Nedbank Golf Challenge betting preview: Odds, predictions and tips

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is the penultimate event of the DP World Tour schedule. Let's see what the biggest players have in store.

Odds with Spreadex:

• Tommy Fleetwood 6/1
• Max Homa 15/2
• Justin Thomas 14/1
• Branden Grace 18/1
• Justin Rose 18/1
• Ryan Fox 18/1
• Aaron Rai 20/1
• Adrian Meronk 22/1
• Jordan Smith 25/1
• Thorbjorn Olesen 28/1

The World Tour Championship takes place in Dubai but plenty of elite names are heading to South Africa for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Four players who contested the recent Ryder Cup in Italy will battle it out in the DP World Tour’s penultimate event of the season: English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose along with American pair Max Homa and Justin Thomas.

The event takes place at the Gary Player Country Club which has a daunting yardage of over 7,800 yards. 

At least the parkland layout is set over 1,000 feet above sea level, allowing the ball to fly further in the altitude.

Fleetwood has won the last two editions, shooting 12-under in 2019 and 11-under last year. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic

Find some of the best picks for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The Ryder Cup contingent deserve plenty of respect - especially double champion Fleetwood - but at three times the price of the Englishman my money is going on an international player, Ryan Fox.

The New Zealander finished runner-up to Fleetwood here last year and returns to the famed South African venue in sizzling form.

In his last five starts, Fox boasts a win in the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, a second place in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland and a third in the Irish Open.

Fox just missed out on the trophy last year after a bogey at the 72nd hole so may feel he has a score to settle.

Now the World No.27, three wins over the last two seasons suggest he can get his nose in front this time.

The 72-hole match-up between local man Branden Grace and England’s Aaron Rai is an interesting one.

Grace has a bunch of great form at Gary Player Country Club, including a win in 2017. But is he the same player now, especially having defected to LIV Golf? 

The jury is out and missed cuts in each of the last three Majors he’s teed it up in says not. In addition he’s played some modest golf in the latest two LIV events.

By contrast, Rai is very much a golfer on the up.

In the last couple of months the Englishman has finished runner-up to Fox at Wentworth, 28th (Shriners Children’s Open) and 21st (Zozo Championship) in two PGA Tour starts and ninth in the Qatar Masters a fortnight ago.

In addition, he’s played this course well in the past. Rai came here in both 2018 and 2019 and finished eighth and 13th respectively.

Marcel Siem has been a regular presence on recent DP World Tour leaderboards, banking finishes of fourth (Open de Espana) and seventh (Andalucia Masters) in his latest three starts.

The German has course form too. He’s played at Gary Player Country club three times and ended his week in the top six twice.

Also fifth in last year’s South African Open, he likes this corner of the globe.

• Venue: Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, South Africa
• Date: Thursday 9th November - Sunday 12th November
• Broadcast: Full coverage on Sky Sports Golf: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 9 am - 2.30 pm, Sunday 8 am - 1.30 pm

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