Alfred Dunhill Championship

Weekly feature from David Jenkins @ Fettes Management looking at the top players and picks from this weeks Alfred Dunhill Championship.

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Date: 17th – 20th November 2011
Competition: Alfred Dunhill Championship
Venue: Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa

Aweh my bru! Welcome to the rainbow nation and a truly awe inspiring Mpumalanga. Designed by Gary Player, the course at Leopard Creek is in a stunning setting on the edge of Kruger National Park. Winding through the bush and grasslands past natural water hazards, the layout is famed for its plentiful and diverse wildlife with hippopotamus, waterbuck, impala, giraffes, crocodiles and leopards all frequently seen on and around the course.

Yards: 7,326 yards
Par: Par 72

Field:

Although the field is dominated by home players, a number of the lower ranking Europeans are on the start sheet, many from the Challenge Tour or those who finished outside the top 115 on last year's Tour. Included in this watered down Tour event is the very American sounding Linus (Gillgren) at 835/1, Dodge (Kemmer) at 265/1, Wade (Ormsby) at 275/1 and both the Tyrone’s (Mordt (275/1) and Ferreira (854/1)) – all at BetFair!

Who could cast a beady eye over the start sheet without stopping on the RSPC sponsored Neil Sheitekat (618/1) and my new favourite monickered player on any Tour – the one, the only…Theunis Spangenburg (974/1) - both BetDaq!

Consider…:

With just four events left on the 2011 Race to Dubai, a number of players in the field this week are feeling the pressure. Some are trying desperately to ensure they finish in the top 115 on the money list in order to retain their playing privileges for 2012, others are looking towards the top-60 and the prospect of competing in the Dubai World Championship. Beyond that, the trick will be finding the greens in regulation. The last seven winners of this event have averaged 72.41% of GIR.

Ones to watch:

With five top five finishes, a putter that’s always on fire and having made the right career choice (his father wanted him to be a tennis player) Pretorian George Coetzee (14/1 with William Hill and PaddyPower) is definitely one to watch this week. Coetzee has firmly secured his Tour card for next season and clearly stated his intentions on the Tour with frequent strong finishes.

With seven top fifteen finishes in the season before making a breakthrough with his maiden victory at the Open de Espana in 2011 just a few days after golfing legend Seve passed away, South African Thomas Aiken (141/10 with BetDaq) has certainly cemented his standing on the European Tour. Has earned a wage every week bar five this season and sits comfortably in the top 20 on tour. Finished fifth here last year and again will be a strong contender.

Ones to win:

Robert Rock (18/1 at Coral and BetFred) is widely tipped among those to perform well this weekend having performed consistently in patches throughout the year.

Pablo Martin (34/1 at UniBet). A win again here at his special place would mean a hat trick of consecutive gold medals. Enough said!