Joburg Open

It’s now time for the 6th of this seasons gazillion European Tour tournaments in South Africa, Joburg Open. As usual half the field are Saffers and Saffers have won on the previous 4 occasions. A weak field, with favorites being local boys Schwartzel, Sterne and Coetzee, 3 of only 4 players in the field currently in the OWGR top 100 - with the 4th being Ross “What-happened-to-me” Fisher.

Other players in the field include in-form Steve Webster (two top 5’s in his last two outings), hair-model Wobert Wock, as well as the somewhat resurrected Simon “Spikey” Dyson – the latter trying to rebound after almost being shunned from the ET after failing to penalise himself. And with his alter ego being Silas the Monk, from “The da Vinci Code”, one would think he would have known how to do so. Fortunately his results since his comeback have been reasonable.

And talking of comebacks, the field also includes Edoardo Molinari, Alvaro Quiros and former Ryder Cupper Soren Hansen, all of whom seem to be on an irreversible path towards freedom and democracy better times. But that could change... Hansen obviously in a slump after being fined £1m for tax evasion some years back. After all he didn’t do anything different than Stephen Kinnock, husband of the Danish prime minister - and part of the #1 living-off-public-money-family in the UK (Europe?). Of course Kinnock was acquitted - as it turned out that the director of the local Copenhagen tax office was a local social democrat leader who decided to change years of taxation practice to the advantage of Kinnock. Hansen obviously p!ssed and now seeking to have his verdict overturned, so the rumors. So much for your Scandinavian paradise. Ironically Hansen is now a ET category 11 member (Career Money List).

Though, my (well taxed) money are on yet another local winner.

Pedro - many thanks, good stuff. Wondered what Hansens problem had been. A golfer I have enjoyed watching - great swing.

 pedro,
They may not be in the owgr Top 100 but there are some good golfers in Johannesburg, including dyna's buddies Rock and Webster. Plus Willett (what's wrong with him, Mr.Inconsistent?), Tyrell Hatton, Brandon Stone, Dylan Fritelli etc.
Plus Emiliano Grillo - great name. And a good sign for the European Tour that Young Guns Wattel, Grillo and Koepka played so well last week.

But can I have a Slap Shot at the Hansens?
What's happened to Anders Hansen??
He doesn't seem to have played since the Portugal Masters last October and is plummetting in the rankings. Difficult to believe he finished 3rd in the Bradley/Dufner PGA Championship just 2 1/2 yrs ago. And South Africa used to be a rewarding stomping ground for him.

What do you make of the announcement that the 2014 "Volvo World Match Play Championship" will be held in Kent, in October?

I'd think that, whilst it's undoubtedly good that a prestigious tournament will be held in England, the prizemoney, 650K Euros to the winner is disproportionate to bog-standard European Tour events and couldn't this largesse be better spent elsewhere? Presumably there'll be an effort to attract big American names and one wonders already whether there'll be appearance money bennies on top of the prize fund.

It'll also be another way to get some double-dipping Europeans to fulfil part of their responsibility to the E.T. with a very cushy event.

So: Perhaps better than if it was on a Bulgarian clifftop, but nowhere near as good as if this was a normal full-field event.

Can't we strike a sensible balance between top-down and bottom-up?

I don't share your desire to see mediocre tour players so the lack of a full field does not bother me, as long as we are seeing a lot of top players.  I hope they ditch the round robin format and go for proper matchplay knock out.

As for the location it seems like a good choice, given the percentage of  European golf fans who are within a hours drive of the venue.  Not that I think those turning up at the gates impact the financial success of an event, but a local event could also help boost interest in the TV audience.

Is a round robin start with (if I remember 10 minutes ago from the BBC) £40k for those that arrive, unpack, hack, pack and b*gger off again. Might take a few days off work and see if I can get in. Have a couple of 10 & 8 hammerings and buy myself a nice car to drive home in!

Good to see something back in the UK and hopefully it will get a decent crowd and TV exposure, but 3 weeks after the Ryder Cup will any Europeans be sober enough (if they win...)?

Re Joburg:
Bl00dy Hell! Talk about a full-field event!!
Hadn't realised it was also an Open Championship qualie: Top three not already qualified get a ticket to Hoylake.

Always happy to see a matchplay event, though not my favourite to play. Also good to see it back in England. Venue is interesting. Good course but not one of the iconic venues we would like to see, and in October could get blown off the property! Highest bidder wins does not seem a satisfactory way to build the game?
Prize money - I agree with you Kwini, but it has always been a big money event. Now that independent contractors are more picky about where and when they play no way of changing it! Still won't be what it was in the days the worlds best turned up to Wentworth!

Great to see the tournament back in England. Agree that the prize money may skew everything. At least I hope that the winnings will be capped and that last place doesn't earn any offical money or OWGR points.

Another tournament I'd like to see moved is the ET Tournament of Champions (orginally played in Bahrain, now in S.AF). I know the time of year limits the location, but wouldn't mind seeing it as a 4th leg on the desert swing.

Don't know what happened to Anders Hansen. He was injured last year but made a come back last summer. Interestingly enough he won the Sunshine Tour OOM some years ago, gaining him access into the majors etc. Then he went statesside and then into oblivity.

For all you Hansen lovers, the Hansen farm has recently produced a new Hansen (JB Hansen, 23 yo). He finished 3rd at last years Scottish Open but has yet to make cut this season. He also plays this week. (Even Alan Hansen plays golf I heard...)

Take it home Coetzee!

And another fine tournament by Tyrrell Hatton; is he named after Ken Tyrrell?

Looks like Coetzee will win in style. Hope he does!

Kwini, will ask his Dad. Gutted that I wasn't watching this tournament. Pretty impressive start to his ET career. €150k banked in less than a month. Not bad for a 22 year old. Better get some lessons booked with his Dad before he either stops teaching or puts his rates up!

I guess only Americans with funny first names gets derisive mocking from the Brits.  Like Chesson Hadley.  Hudson Swafford.

Brits with peculiar first names get a free pass.  Like Tyrell.

GPB,
Not many with unusual names though and I was just thinking that Jensen Button and Tyrrell Hatton were probably both named after cars. (Spent a drunken eight hours in a BA departure lounge once with Ken Tyrrell's son - just wondering.)
Perhaps Swafford was too?

If I were to guess "Chesson" and "Hudson" are their Mother's Maiden surname.  (or Grandmother's maiden surname)

My Middle name is my mother's maiden surname, and certainly not a common given name.

Talking of which: what happened to Ty Tryon? Try'in on?

Ryan Yip had a lot of promise if only he could've sorted his putting out.

Joking aside, break through win for Coetzee. He kinda falls into category with Grace and Sterne as the next big thing from S.Africa.

Nothing to do with Joburg, but good that Rory's playing in the Scottish Open.

Kwini

I am looking forward to the Scottish open as it is a chance to see the pro's play a proper non-rota links course.  Castle Stuart is not a links course given it was built on a tattie field.

So it is even better to hear that Rory will be there as well.  I wonder if more players fancy following the Mickelson open preparation method after his fine success last year.  I certainly doubt getting some game time in the right conditions can harm r-macs open chances.

I should get a corporate jolly there. Looking forward to that and the inevitable switch to Trump in three years.

More East London than Joburg, but "Mary's" son Steve in with a decent round in the "Africa".

kwinigolfer wrote:More East London than Joburg, but "Mary's" son Steve in with a decent round in the "Africa".

A lot of very low scores (66s, 65s, 64s and even a 62) - by relatively "journeymen" players. If this course very easy? This seems to happen a lot in Africa?

Grillo up there again in S.Africa.
Is Emiliano the next bright young thing to explode on the Golf World? Only 21 yet he's been in contention a few times now without being able to finish things off. Bet he's in the World's Top 50 by the end of the year.

Looks to be a very interesting course, but crowds look pathetic. And that's some round by the lad from South America!

Emiliano opens up defending his (3 shot?) lead with a quintuple bogey NINE at the first.
Oh no!
Anyone's tournament now; Grillo is not out of it, but the infuriatingly inconsistent Aiken must be favourite.

Play-off in Africa but not before Emiliano Grillo finished with five straight birds.
He's a player, one to watch in the coming months, could/should have won this going away.

Chris Doak also started poorly with an 8 and then he had a 9 on his front nine too. Finished with an 84 when all was said and done.

Some putt to win it on the playoff hole from Aiken.

Shame for Grillo, looks like one to watch gutsy round tbh!


The winner apparently receives less than the Champions tour winner this week? I read it on twitter somewhere.

Sir - I'm thinking the gallery was bigger on the Champion's Tour than this event. Who markets these European tournaments? Just pitiful.

Shotrock wrote:Sir - I'm thinking the gallery was bigger on the Champion's Tour than this event. Who markets these European tournaments? Just pitiful.

They couldn't even have the caddies to show up. Aiken's wife had to carry his bag. And she did well.

Irish Open to RCD in 2015?

European Tour back underway in Spain. Very much a reserve team outing by the looks of things, with only Chris Wood and local boy Canizares from the owgr Top 100, but it also marks the welcome reappearance of Anders Hansen.

Just had a butcher's at the field for Malaysia, following The Masters.
Messrs Colsaerts, Olesen and Westwood are playing there instead of Hilton Head and, with less than half the season remaining and all three currently outside the FedEx points standing to retain their cards, their entry is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Good spot Kwini.

Very low key ET event, and not just the field. La Reserva isn't even a big name course in the town of Sotogrande, let alone in Spain.

Wow, Scores are high in Sotogrande, -3 leading and two of the highest ranking players out with the washing:
Weisberger and Siem at 6 and 11 strokes respectively over par with a couple of holes still to play!

Only 8 golfers under par so far.

Irish Open scheduled for RCD in 2015 and Lough Erne in 2017.
That's got to be great news in N.I.?

What has to happen now to move The Open across the sea once in a while?

Kwini

I hope none of the great irish courses accepts holding the open. Who wants R and A tweaks every 4-5 years? I am still hoping Trumpton is appointed the exclusive host of the open for ever more.

Mac,
Have you no soul, man?
good lord . . . . . . .

kwinigolfer wrote:Mac,
Have you no soul, man?
good lord . . . . . . .

It is the removal of open rota courses soul that is the problem.

McLaren wrote:Kwini

I hope none of the great irish courses accepts holding the open.  Who wants R and A tweaks every 4-5 years?  I am still hoping Trumpton is appointed the exclusive host of the open for ever more.

MAc, I'm not certain but I'm pretty sure the reason behind the Scottish Open being held at Royal Aberdeen is to make it easier to move it to Trump in a couple of years.

As for R&A changes to courses, I doub't you'd even notice the differences at TOC unless you play it regularly, they are pretty subtle.

kwinigolfer wrote:Irish Open scheduled for RCD in 2015 and Lough Erne in 2017.
That's got to be great news in N.I.?

What has to happen now to move The Open across the sea once in a while?

Kwini,

Looks like you didn't get an answer from Super Realist on this question, so will respond on his behalf:

What has to happen now to move The Open across the sea once in a while? A potato famine and some kneecappings.  

I wonder if there were "kneecappings" and hints of "a potato famine"?

Great news about Portrush regardless.

Wonder if we can turn this in to a European thread and keep it going?

And we can jump-start it by lamenting the fact that the last two Irish Open Champions have shown their appreciation of the chance they earned by avoiding the tournament this year. Shame on Casey (in Hartford) and Donaldson (in Macclesfield presumably).

If the Europeans don't support their own Tour, how can anyone else be expected to?

Did you say that Casey might be having immigration issues?

I know he had to skip practice prior to "New Orleans" to fulfil some green-card obligations; so quite possible he could be stuck in the United States, but presumably that would exclude him from Hoylake too?
We'll have to see on that, but good point.
Been there, done that with being frozen in place by the green card bureaucracy - a very disquieting, uncomfortable place to be.

Woo Hoo... Enough of this Sticky teasing me all year... 2015 Edition of the Joburg Open is almost here... YOWSA....

Time to bump thread, cuz it is JoBurg Open week.

With 11 of the 12 2014 European Ryder cup team playing the Honda, what "favourable" grouping can the European tour give him?




(PS, what is with all the Euro Ryder cuppers playing the Honda? Is it a corporate thing or just coincidence?)

Imagine most want to:
~Get a warm-up tournament under their belt prior to the Cadillac.
~Get some practice on Bermuda.
~Need a filler tournament to put them in position to play their 15 events. One or two are already behind the pace necessary to play their full 15, especially if they only play one or two rounds of the Play-Offs. You'll see most of the double-dippers turning up at places you'd least expect them.

Like mainland Europe?!?

Good point Roller, Imagine some won't play on the Continent at all this year, must be several who didn't last year. Pathetic.