South African Airways Open

FINAL RESULT: 4-2-0; +5.70pts

Maritz/Cheetham LOST by 7
Oosthuizen/Sterne WON by 4
Clark/Schwartzel WON by 6
Havret/McGuigan WON by 11
Siem/Kjeldsen WON by 4
Wall/Olander LOST (Wall wd)

Good profit on the matchups to round off a very pleasing start to the year on this Tour.

Matchup plays (1pt unless stated):

Martin Maritz to beat Neil Cheetham -110 @ BetInternet [2pts]
The Challenge Tour graduate did finish 2nd in the Dunhill Championship before Christmas, but there is a wealth of difference between this player and one who has had a solid career on the European Tour, is one of South Africa's best players and finished in the top-10 on this course in 2002. Cheetham has never played on this course until this week.

Louis Oosthuizen to beat Richard Sterne -120 @ Stan James
Sterne may have caught the headlines by winning the Madrid Open in October and so saving his Tour Card, but he is not the bright young prospect that is Oosthuizen. He lost to him in their previous meeting on this course and he trails him 4-10-0 h2h in South Africa.

Tim Clark to beat Charl Schwartzel -110 @ BetInternet [3pts]
Schwartzel is another of South Africa's bright young prospects, but he has struggled with his consistency on the European Tour. By contrast, Clark has been establishing himself as one of the leading 2nd-tier players on the PGA Tour. And while Schwartzel did win the Dunhill Championship in December, that was the only time that he has ever finished ahead of Clark in an event in South Africa.

Gregory Havret to beat Doug McGuigan -114 @ Expekt [3pts]
Complete mismatch! McGuigan may have finished 9th on this course in 2002 and 2nd in the Open Qualifier at Atlantic Beach last week, but he normally struggles on the Southern Africa Tour alone. Havret has no course experience, but after finishing 11th and 12th in the two Tour events at the end of last year and 2nd in his last visit to South Africa, he really shouldn't need to make the cut to win this match.

Marcel Siem to beat Soren Kjeldsen -125 @ Intertops [2pts]
Siem's form in South Africa is also impressive: 1st and 6th in his last two starts. By contrast, Kjelsen has yet to finish in the top-40 in six starts in this country and so having finished ahead of the German in only two of their last nine common events, he seems unlikely to do so again this week.
(also available at Sportingbet and Sporting Odds)

Anthony Wall to beat Marten Olander -110 @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Wall defeated Olander by five shots on their last meeting on this course and that has been the general order of their finishes in South Africa. While Olander has yet to record a top-40 finish, Wall has won once and recorded two further top-five finishes in this country. Can't either on the leaderboard this week, but Wall should be the more likely to be playing at the weekend.