Fantasy Golf Tournament Preview- Nedbank Challenge (European Tour)

OVERVIEW
After last week’s playoff in the dark, we have another no-cut event on the European Tour as they head from Turkey to South Africa. This week’s course is the same one that’s been in the rotation for many years, so we have an ample amount of course history to go off of. The course is listed at just over 7,800 yards, but because Sun City sits at about 3,700 feet above sea level, the course plays about 300 yards shorter (the ball flies just over 4% further here). The fairways and rough are kikuyu grass (sticky) and when it’s grown out, it can result in some deep, tough rough to hit out of. The greens are fairly small and fast, placing an emphasis on hitting tight approach shots. A lot of the field can be ignored here as the cream has risen in the past, primarily those of South African descent. As usual, we’re going to want to be aggressive in our roster construction because of the volatility of no-cut events. My rule of not playing studs at core exposures during this time of year is officially over. There’s three events left in the Race to Dubai standings and all the studs are more motivated than ever to climb the rankings.

TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
o The Course
• Gary Player Country Club
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 7,800 yards
• Greens: Bentgrass
o Location: South Africa
o Past Champions:
• 2018: Lee Westwood -15 over Sergio Garcia
• 2017: Branden Grace -11 over Scott Jamieson
• 2016: Alex Noren -14 over Jeung Hun Wang
• 2015: Marc Leishman -19 over Henrik Stenson
• 2014: Danny Willett -18 over Ross Fisher

KEY STATS TO TARGET
o Strong Emphasis – SG: OTT + SG: APP, Par 5 scoring, Birdies or better, Scrambling
o Important – Par 4 Scoring, Current Form, Course History

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