For those of you yet to sign up to the
2013 Fantasy Race to Dubai
and worrying that you may have missed the boat to join, well never fear, as we have the all-new Top Ten Challenge to give everyone something to play for throughout the season.
Each week the top ten teams - and their managers - will be entered into the field for a season-ending showdown at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where the top team will win a special prize.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether you have been at it since the first tee at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, or whether you pop in last minute at the season’s penultimate event, the Turkish Open, as you could still have a shot at glory.
The Top Ten Challenge will run alongside the season-long game with a stunningVIP trip to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in 2014up for grabs.
So for anyone playing the game this week we have ten players we think should be in your starting line-up at East London GC for theAfrica Open.
The man teeing it up in the best form this week is arguablyRicardo Santos, who has already posted three top tens from just five events, most notably a fourth place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, as well as a tie for third last week at the Joburg Open and joint seventh the week before at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He has won on The European Tour before, at the 2011 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal, and in the form he is in it would be no surprise if he were to repeat that feat here this week.
Jbe’ Krugerhas also had a solid start to the season having finished in a tie for ninth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as well as having made every cut so far, coming off a maiden win in 2011 at the Avantha Masters. He also has form at East London GC, too, having finished as high as third in 2010 and eighth a year later, and as this dogged little South African always loves playing at home, he makes a strong case to be in your team this week.
After bursting onto The European Tour last season as 2011 Challenge Tour Number One from,Tommy Fleetwoodstruggled for similar form, but having kept his card by the skin of his teeth after a Race to Dubai finish of 109thin 2012 Fleetwood is starting to make good on his promise. So far he has made four out of five cuts, and posted top finishes at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he finished in a tie for tenth, and last week at the Joburg Open where he finished joint 14th. He also finished in a tie for 18thhere in 2012.
Maximilian Kiefferis just five events into a maiden season on The European Tour but has fared very well so far, currently ranking 43rdon The Race to Dubai, thanks for the most part to a tie for fourth at the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa. He has backed that up with a tie for 17thin Dubai and a joint 29thlast week in Joburg, having started the week with a 63 to lead after round one, and is therefore clearly a man in form.
Another man off to a very impressive start in 2013 is Italy’sLorenzo Gagli, who has already posted four top 22 finishes in just six events so far. He is seemingly getting better and better, too, having finished 32nd, 22nd, 15th, and then 9thlast week in Joburg in his previous four starts. If he keeps up that run, then his Race to Dubai ranking of 26thcould improve significantly thanks to a maiden European Tour win.
Home favouriteGarth Mulroyis also a man to look out for on native soil having won the 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship and, having posted a season’s best tie for third at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as well as a joint ninth last week at the Joburg Open, you have a man near the top of his game. He also has reasonable form at East London GC too, having posted a tie for 34tha little over 12 months ago.
Aside from these top six you would also be wise to consider the likes ofJaco Van Zyl, who loves playing at home having already posted two top 11 finishes in South Africa this season, whileKeith Horne,Justin WaltersandThomas Aikenhave all had similar success both in this country and at this venue.
Now all you have to do is pick your top ten from theentry listthis week, using our new ‘Next Tournament’ functionality on the Team Changes screen within theFantasy Race to Dubai site, and you could be topping the leaderboard this week and earning your place in the Top Ten Challenge come season’s end.
