Strength in numbers for SA
2008-07-15 22:01
John Kelley
Southport, England - Relative to the size of their country, South Africans make up one of the biggest national contingents in the Open Championship that starts here on Thursday.
There are 12 of them in the field of 156, a mix of long experience and of exuberant youth.
They also represent the biggest entry from South Africa to any Open, which is a measure of the success of this country that also boasts the current rugby world champions.
And according to their top player Ernie Els there could have been several more at Royal Birkdale this week, among them Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.
Prominent among the South African entries are Els himself with three major titles to his name, Retief Goosen with two and Trevor Immelman, still only 28 years old, taking this year's Masters at Augusta.
Two other strongly performing "heavyweights" are Rory Sabbatini, a four-time winner on the USPGA Tour, and Tim Clark who has achieved wins in Europe.
All of those five are in the top 40 of the world rankings.
Then there's Richard Sterne, who sprang to prominence only a couple of years ago (he won the 2007 Welsh Open), Hennie Otto, a winner on the European Tour earlier this season and James Kingston, second in last week's Scottish Open and a frequent winner in Asia.
Intensive junior programme
David Frost, at 48-years-old, may not have any prospects this week, but there was no denying his fourth place in the European Open a couple of weeks ago.
Els put it all down to an intensive junior programme of development in South Africa over many years that is bearing fruit in quantity as well as quality and he commented that amateur golf "is also in a very healthy state."
He did not refer to the vibrant competitive nature of South Africans - whatever they are doing - nor their mutually supportive nature in the style of the Australians.
But can one of them break through to win here this week? Els is of course a strong possibility. He is well fancied in the betting market. He loves the course and British conditions
Goosen's career has been erratic but Immelman, disappointing in the US Open, might just recapture his level of concentration that got him home at Augusta three months ago in April.
There were no predictions from Els, but he did refer to any of 40 players who might take the Old Claret Jug this week, given the absence of Tiger Woods. Maybe it will even go once again to Johannesburg.
The 12 South Africans are: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbatini, Tim Clark, Darren Fichardt, Hennie Otto, David Frost, Richard Sterne, James Kingston, Joshua Cunliffe and Thomas Aiken.
- SAPA