuartero Blanco | 14 | 11 | 14 | 35 | MC | 69 | ||||
Steve Surry | MC | |||||||||
Aaron Cockerill | MC | 14 | 22 | MC | 58 | 24 | ||||
Jacques Blaauw | 5 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 18 | |||||
Nicolai Hojgaard | 16 | MC | 65 | |||||||
Hennie Du Plessis | MC | 36 | 5 | MC | ||||||
Alvaro Quiros | MC | 53 | MC | MC | MC | 44 | ||||
Oliver Fisher | MC | 67 | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Lars Van Meijel | MC | MC | 53 | 43 | 35 | 58 | ||||
Ockie Strydom | MC | 21 | 12 | MC | MC | |||||
Daan Huizing | MC | MC | MC | 14 | MC | MC | ||||
Garrick Porteous | MC | MC | 4 | 39 | 44 | |||||
Jbe Kruger | 24 | MC | MC | MC | ||||||
Merrick Bremner | MC | 14 | 1 | MC | MC | |||||
Keith Horne | 12 | 4 | 35 | 8 | ||||||
Jaco Van Zyl | 14 | 12 | Wd | |||||||
Keenan Davidse | 5 | 7 | 2 | MC | ||||||
Oliver Wilson | MC | MC | 43 | MC | MC | MC | ||||
Haydn Porteous | MC | 68 | MC | MC | MC | MC | ||||
David Dixon | MC | |||||||||
Ruan Korb | 1 | 21 | MC | 6 | MC | |||||
Deon Germishuys | 3 | 14 | 12 | MC | MC | |||||
Jean-Paul Strydom | MC | 36 | MC | |||||||
Peter Karmis | 13 | 8 | 5 | 42 | MC | |||||
Jean Hugo | ||||||||||
Benjamin Poke | MC | 56 | MC | 35 | MC | |||||
Lorenzo Scalise | MC | 63 | 56 | 30 | MC | |||||
Matias Calderon | ||||||||||
Jake Roos | MC | 11 | MC | MC | 21 | |||||
Luke Jerling | MC | 33 | 23 | 40 | 8 | |||||
Toby Tree | Wd | MC | 46 | MC | 14 | 36 | ||||
Anton Haig | 2 | 8 | MC | 12 | MC | |||||
Malcolm Mitchell | 13 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 44 | |||||
MJ Daffue | MC | 12 | 72 | |||||||
Gonzalo F`dez-Castano | Wd | 58 | 39 | 33 | 53 | 14 | ||||
Toto Thimba | Wd | MC | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Jaco Prinsloo | 20 | 29 | MC | MC | 44 | |||||
Romain Wattel | MC | MC | 60 | MC | ||||||
Trevor Fisher | ||||||||||
David Law | 33 | MC | MC | 35 | 58 | |||||
Oliver Bekker | 5 | 8 | 12 | MC | 18 | |||||
Anthony Michael | 5 | 24 | 10 | 17 | MC | |||||
Hennie Otto | 35 | MC | MC | 24 | 31 | |||||
Ryan Lumsden | ||||||||||
Jack Harrison | MC | |||||||||
Daniel Greene | 33 | |||||||||
Ruan Conradie | Wd | MC | 9 | MC | MC | |||||
Michael G Palmer | 24 | 13 | MC | 36 | ||||||
Stephen Ferreira | MC | MC | 28 | |||||||
James Hart Du Preez | MC | MC | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Alex Haindl | 29 | 5 | MC | MC | ||||||
Jayden Trey Schaper | 17 | MC | 5 | 7 | 29 | |||||
Lee Slattery | MC | MC | ||||||||
Jake Redman | 3 | 31 | MC | MC | 14 | |||||
Ruan De Smidt | MC | MC | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Benjamin Follett-Smith | MC | MC | ||||||||
Estiaan Conradie | MC | 19 | ||||||||
Marcel Siem | Wd | 45 | 35 | 53 | ||||||
Christiaan Basson | 24 | 36 | 11 | 17 | MC | |||||
JJ Senekal | MC | MC | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Callum Mowat | 13 | 39 | 12 | 17 | 44 | |||||
Louis Albertse | 5 | 18 | MC | MC | ||||||
Chase Hanna | 46 | 14 | ||||||||
Richard McEvoy | MC | 49 | MC | MC | 69 | MC | ||||
Andre Nel | 13 | MC | MC | |||||||
Heinrich Bruiners | 20 | 41 | 28 | 40 | 29 | |||||
Pedro Figueiredo | MC | 53 | MC | 43 | 18 | MC | ||||
Jack Floydd | MC | |||||||||
CJ Du Plessis | MC | 27 | MC | MC | ||||||
Dylan Naidoo | MC | 14 | 18 | MC | 31 | |||||
Thabiso Ngcobo | Dq | 47 | MC | MC | ||||||
Raphael Jacquelin | Wd | MC | MC | MC | ||||||
James Kingston | 38 | MC | MC | |||||||
Rourke Van der Spuy | MC | 45 | 35 | |||||||
Sam Broadhurst | ||||||||||
Joe Long | ||||||||||
Janne Kaske | 14 | 26 | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Allister De Kock | MC | 23 | MC | MC | ||||||
Thanda Mavundla | MC | MC | MC | |||||||
Adriel Poonan | MC | 43 | MC | MC | ||||||
Nikhil Rama | MC | 32 | 24 | 50 | ||||||
Evance Vukeya | MC | MC | 33 | MC | ||||||
Andre De Decker | 35 | 41 | Wd | MC | ||||||
Hayden Griffiths | 32 | MC | MC | 21 | ||||||
Richard Joubert | MC | MC | MC | 44 | ||||||
Makhetha Mazibuko | 35 | MC | 31 | MC | ||||||
Breyten Meyer | MC | MC | MC | |||||||
Colin Nel | 23 | MC | ||||||||
Riekus Nortje | MC | 24 | 35 | |||||||
Matthew Spacey | MC | MC | 12 | MC | ||||||
Desne Van den Burgh | 20 | 24 | MC | MC | MC | |||||
Peetie Van der Merwe | 32 | MC | MC | MC |
Player | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|
Christiaan Bezuidenhout | MC | MC | 30 |
Garrick Higgo | MC | ||
Shaun Norris | 36 | 54 | 3 |
Adri Arnaus | 63 | ||
Joost Luiten | |||
Daniel Van Tonder | MC | 59 | MC |
Adrian Otaegui | |||
Masahiro Kawamura | MC | MC | MC |
Gavin Green | 15 | 19 | |
JC Ritchie | 6 | 27 | |
Matthew Jordan | 37 | ||
Wil Besseling | MC | ||
Antoine Rozner | 51 | ||
Dean Burmester | MC | MC | 19 |
Andrea Pavan | 42 | ||
Scott Vincent | MC | 30 | |
Brandon Stone | MC | 7 | |
Marcus Armitage | 3 | 5 | |
Joachim B Hansen | 45 | MC | 6 |
Jack Senior | 4 | MC | |
Steven Brown | 54 | 19 | |
Jaco Ahlers | 4 | MC | 19 |
Darren Fichardt | MC | MC | MC |
Ross McGowan | 73 | MC | 13 |
Johannes Veerman | 13 | MC* | |
Adrian Meronk | 42 | ||
Scott Jamieson | MC | ||
Justin Walters | MC | MC | MC |
Oliver Farr | 28 | MC | 49 |
Richard Sterne | MC | MC | |
Sebastian Rodriguez Garcia | |||
Richard Bland | 22 | ||
Darius Van Driel | |||
Dale Whitnell | MC | ||
Louis De Jager | MC | MC | MC |
Scott Hend | |||
Wilco Nienaber | MC | 54 | |
Sean Crocker | MC | MC | |
Thriston Lawrence | 36 | MC | |
Adrien Saddier | MC | MC | 57 |
Zander Lombard | MC | 15 | Dq |
Robin Roussel | MC | ||
Matthieu Pavon | MC | ||
Yikeun Chang | 7 | ||
Adilson Da Silva | MC | 29 | MC |
Jonathan Caldwell | 57 | ||
Shubhankar Sharma | 1 | ||
Niklas Lemke | MC | MC | |
Joel Sjoholm | MC | ||
MJ Viljoen | MC | MC | 30 |
Grant Forrest | MC | MC | |
Ewen Ferguson | MC | 29 | |
David Drysdale | MC | Ret | MC |
Bryce Easton | MC | 3 | MC |
Martin Rohwer | 6 | MC | |
Neil Schietekat | MC | 29 | MC |
Cormac Sharvin | |||
Alexander Levy | |||
Fabrizio Zanotti | |||
Julian Suri | |||
Ricardo Santos | MC | ||
Jacques Kruyswijk | 66 | MC | 49 |
Philip Eriksson | 71 | MC | |
Rhys Enoch | 36 | MC | |
Emilio Cuartero Blanco | |||
Steve Surry | 36 | MC | Dq |
Aaron Cockerill | |||
Jacques Blaauw | 15 | 65 | MC |
Nicolai Hojgaard | MC | ||
Hennie Du Plessis | 6 | MC | 13 |
Alvaro Quiros | |||
Oliver Fisher | |||
Lars Van Meijel | MC | ||
Ockie Strydom | MC | MC | 30 |
Daan Huizing | MC | ||
Garrick Porteous | MC | 72 | |
Jbe Kruger | MC | 7 | MC |
Merrick Bremner | MC | MC | |
Keith Horne | 15 | 48 | MC |
Jaco Van Zyl | 28 | 37 | |
Keenan Davidse | MC | MC | 67 |
Oliver Wilson | 3 | ||
Haydn Porteous | 45 | 7 | 49 |
David Dixon | MC | ||
Ruan Korb | MC | ||
Deon Germishuys | 57 | 43 | |
Jean-Paul Strydom | MC | MC | MC |
Peter Karmis | 28 | MC | |
Jean Hugo | 22 | MC | 57 |
Benjamin Poke | MC | ||
Lorenzo Scalise | 15 | ||
Matias Calderon | 64 | 21 | MC |
Jake Roos | MC | 37 | MC |
Luke Jerling | 28 | MC | MC |
Toby Tree | MC | MC* | |
Anton Haig | MC | 65 | |
Malcolm Mitchell | |||
MJ Daffue | |||
Gonzalo F`dez-Castano | MC | ||
Toto Thimba | MC | MC | MC |
Jaco Prinsloo | MC | MC | 49 |
Romain Wattel | |||
Trevor Fisher | 22 | MC | |
David Law | MC | MC | |
Oliver Bekker | MC | 13 | |
Anthony Michael | MC | 7 | MC |
Hennie Otto | 36 | 33 | 13 |
Ryan Lumsden | |||
Jack Harrison | 59 | MC | |
Daniel Greene | 75 | 37 | 8 |
Ruan Conradie | MC | MC | |
Michael G Palmer | MC | 48 | MC |
Stephen Ferreira | MC | MC | 69 |
James Hart Du Preez | 51 | ||
Alex Haindl | MC | 37 | MC |
Jayden Trey Schaper | 6 | ||
Lee Slattery | MC | ||
Jake Redman | MC | 59 | MC* |
Ruan De Smidt | 73 | MC | MC |
Benjamin Follett-Smith | MC | MC | |
Estiaan Conradie | 69 | ||
Marcel Siem | 49 | MC | |
Christiaan Basson | MC | MC | MC |
JJ Senekal | MC | 69 | 57 |
Callum Mowat | MC | 64 | MC |
Louis Albertse | MC | MC | |
Chase Hanna | 51 | ||
Richard McEvoy | MC | 30 | |
Andre Nel | MC | 69 | 72 |
Heinrich Bruiners | MC | MC | Dq |
Pedro Figueiredo | MC | 48 | |
Jack Floydd | |||
CJ Du Plessis | 28 | 59 | |
Dylan Naidoo | MC | MC | |
Thabiso Ngcobo | MC | ||
Raphael Jacquelin | MC | ||
James Kingston | MC | ||
Rourke Van der Spuy | 71 | MC | 61 |
Sam Broadhurst | |||
Joe Long | |||
Janne Kaske | |||
Allister De Kock | MC | MC | |
Thanda Mavundla | MC | ||
Adriel Poonan | MC | ||
Nikhil Rama | |||
Evance Vukeya | |||
Andre De Decker | MC | MC | MC |
Hayden Griffiths | |||
Richard Joubert | |||
Makhetha Mazibuko | MC | MC | MC |
Breyten Meyer | MC | MC* | |
Colin Nel | MC | Dq | |
Riekus Nortje | MC | MC | MC |
Matthew Spacey | MC | ||
Desne Van den Burgh | MC | MC | |
Peetie Van der Merwe |
- Home
- Golf
- Golf Form Guide
- Joburg Open 2020: Form guide for this week's event at Randpark's Firethorn layout