The 2023 Road to Mallorca season heads to the fabulous Fancourt Golf Estate for this week’s Dimension Data Pro-Am. Here’s three men to keep your eye on…
Form horse
Our form horse this week is 2013 Challenge Tour Number One Andrea Pavan. The Italian arrives at Fancourt Golf Estate in a rejuvenated mood after carding rounds of 72-71-67-65 to finish in a tie for fourth place at last week’s Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open – the first event of the 2023 Road to Mallorca season.
Pavan recorded two victories on the Challenge Tour in 2013 on his way to topping the Rankings and went on to triumph twice on the DP World Tour at the 2018 D+D Real Czech Masters and 2019 BMW International Open. The 33-year-old has struggled to rekindle that kind of form since; however he will be hoping a strong start to the Road to Mallorca season can provide the catalyst for an upturn in form.
Local boy
One man who knows this venue arguably better than anyone else in the field is South African Heinrich Bruiners. Bruiners grew up in George and he will feel most comfortable in familiar surroundings with Fancourt Golf Estate being his home course. The 35-year-old was involved in a serious motor car accident in 2011 which put his golfing career on hold after suffering horrendous injuries, however he bounced back in heroic style with a maiden Sunshine Tour victory at the 2013 Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour. The South African finished in a tie for sixth at the 2022 Joburg Open, which was co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour, and he will be hoping for another strong performance on home soil this week.
The Outsider
Sam Bairstow made the cut at the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School to secure full Challenge Tour playing privileges and he made a promising start to the 2023 Road to Mallorca, recording a 14th place finish at the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open. The Englishman, who turned professional at the end of last year, enjoyed a stellar amateur career and qualified for the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews where he made the cut and finished ahead of former Open champions including Collin Morikawa, Tiger Woods and Pádraig Harrington.
