PGA Championship: Plenty of Bark but Will SA Golfer’s Bite?

As many as 11 South African golfers will tee it up when the 103rd PGA Championship gets underway at Kiawah Island.

PGA Championship 2021 Betting Tips

In case you hadn’t heard, the sport is booming in the elite tours following a particularly rampant spell by the country’s best in Europe and on the home soil in the co-sanctioned Challenge Tour.

King Louis

At the top of the South African pile remains Louis Oosthuizen, although he will start as a mid-weight player at the year’s second Major. He is 50.00 to win what would be his second Major title. He is down 10 spots from his world ranking position at the start of the year, has had an average year with two top 10s his best results.

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The Form Players

The position behind him has changed significantly as Christiaan Bezuidenhout (125.00) and Garrick Higgo (80.00) are next best. The latter has rocketed into mainstream media’s spotlight following his efforts on the European Tour. Now with three wins, the young left-hander clearly possesses the nerves to make it at the highest level. Prolific off the tee, he showed his skill around the greens en route to his two most recent wins.

Bezuidenhout has been fairly quiet recently with his seventh place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational his best to date. A player who loves difficult golf courses, he could be a solid bet to finish as the country’s best this week.

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The Outsiders

Daniel van Tonder sits just two places behind Erik van Rooyen (75) after his Kenya Savannah Classic. Between Van Tonder in 77th and George Coetzee in 98th sit as many as four South Africans.

Dylan Frittelli, Brandon Stone, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester are all on their way to the Major championship. The latter three have all significantly improved their world rankings this year thanks to wins in Limpopo, Puerto Rico and Tenerife respectively.

Been There, Done That

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel is also in the field although his world ranking is down to 157. To show the depth, there are four countrymen ranked higher than him but not in the field at Kiawah Island.

South African fans will have plenty of action to follow but the biggest question remains – when will a Major trophy return to our shores? Beyond Oosthuizen, only Garrick Higgo is listed at less than 100-1 which means a victory from him is certainly not on the cards.

At this stage, hoping that more than half the players make the cut and then three of those finish inside the top 20 would represent progress. If the upward trajectory continues to improve, then maybe this time next year our fans could be demanding a win rather than sitting back in hope.