Scott Jamieson will hope for a repeat of his start to the 2013 season when the 2014 Race to Dubai begins with the South African Open Championship presented by the City of Ekurhuleni this week.
The Scot captured his maiden European Tour title at the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa 12 months ago, in what was the first event of the 2013 Race to Dubai in Durban.
That helped propel the 29 year old to a career-best finish of 31st on The Race to Dubai, and Jamieson returns to South Africa hoping to replicate his play-off victory at Royal Durban last December.
Although the 2013 Race to Dubai was won by Henrik Stenson less than a week ago, the tournament is the first of the 2014 series.
Stenson won last year but will not be returning to defend his title due to a wrist injury.
A lot of the focus at Glendower Golf Club this week will instead be on the South African players, who have won ten of the last 12 stagings of the event.
One with more to play for than most is Tjaart van der Walt, who narrowly missed out on retaining his European Tour card at Qualifying School last week, but can regain it instantly with victory here.
Van der Walt won his maiden professional title in the co-sanctioning Sunshine Tour’s Lion of Africa Cape Town Open earlier this month after 17 years as a professional which included 13 runner-up finishes – and it came on the back of a superlative iron game and some rock-solid putting.
“I flew over Alan Thompson to get a couple of kinks out of my swing,” he said.
“I didn’t drive too well in Cape Town, but my iron play was very good – and that’s what you’ve got to do on this course, not just drive it well. And you’ve also got to make the putts.
“We all know that most of us hit it similarly from tee to green, so making those putts when you have to is key.
“Winning convincingly has switched some lights on; you’ve always got to back yourself, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Big names, no names, you’ve still got to get the ball into the hole and that ball doesn’t know who’s hitting it. We’ve got to give it a shot. I back myself every week.
“I had a lot of ups, a few downs, so I find that the momentum is going in the right direction. It’s not over yet in my eyes, and I look forward to building on the momentum I gathered from the Cape Town Open.”
