The Joburg Open gets underway on Thursday morning at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club in South Africa with plenty of quality players competing for the 1.3 million Euros prize purse. Reigning champion Charl Schwartzel is favourite in the betting to win the tournament at an industry best priced 4/1 with Bet 365 bookmakers, and it is an important tournament to win as it is the first event of the year to count towards the season long Race To Dubai.
The Joburg Open is an unusual tournament as players play a round on each of the East and West courses at the Joburg and Kensington golf club before the top 65 players go on to compete at the weekend. Defending champion Schwartzel was exceptional in winning last year as he won by six shots from Darren Clarke and he looks in good nick going into the 2011 event. He finished second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, fourth at the South African Open and fourth at the Africa Open - a tournament in which eight of the top twelve were South African. At an industry best 4/1 Charl Schwartzel looks like he is going to take some beating and with the recent Africa Open winner Louis Oosthuizen absent this week his chances won't have been harmed.
Schwartzel's South African compatriot Richard Sterne could offer a serious threat to the title though, as the fact the course is one of the longest driving courses in the world should count in his favour. Sterne is 18/1 in the betting with Bet365.com and the five time tour winner has previous in Joburg. He won the Joburg Open in 2008 before missing most of last season through injury, and he managed a 21st place finish at the South African Open and could be a dangerous proposition this week. Fellow South African Thomas Aiken is second favourite in the betting at 16/1 after coming fourteenth in the Africa Open and he should be in and around the top of the leaderboard.
Away from the South African contingent there is a stronger European turnout this week with much to be gained in the early stages of the Race To Dubai. Young Englishman Danny Willet is worth looking out for as he goes in search of his first European Tour win and he is an industry best priced 18/1 bet with B365 to achieve that goal. He has achieved fourth placed finishes in his previous two appearances here but it is his first start of 2011 and he could be rusty. With that in mind he might be worth a look as a 16/5 bet to place or even a 5/1 bet to be the top GB and Ireland player in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Darren Clarke will be hoping to go one better this year following his second place last term and he is as long as 25/1 in the ante-post betting with Bet365.com, but he looks to represent decent value at 9/2 to achieve a top five finish. Someone will have to do well to stop Charl Schwartzel winning his first tournament of a fine 2011, and the defending champion dominates the ante-post betting.
Joburg Open Tips
Tip #1: Charl Schwartzel to win @ 4/1 with Bet365.com
Tip #2: Danny Willet to be top GB and Ireland player @ 5/1 with Bet365.com
Tip #3: Darren Clarke to finish in the top five @ 9/2 with Bet365.com
4/1 Charl Schwartzel
16/1 Thomas Aiken
18/1 Danny Willett
18/1 Richard Sterne
22/1 Soren Hansen
25/1 Darren Clarke
25/1 Ross McGowan
25/1 Jbe Kruger
30/1 Robert Dinwiddie
30/1 James Kingston
33/1 Robert Rock
33/1 Alexander Noren
33/1 Gareth Maybin
35/1 BAR
Odds supplied by Bet365.com bookmakers, who provide a variety of betting markets for the Joburg Open.
Posted: Tuesday, 11th January 2011
Author: Chris James
Tags: european tour, joburg open, race to dubai, charl schwartzel, bet365,
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