Nedbank Golf Challenge: Five things to know

The DP World Tour returns to Sun City this week for the penultimate event of the season as the Race to Dubai nears a climax with the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Here are your five things to know.

Fleetwood goes for historic Nedbank hat-trick

Tommy Fleetwood will aim to become the first player to win three consecutive editions of the Nedbank Golf Challenge when he defends his title this week.

After the event’s two-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the Englishman returned to Sun City last year to claim his sixth DP World Tour title and first since he won at the Gary Player Country Club three years ago.

At the end of a thrilling final day battle down the stretch, Fleetwood pipped Ryan Fox to victory after his participation earlier in the week was in question due to illness.

The 32-year-old, who first won the Nedbank Golf Challenge title in a play-off against Marcus Kinhult, will now look to emulate South African great Ernie Els as a three-time champion.

“Nobody has ever won this event three times in a row so I can’t wait to give that a go,” he said.

Ryder Cup Team Europe quartet reunite

Fleetwood will be among a quartet of players from Luke Donald’s victorious Team Europe Ryder Cup-winning side at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in action.

Joining him are Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Højgaard while Vice Captain Francesco Molinari is returning to the event for the first time in six years.

Rose, who was born in Johannesburg, is returning to Sun City for the first time in a decade.

MacIntyre comes into the week on the back of his seventh top ten of the campaign in Qatar last month, while Højgaard has impressed on both sides of the Atlantic this year and is joined by twin brother and four-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus in South Africa.

Molinari is among a number of Major Champions teeing it up and is excited by the opportunity to add his name to a glittering list of winners in what is one of the highlights of the DP World Tour calendar.

“Playing golf in South Africa is like nowhere else in the world,” he said. “The wildlife is incredible to see and it is a great golf course as well. Gary Player is a legend of golf and it is an honour to play in an event which carries his name. I can’t wait to get down there.”

Homa, Thomas make first visit to Sun City

First held in 1981 and part of the DP World Tour schedule since 2013, the Nedbank Golf Challenge has a long history of welcoming some of the world’s best talent.

PGA TOUR stars Max Homa and Justin Thomas are making their first visit to ‘Africa’s Major’ as they bid to become the first American winner of this event since Jim Furyk’s second victory in 2006.

Homa and Thomas were part of the U.S. Team at the Ryder Cup, with the former top-scoring for the visiting side in Italy with 3 ½ points.

The event will represent their first appearance on South African soil – an experience both are relishing.

“I’m looking forward to getting a taste of South Africa and it’s really cool that my good friend JT is going to be playing as well,” Homa said.

All to play for as DP World Tour Championship looms

The Nedbank Golf Challenge marks the penultimate event before next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

The 66-strong field at Sun City consists of the leading 60 available players on the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, five tournament invites and the winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit.

Every qualified player in the field has the chance to play their way into the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, which features the top 50 on the season-long order of merit.

Adrian Meronk is the top-ranked player on the Race to Dubai Rankings after he overtook Ryan Fox into third place with his third DP World Tour title of the season at last month’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

The US$6,000,000 event carries 7,000 Race to Dubai Ranking Points ensuring there is plenty of incentive for all in the field to impress.

‘Africa’s Major’

The participation of a host of the game’s global starts highlights the global appeal of the tournament, which continues to be a highlight of the South African sporting calendar.

Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner Ockie Strydom and Thriston Lawrence – a fellow two-time winner on the DP World Tour this season – are among six South African players hoping for success on home soil.

South African legend Gary Player has been associated with the event since its formation in 1981, when he was part of a five-man field for its inaugural staging.

From 2024, the event will be officially held in honour of the nine-time Major Champion in recognition of his contribution to the global game, as it returns to its traditional December date – forming part of the 2025 Race to Dubai, where it will remain for the following two years.

Will we see a fifth South African emerge victorious this week?