The Nedbank Golf Challenge will be featured on the European Tour schedule for a second time this season after it was staged last December at the beginning of the current season. A field made up of around 72 golfers will make their way to the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa with no cut and all of the competitors set to play the full four rounds to challenge for their chance to win the over $1.5 million first prize. While the prize is sizable, the field should be a relatively easy one as none of the big PGA golfers are making the rounds. That means there is no Jason Day, no Dustin Johnson, no Jordan Spieth and no Rory McIlroy this week. That’s why you see Henrik Stenson as the favorite on the board with Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters as the only other golfers inside of 20/1 odds to win. That leaves the door wide open for someone to surprise.
Event
Event Details: Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player
Category: European
Date: November 10-13
Location: The Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
There will be a new champion crowned without Marc Leishman will on hand to defend his title after a memorable performance at this tournament last December. Leishman absolutely dominated off the tee when he won this event with a final score of 19-under, and it will take similar numbers to earn a victory here this upcoming weekend.
Past Five Winners
2015: Marc Leishman -19
2014: Danny Willett -18
2013: Thomas Bjorn -20
2012: Martin Kaymer -8
2011: Lee Westwood -15
What To Know About The Course
The most important statistic to keep an eye out for in this tournament is Total Driving. The top performers at this event have consistently registered strong numbers off the tee with the altitude in Sun City helping the ball to travel further with every swing. Leishman ranked sixth in Driving Distance and 12th in Driving Accuracy when he won this event in December while players like Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Martin Kaymer have all performed at a high level in the Nedbank Golf Challenge based in large part on their driving ability.
The Field
Stenson enters this week as a significant favorite to win this event outright at +400 odds and considering he hasn’t finished worse than fourth in any of his six appearances at this tournament that number is certainly justified. Kaymer, Alex Noren, Charl Schwartzel and Ross Fisher are all listed among the sports betting favorites to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge outright while there is some value out there betting on a former champion like the 2014 winner Danny Willett, who is listed at +4000 odds to win.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Martin Kaymer over Charl Schwartzel
Schwartzel was a runner-up at this tournament in 2012 but his record at this event isn’t very impressive beyond that start. The fact that it was Kaymer that beat him here in 2012 makes this pick very intriguing. Kaymer is primed to bounce back following a disappointing performance at the WGC-HSBC Champions and we expect a strong bounce back performance at this event with a good chance he finishes ahead of Schwartzel at this edition of the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Top-Five Pick: Henrik Stenson
The numbers indicate that Stenson should be a lock to finish in the top-five and while it might not be the best value it’s hard to ignore the numbers that he has registered in this tournament. Stenson won this event in 2008 and he has finished the runner-up twice here including in last year’s tournament and there is absolutely no reason to expect a drop off in his performance. Stenson is a tremendous favorite to win this event outright for a reason and it would be a major surprise if he finished outside of the top-five for the first time at the Nedbank Golf Challenge this weekend.
Top 10 Odds To Win The Nedbank Challenge
Henrik Stenson +350
Ross Fisher +1550
Martin Kaymer +1650
Alex Noren +1650
Thomas Pieters +1850
Charl Schwartzel +2050
Rafael Cabrera Bello +2250
Branden Grace +2250
Louis Oosthuizen +2550
Andy Sullivan +2550
Tyrell Hatton +2550
Chris Wood +3250
Alexander Levy +3550
