Racing Post

Veerman is a perfect fit for Sun City assignment

The emergence of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in South Africa last week saw a mass exodus of DP World Tour players while the Joburg Open, which was won by Thriston Lawrence in a reduced 36 holes, was still taking place.

This week’s event, the SA Open at Gary Player Country Club, has been stripped of DP World Tour status and is worse off as a result, while next week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship has been removed from the schedule.

While most Europeans headed home over the weeked in a bid to beat travel restrictions, there is still a touch of star quality in Sun City where defending champion Christiaan Bezuidenhout heads a strong South African challenge.

At 7,832 yards, Gary Player CC is the longest course on the DP World Tour and, while the high altitude negates the need to be ultra-long off the tee, big hitters have typically thrived there.

Bezuidenhout, Dean Burmester, Dylan Frittelli and Garrick Higgo all have claims in their national Open but US ace Johannes Veerman makes the most appeal of the market leaders.

The Californian missed the cut in this event last season but his previous trip to Gary Player CC saw him open up with a superb 62 on the way to finishing 13th.

Veerman, who struck the ball brilliantly on the way to a first European victory at the Czech Masters in August, looks an ideal fit for this course and his recent efforts – 21st at the DP World Tour Championship and 12th at the Joburg Open – suggest he is coming to the boil after a break.

Wilco Nienaber finished 43rd in the truncated Joburg event but that should at least serve as a decent warm-up for the Bloemfontein powerhouse, who demonstrated a liking for this course when 11th a year ago. He has rediscovered top form and can go close again.

Finally another South African, Hennie du Plessis, should view this as a winnable opportunity. Seventh in Joburg and in fine form on the Challenge Tour prior to that, he has enjoyed back-to-back sixth-placed finishes in this tournament.

GOLF BETTING

en-ie

2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-30T08:00:00.0000000Z

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