- Bezuidenhout to lead home challenge
- Monster of a course at over 7,800 yards
- MacIntyre a likely contender on Sunday
The DP World Tour returns to South Africa for the first time in almost eight months.
Many golfers will remember the ill-fated trip last November, when the Tour arrived in the country for three co-sanctioned back-to-back tournaments.
However, on this occasion, the three-week journey lasted barely 36 holes before a new strain of Coronavirus meant all visitors had little choice but to depart South Africa within the space of a few hours - or risk facing quarantine when they returned home.
Starting with the lucrative Nedbank Challenge, and over the next five weeks, there will be four co-sanctioned Tour events staged in South Africa, which will be spread over two seasons.
This week's tournament at the iconic Sun City is also the last opportunity for those hoping to qualify for next week's Tour finale in Dubai.
The Nedbank Challenge, which begins on Thursday, will feature 66 players and offer a total prize fund of $6m.
It is also being staged for the first time since 2019, having been wiped-out by the pandemic these past two years.
However, the then-European Tour did visit Sun City in December 2020 when the course hosted South Africa's national open.
Twelve months later it was due to stage the Open again. But, on this occasion, the return of 'the virus' meant the tournament was removed from the DP World Tour schedule, although it was still played as a Sunshine Tour event.
Course Characteristics
This Gary Player-designed masterpiece was opened in 1979, and two years later staged its first big money tournament.
The course, which has been part of the DP World Tour schedule since 2013, is almost eight thousand yards in length, and was built inside an extinct volcanic crater.
The course is located in the north-west of the country, around 100 miles from Pretoria, and 125 from Johannesburg.
It is also approximately 125 miles from the country's border with Botswana.
This parkland venue has Kikuyu grass fairways and Bent grass putting surfaces, and was carved out of densely-wooded rolling countryside.
At over 7,800 yards in length, it is a monster of a layout that demands accurate ball-striking, as well as power and accuracy.
Although the ball flies further than normal, because the course is laid out just over 1,000 feet above sea level, it still requires plenty of hefty swipes to get to grips with this venue.
Only one par-four is less than 440 yards, while all par-threes are over 210. The shortest par-five is 547 yards.
From tee-to-green, it remains a course ready to penalise any errant shot thanks to its narrow tree-lined fairways and small but quick putting surfaces which are well protected by sand.
Water comes into play on just five holes and there is a handful of interesting dog-legs too.
Latest betting for this week's Nedbank Challenge
Stroke Averages
Lowest 10 At Sun City (2015-20)
Average .... (Rounds)
70.70: Branden Grace (20)
71.00: Tommy Fleetwood (16)
71.56: Ross Fisher (16)
71.58: Scott Jamieson (12)
71.63: Hao Tong Li (16)
72.08: Paul Waring (12)
72.42: Richie Ramsay (12)
72.50: Richard Sterne (20)
72.55: George Coetzee (20)
72.83: Joakim Lagergren (12)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Applies to DP World Tour events only
Only those entered this week are included in table
Three To Watch
Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Six of those teeing-up this week have a higher World Ranking than the 28-year-old South African. However, Bezuidenhout is probably a more likely champion at Sun City than all of these other players. Enjoyed a solid season on the PGA Tour during 2022, finishing 51st in last season's FedEx Cup standings.
Tommy Fleetwood: Remarkably high in the World Ranking (No 25) for a player who hasn't won on Tour for three years. However, this perfectly illustrates his high-level of consistency over the past 14 months. Was a champion at Sun City in 2019 and this week offers the Englishman a great chance to enter the winners' enclosure once again.
Robert MacIntyre: Has made steady progress in recent years and is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour - most recently in Italy two months' ago. He tied-eighth on his only previous appearance at Sun City.
Latest betting for this season's Race to Dubai standings
Course Form Table Shows Results in:
DP WORLD TOUR Events at Sun City (2013-20);
T-25s on SUNSHINE TOUR At Sun City (2017-22).
Twitter: Golf Stats Alive
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves