Tshwane Open preview, picks and analysis

THE admirable Charl Schwartzel leads the field at the Tshwane Open at Pretoria Country Club as the European Tour returns to South Africa.

Schwartzel, the former Masters champion, has won 10 times on tour, including three victories in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which he won again this season. He is sixth in the Race to Dubai, with Henrik Stenson leading the way, followed by Branden Grace, Danny Willett, Rafa Cabrera-Bellow and Chris Wood.

Grace has chosen to sit it out this week, but there will still be a formidable South African challenge. George Coetzee, who has made a slow start to the campaign, always seems to reserve his best for home soil and will be chomping at the bit to get back into contention.

Featured Content

There will be plenty of support for Jaco van Zyl, the man with the smoothest golf swing on the planet. As had been recorded here before, Van Zyl has an unfortunate habit of getting himself into contention without being able to finish off the job. There is a suspicion that he may lack the killer instinct needed to win at this level, but it is hard to believe that anybody who swings the club as well as he does and who generally putts like an angel won't make the breakthrough at some stage. Perhaps the pressure of trying to do so in front of his home fans is too much.

That is certainly not something that can be said of Brandon Stone, winner of the South African Open in his maiden season. It is little surprise that he has gone off the boil slightly since that victory, but he will soon be challenging for another victory and will relish the opportunity to record another home win.

South African golf looks to be in pretty good hands right now. Haydn Porteous, Darren Fichardt, Garth Mulroy, Richard Sterne and the underrated CJ du Plessis are all in the field, and they are all good enough to win.

Looking further afield, England's Lee Slattery gained a huge amount of confidence from his victory at the Russian Open and could easily have won the recent Qatar Masters. He always seems to play his best golf when he is far from home. Slattery goes about his business is quiet but efficient way – he doesn't hit the ball miles, but he is accurate and when he putts well he can beat just about anybody.

The same is true of Romain Wattel, whose game is some way short of its very best right now. The big difference between Slattery and Wattel is that the young Frenchman believes he can win anywhere, anytime. He also hits the ball far further than Slattery. It only takes one good week to turn everything around again, and Wattel wouldn't be in the field unless he believed he was close to rediscovering his touch. He is a good outside bet.

David Drysdale, the Scot, has enjoyed his best days in South Africa, while Mark Foster, who lost his card at the end of 2015, knows he is plenty good enough to get back on track.

Betting Picks

To Win:

Charl Schwartzel. The class act of the field

Each Way:

Brandon Stone. Could easily win again

Each Way:

Lee Slattery. Dark horse worth watching

Fantasy Picks

Charl Schwartzel. Loves winning on home soil

Brandon Stone. Will be inspired

Lee Slattery. As steady as they come

Romain Wattel. Ready to explode

Haydn Porteous. Another huge prospect

George Coetzee. Has he got his short game working?

Mark Foster. Too good to be among the also-rans

Jaco van Zyl. Swing to die for

Darren Fichardt. Can he keep his temper under control?

David Drysdale. Usually does well in South Africa