2020 South African Open Preview
January 09 2020 – THE GOLF SOCIETY
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After a brief holiday break, the European Tour kicks off its 2020 year in Johannesburg for the South African Open. Last year, Louis Oosthuizen ended a two-year winless drought with an impressive six-stroke victory over Romain Langasque for his 9th-career European Tour title. This year, he returns to his homeland to defend his title against some of the best golfers from South Africa and the rest of the world. Aside from Oosthuizen, other South African players in the field include eight-time winner Brendan Grace and Erik Van Rooyen, who is ranked in the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Other notable players teeing it up this week include Rasmus Hojgaard, who is currently 2nd in the Race to Dubai standings, and Francesco Laporta, who was the Challenge Tour’s points leader in 2019.
LOCATION
The Firethorn Course at Randpark GC - will host this tournament for the second consecutive year. Considered one of the best golf courses in the country, Randpark’s Firethorn Course is also one of the longest, at just under 6900meters. However, with cool, rainy conditions expected for most of the week, the golf course will favor longer hitters even more so.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Rasmus Hojgaard: The 18-year-old Dane has already made a big splash on the European Tour this season. With exempt status secured for the rest of this and next season, look for Rasmus to continue his excellent play throughout the 2020 season.
Andy Sullivan: He won this event back in 2015, which was his 2nd of 3 career European Tour victories. After a successful 2019 season, which included a tie for 10th at the DP World Tour Championship, this is a great opportunity for Andy to find his winning form again.
