Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)
Richard Sterne to win 20/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
As it is the last tournament of this Tour season, I'm siding with players with a local connection. There's nothing like home cooking when the Tour titles are being decided. And there is no more home player than Sterne who was born and still resides in Pretoria and is attached to the Pretoria Country Club, the host course this week. Already a winner on the European Tour (2004 Open de Madrid), he returned from three cuts made in the Middle East events (including 16th in the Dubai Desert Classic) and finished 6th in the Telkom PGA Championship last week and improved his leaderboard position in every round. The target event for his return to South Africa was clearly this event and at 20/1 with his credentials, he is worth supporting.
Justin Walters to win 66/1 e.w. @ Victor Chandler
Walters may be English and attached to the Collingtree Park Golf Club, but he was born in Johannesburg and it was at the Johannesburg Country Club where he was the amateur course record holder and finished 4th around that course last week in the Telkom PGA Championship. But that was not simply a matter of home advantage as he had already shown his great promise when as a student at North Carolina State University he was a two-time NCAA All-American in 2002 and 2003, having already been a two-time NCIA All-American in 2000 and 2001 when at Huntingdon College. On turning pro. he returned to South Africa and won the 2004 Parmalat Classic in only his third Tour start and then finished 5th in this event last year and 7th in the Dimension Data Pro-Am last month. Based in his birthplace of Johannesburg, which is only 20 miles form Pretoria, he is another who will enjoy home advantage and is yet another very promising youngster to come out of the South Africa.
Desvonde Botes to win 80/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
Botes is not a youngster, though he did earn the distinction of being the youngest winner of the South African Championship in 1991 at the age of 16, beating Ernie Els' record by five months. And like the other two selections, he is a home player, being born and still living in Pretoria and he did use this local knowledge to very good effect last year when winning the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour at Pretoria CC. It was the twelfth of thirteen Southern Africa Tour titles that he was won and with so few of the field having played in that sole Tour event on this course, he should once again be able to use his local knowledge to good effect. On the surface, he may appear to be out of form, but he did open with two 69s last week to lie in 9th position at the cut and it was only a third round 77 that took him out of contention. But he did finish with a final round 67 and so those three good rounds should be enough encouragement for him to believe that he can win back-to-back events on this course.
Richard Sterne to win 20/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
As it is the last tournament of this Tour season, I'm siding with players with a local connection. There's nothing like home cooking when the Tour titles are being decided. And there is no more home player than Sterne who was born and still resides in Pretoria and is attached to the Pretoria Country Club, the host course this week. Already a winner on the European Tour (2004 Open de Madrid), he returned from three cuts made in the Middle East events (including 16th in the Dubai Desert Classic) and finished 6th in the Telkom PGA Championship last week and improved his leaderboard position in every round. The target event for his return to South Africa was clearly this event and at 20/1 with his credentials, he is worth supporting.
Justin Walters to win 66/1 e.w. @ Victor Chandler
Walters may be English and attached to the Collingtree Park Golf Club, but he was born in Johannesburg and it was at the Johannesburg Country Club where he was the amateur course record holder and finished 4th around that course last week in the Telkom PGA Championship. But that was not simply a matter of home advantage as he had already shown his great promise when as a student at North Carolina State University he was a two-time NCAA All-American in 2002 and 2003, having already been a two-time NCIA All-American in 2000 and 2001 when at Huntingdon College. On turning pro. he returned to South Africa and won the 2004 Parmalat Classic in only his third Tour start and then finished 5th in this event last year and 7th in the Dimension Data Pro-Am last month. Based in his birthplace of Johannesburg, which is only 20 miles form Pretoria, he is another who will enjoy home advantage and is yet another very promising youngster to come out of the South Africa.
Desvonde Botes to win 80/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
Botes is not a youngster, though he did earn the distinction of being the youngest winner of the South African Championship in 1991 at the age of 16, beating Ernie Els' record by five months. And like the other two selections, he is a home player, being born and still living in Pretoria and he did use this local knowledge to very good effect last year when winning the Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour at Pretoria CC. It was the twelfth of thirteen Southern Africa Tour titles that he was won and with so few of the field having played in that sole Tour event on this course, he should once again be able to use his local knowledge to good effect. On the surface, he may appear to be out of form, but he did open with two 69s last week to lie in 9th position at the cut and it was only a third round 77 that took him out of contention. But he did finish with a final round 67 and so those three good rounds should be enough encouragement for him to believe that he can win back-to-back events on this course.
