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Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player

The Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player forms part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series – eight premier tournaments on the Race to Dubai that deliver big names and money. The 2019 edition saw Tommy Fleetwood win the first tournament play-off in 10 years against Marcus Kinhult, while in 2018, Lee Westwood joined Ernie Els, Nick Price and David Frost as the only golfers to have won Africa’s Major three times.

 

The Prize

Every year, the Nedbank Golf Challenge brings golf’s biggest names to the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City Resort. While the total purse remains at US$7.5-million, the winner receives US$2.5-million. This is an increase on the US$1.25-million won by Lee Westwood in 2018.

The Points

As part of the prestigious Race to Dubai, the Nedbank Golf Challenge points have increased from 7 500 to 10 000, which makes the tournament worth more in points than the World Golf Championship events. As an added bonus, players’ rankings at the Nedbank Golf Challenge also count towards Official World Golf Ranking points and Ryder Cup points. Additionally, a player’s ranking at the Nedbank Golf Challenge will count on both the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and the European Tour Race to Dubai.

The Field

The latest lineup for the tournament comprises 64 players. This is part of the progressive reduction of field sizes for the final three Rolex Series tournaments: the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the DP World Tour Championship. The leading 70 players on the Race to Dubai will qualify to play in Turkey; the top 60 players in Turkey will progress to Sun City; and the best 50 players from Sun City will eventually move forward to compete in Dubai.

The Course

The 7 000m Gary Player Country Club at Sun City has been the home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge since 1981. Considered one of the top courses in South Africa, the course has been deemed by top international players as ‘demanding yet fair’. As the tournament commences, 64 of the world’s best players will encounter a course that combines challenging fairways interspersed with water hazards and pins tucked out of sight on kidney-shaped greens.