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European Tour: Joburg Open top 10 power rankings

By Mike Randleman

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 23: George Coetzee of South Africa hits his tee shot on the 9th during day one of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on February 23, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - FEBRUARY 23: George Coetzee of South Africa hits his tee shot on the 9th during day one of the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on February 23, 2017 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /
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Joburg Open
Joburg Open Power Rankings (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /

The South African swing on the European Tour begins with this week’s Joburg Open

The European Tour makes its way to the largest city in South Africa this week, Johannesburg, for the Joburg Open.

It’s the first of two South African events in a row with the BMW SA Open coming in January.

The tournament is co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour and debuted in 2007. Its position in December is new this year versus its usual February date.

Eight of the 11 tournament champions have been South Africans. Every winner has reached 13-under-par or better, with three dipping past 20-under.

Early forecasts call for a chance of rain each day with temperatures in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit. Winds could reach around 10 miles per hour. These projected conditions alone don’t seem to be enough to dictate your fantasy or betting lineup, but taking a look at the weather between the early/late tee times as the tournament draws closer is worthwhile.

The Joburg Open’s 11-year run at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC comes to a close in 2017 with the temporary move to Randpark Golf Club’s Firethorn and Bushwillow courses. RJ&K GC is undergoing renovations. The course features kikuyu grass, common in South Africa and Australia, from the hitting surfaces and bentgrass on the greens.

Firethorn plays as a 7,595-yard par-72 and the West a 7,114-yard par-71 at 6,000 feet above sea level, so elevation is a factor. Both are parkland style with a solid amount of tree line, and have undergone renovations in recent years to get it up to championship caliber.

The field of 240 players will split on the two courses for the first two rounds with the top 65 and ties advancing to play Firethorn on the weekend. They’re all vying for the $195,830 USD winners check and a purse of 16.5 million South African rand, or about $1.16 million USD.

Unfortunately a lot of the world’s top players have packed it in for the holidays. Nonetheless, there are still some recognizable names out there in South Africa. Here are 10 players who could get it done this week in Egoli – the city of gold.

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