Joburg Open: Ian Wilkerson's free golf betting tips, predictions & TV

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Joburg Open at Randpark Golf Club, South Africa on the European Tour.

Where to watch

Sky Sports red button, 10.30am Thursday

Best bets

Marcus Armitage
2pts each-way 25-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Wil Besseling
1.5pts each-way 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Daniel van Tonder
1pt each-way 28-1bet365
Jayden Trey Schaper
1pt each-way 90-1bet365

There are four tournaments left for European Tour golfers to force their way into the top 60 of the Race to Dubai standings to earn a place in next month's Tour Championship.

So while this week's Joburg Open, which returns to the schedule for the first time since 2017, may not be a star-studded affair, it should still be competitive with some big prizes at stake.

Seven of the last nine winners have been home-produced but there should be a strong challenge from outside as well with plenty of players showing consistent form since action resumed.

Wilkerson's top tip

Marcus Armitage 25-1

Marcus Armitage started the year at a lowly 1,394th in the world rankings but some solid performances since lowdown have catapulted him to 217th and this could be a good opportunity for him to claim his maiden European Tour victory.

Armitage missed the cut when action returned at the Betfred British Masters but he has chalked up seven top-20 finishes in his last 12 events, including each of his last four, making him one of the most consistent performers on the circuit.

He may view the recent Cyprus Open as a missed opportunity as he slipped out of contention over the weekend following opening rounds of 66 and 64.

But he has plenty to play for as he looks to make the Tour Championship and knows he cannot slip up as he occupies 59th spot in the Race to Dubai standings.

And he should consider the venue for this week's test to be a happy hunting ground as he was third at Randpark in January's South Africa Open and was fifth when the Joburg Open was last hosted there in 2017.

His stats are also favourable as he stands 15th on tour in terms of strokes gained and 16th in the category of strokes-gained tee to green.

That suggests his ball-striking is of a quality for him to tame the Firethorn course and it would not be a huge surprise if the man from Salford puts up another bold challenge.

Next best bet

Wil Besseling 40-1

If Armitage is a player looking over his shoulder then Wil Besseling is one with his eyes set on the prize and victory at Randpark would help him crash into the Tour Championship party.

He's 61st but top-20 finishes at the Cyprus Open and Italian Open suggest he may be finding some form at the right time, particularly as a third-round 72 put paid to his chances in Cyprus as he posted two 67s and a 66 in his other three efforts.

Ranked 13th in strokes tee to green, he is not the longest hitter on the Tour but he is ranked second off the tee so he has been effective.

He missed the cut at Randpark during the South Africa Open by a single shot after he was sunk by a double bogey on the 18th in his first round.

The subsequent 66 at the more straightforward Bushwillow track that forms part of the complex shows he dealt well with the conditions and he had finished third at another South African tournament the month before, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, so he is worth chancing this week.

Other selections

Daniel van Tonder 25-1

Jayden Trey Schaper 90-1

History suggests it is wise to include a couple of home challengers in South African tournaments and one who has been catching the eye of late is Daniel van Tonder.

He has been tearing it up on the Sunshine Tour with four victories in his last six outings and as this is not a great field by European Tour standards, he could make the step up.

It will be interesting to see if he can knit it all together over a full tournament as three of those victories came in 54-hole affairs, but they have been enough to move him up to 145th in the world, which gives him the fourth highest ranking in this week's competition.

He has been popular early this week and it is worth getting involved, while Jayden Trey Schaper could force his way into the picture at a bigger price.

Schaper has missed a solitary cut since Sunshine action resumed in August and posted three top-tens.

He could go well at a big price after finishing tied for sixth at the South Africa Open.

Players to note

Gavin Green
The Malaysian has two top-20 finishes in three goes at the venue and seventh place in Cyprus could mark a return to form after a quiet few weeks.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Bezuidenhout was the only player in the field to be at Augusta last week but while he has been playing at a higher grade in the States, it has been with limited recent success. The highest-ranked player in the field.

Shubhankar Sharma
Won this event at Randpark in 2017 and two top-20s in Cyprus suggest he's not in bad nick.

Adrian Otaegui
Demonstrated he could win in better company than this when he took the Scottish Championship last month.

Shaun Norris
Was third to Sharma but has struggled on the European Tour this year after some strong performances in Japan. Has slipped more than 50 places in the world rankings.

Firethorn course guide

Course Firethorn Course, Randpark Golf Club, Randberg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Prize money €1.41m (€169,000 to winner)
Length 7,506 yards
Par 71
Field 139
Course records- 72 holes Mathias Gronberg (2000 South Africa Open) 18 holes 62 Christofer Blomstrand (2018)

Course winner taking part Shubhankar Sharma

When to bet By 4.30am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports red button, 10.30am Thursday

Time difference Johannesburg is two hours ahead of the UK & Ireland

Last week - The Masters 1 D Johnson 9-1, T2 C Smith 80-1, T2 S Im 80-1, 4 J Thomas 12-1, T5 R McIlroy 14-1, T5 D Frittelli 250-1

Course overview The Joburg Open makes its reappearance on the European Tour circuit after a three-year absence but the Firethorn course has been used for the South African Open since, firstly in December 2018 and then in January, when Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace took the honours.

On both occasions, the Firethorn shared hosting responsibilities with the Bushwillow course on the same Randpark site, but this year strikes out on its own.

There are three par fives but there are two long par threes before the turn (the fifth and the eight), while three long par fours provide plenty of food for thought on the way home. Two of those, the 16th and 18th, are punctuated by a 223-yard par three which is billed as a 'death or glory' stretch, in the hope for some closing drama.

It's a long layout with plenty of water in play.

Weather forecast Early indications are that play could be disrupted by thunderstorms on all four days. Temperatures should be around 23C.

Type of player suited to the challenge The Firethorn is a long track and that could be emphasised should the predicted wet weather disrupt play. Long, accurate drivers could hold the advantage and aggressive play could be rewarded.

Key attribute Power

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