A number of the hottest PGA Tour gamers are in South Africa this week for the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Problem.
Again-to-back defending champion Tommy Fleetwood is eying three straight on the Gary Participant Nation Membership. In the meantime, Justin Thomas and Max Homa make their South African debut.
Fleetwood would turn out to be the primary participant to win three straight within the occasion’s historical past, and solely the fifth to win it thrice at any level.
“Ever because the first time I got here, it’s bought a really particular feeling to it driving into the gates of Solar Metropolis, and it’s such a historic event for lots of us,” Fleetwood mentioned. “I keep in mind it because the Million Greenback Problem, so it’s all the time had such a excessive worth. And but to be going for a 3rd win appears fairly surreal, however we’ll see what we will do.”
The 66-man discipline is stout as there are main champions, Rolex Sequence winners, earlier FedEx Cup champions and Ryder Cup stars in it.
Homa is the highest-ranked OWGR participant within the discipline at No. 8. This occasion marks his first solely sanctioned DP World Tour event. Nonetheless, he has performed in a PGA Tour co-sanctioned occasion on the Genesis Scottish Open.
Whereas it’s his first time in Solar Metropolis, he is aware of how important this occasion is. He watched this event rising up, so to get an invite into the field was a dream come true.
“After I noticed that there was an actual low season for us, I made it a degree to play no less than one over right here,” Homa mentioned. “Going ahead, having the ability to do extra of this could be a precedence as a result of we wish to expertise what golf at massive has to supply. This has been a fairly particular week to date.”
In the meantime, Thomas is coming off a disappointing season, ending 71st in FedEx Cup factors and lacking the playoffs. He has additionally slipped to No. 28 on the earth. Nonetheless, the previous Crimson Tide golfer likes to journey and play golf around the globe. Like Homa, he made it a degree to be at this occasion.
Homa and Thomas, fellow Team USA Ryder Cup teammates, went on a safari that produced a hilarious video. The 2 performed tour guides for one another whereas seeing wild African animals. They gave their finest Steve Irwin impressions as they took in that once-of-a-lifetime alternative.
Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Højgaard, three of Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup teammates, are additionally within the discipline this week.
The occasion is seven hours forward of the Japanese time zone. Followers can tune into NBC’s Golf Channel, which is able to play the occasion at 4 a.m. ET every of the 4 days.
This occasion has an unlimited report of huge names coming down and leaving victorious.
Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Value are only a few to have gained in Solar Metropolis.
Starting in 1981, this occasion was the primary to have a million-dollar purse. Therefore why it was dubbed the ‘Million-Greenback Problem’ earlier than it turned ‘Africa’s Main.’
That yr featured simply 5 gamers when Johnny Miller overcame Seve Ballesteros in 9 playoff holes to win.
Photograph by Jan Kruger/Getty Photos
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Gary Participant was additionally one of many 5 in that discipline. The South African legend has remained a chief characteristic on this event.
He helped launch ‘Africa’s Main’ over 40 years in the past because the golf legend introduced collectively among the recreation’s best gamers. His course opened in 1979 and has been the house of this event because the starting.
“The legacy of a event comparable to this displays the legacy of the various nice folks concerned who, by their ardour for this occasion, have seen it thrive,” Participant mentioned.
“Africa’s Main is all concerning the spirit of South Africa to beat and encourage. I’m actually humbled to be part of one thing that, for one week yearly at Solar Metropolis, brings us all collectively in celebration of this spirit.”
Starting in 2024, the event will honor the nine-time main winner for his long-time contribution to worldwide golf.
Whereas this occasion has been round for 42 years, it wasn’t till 2013 that it formally turned a part of the DP World Tour’s schedule. The Tour and Nedbank Golf Problem lately signed a brand new three-year settlement for the occasion to stay on the schedule till 2026.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. You possibly can comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for extra golf protection. You should definitely take a look at @_PlayingThrough too.
