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Tour Championship
Course: Leopard Creek Country Club, Malelane, Mpumalanga
Yardage: 7079
Par: 71 (three par-fives)
Weather
Forecast
Past Winners:
2001 - Darren Fichardt
Outright plays (1 unit unless otherwise stated):
Martin Maritz to win 18/1 e.w. @ William
Hill
Would have looked at Wessels and Immelman this week, but having played in
Australia last week, they are passed over for players who remained in South
Africa this month. Habitually first on my list is Maritz who rarely fails to
contend. Last year's winner, Darren Fichardt, is rather long off the tee and
Maritz, who finished 22nd, is of similar game.
Tjaart Van Der Walt to win 28/1 e.w. @ NetBetSports
Van Der Walt is another who has been a profitable selection this season. Top-5
finishes in his last two events, he should be a genuine contender this week
before heading to the States to prepare for the start of the Buy.com Tour
season.
Bradford Vaughan to win 50/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Has shown an improvement in form in the last few weeks with successive top-20
finishes. A regular winner on this Tour, he would not have been this price at
the start of the year. A repeat of last year's 4th place finish would make for a
profitable week.
72-hole plays (1 unit unless otherwise stated):
Marc Cayeux to beat Sandeep Grewal -111 @ Simon Bold [3 units]
Grewal is featured because of a career week at the Dunhill Championship. In
seven other starts on the Southern Africa Tour he has a best of 63rd place. His
record on the European Challenge Tour is no better: 10 missed cuts from 12
starts. Quite a contrast to Cayeux who has missed just one cut in the last 12
months (20 starts)!
Marco Gortana to beat Nico
Van Rensburg -111 @ Simon Bold [2 units]
Gortana beat Van Rensburg on this course last year and in all five events on
this Tour this year. Can't see any reason for this pattern to change this week.
Simon Hurd to beat Mark
Murless -111 @ Simon Bold
Murless is capable of great weeks -
7th last week, 2nd in the Zimbabwe Open last year - but these mask typically
poor weeks. In his three other starts this year he has been 85th, missed the cut
and withdrawn after one round. Hurd has beaten him in all three common events
this year and on this course last year.
Mid-point update:
Cayeux/Grewal WON (Grewal
WD)
Gortana/Van Rensburg Trails by 3
Hurd/Murless Trails by 6
Maritz 29th
Van Der Walt 14th
Vaughan 17th
What an eventful tournament! Won
the top matchup as Grewal withdrew midway through the 2nd round - he was
11-over-par and last anyway. Bradford Vaughan was the 1st round leader after
shooting three eagles, but opened his 2nd round with a quadruple-bogey! Three
bogeys to close and he fell right out of contention, with the 2nd round leader
being Bruce Vaughan. Still hopeful that this doesn't turn into a losing event.
Final update:
Matchups: 1-2; -0.33 units
Gortana/Van Rensburg LOST by 8
Hurd/Murless LOST by 12
Outrights: 0-3; -3.00 units
Maritz 7th
Van Der Walt 35th
Vaughan 19th
Disappointing way to conclude
the 2002 section of this Sunshine Tour season. Convincing losses for both
Gortana and Hurd cancelled out the earlier win and all the outrights were some
distance off the pace. Seems a very long time since Bradford Vaughan was the
tournament leader.
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