Red-hot Dylan Frittelli looks set to light up the Firethorn Course

Tournament starts 5am Thursday
Live on Sky Sports Golf from 10am Thursday

Louis Oosthuizen has compiled form figures of 5-29-3 from his last three tournaments, prompting bookmakers to make the 2010 Open champion a firm favourite for South African Open glory this week, but the skinny odds can be left alone.

Oosthuizen has never won this title and his confidence may have taken a hit by the way he spurned a golden chance of winning a first Nedbank Challenge last time out. He was in command for most of the final round, but played the final four holes in three over par to finish in third place.

That late wobble will have stung Oosthuizen and he has not competed since. He probably downed tools completely, having had an unusually busy October. The Firethorn track suits, but he hails from the Southern Cape of South Africa and has precious little course knowledge to draw upon. He missed the Joburg Open at the revised Randpark venue last year.

Fatherhood has unsettled Branden Grace, who lacks form and confidence, while another trek to South Africa may be a case of going to the well once too often for English raider Matt Wallace, who has been extremely active for four months and may struggle to muster his trademark intensity this week.

Palmer's top tip
Dylan Frittelli 12-1

Life is going swimmingly for 28-year-old South African Dylan Frittelli and he has returned to his home city this week bursting with form, confidence and excitement about the future. This tide of positivity could wash up a trophy at Randpark Golf Club on Sunday.

Anything that happens in Johannesburg over the next four days is a bonus for Frittelli, who claimed a US Tour card in the Web.com Tour Finals at the end of September and will be concentrating on Stateside golf next year. Of course he would dearly love to win his national Open this week, but can approach the task in a relaxed manner.

The Firethorn Course was renovated in 2014 and those who competed in the one Sunshine Tour event staged there since – the Joburg Open last year – are at an advantage. Frittelli arrived at the Randpark Club jaded for that Joburg Open, having won the Mauritius Open in a playoff the previous Sunday, but four solid rounds yielded 42nd place. The Joburg man knows the venue and tees up in fine fettle.

The European Tour Final Series resulted in 21st place in the Nedbank for Frittelli before he closed with a pair of 66s for seventh spot in the DP World Tour Championship. A relaxed, mid-division World Cup effort with good friend Erik van Rooyen followed, before he carded the lowest score in the Mauritius Open on Sunday, signing off with a 65 for fifth place.

Frittelli found more than 80 per cent of greens in regulation in Mauritius, was bogey-free on Sunday, and played his final seven holes in five under par. He has been driving his ball superbly over the last few months and his game has never been in better all-round shape.

Potential mental fatigue is the only negative against Frittelli – this is his fifth consecutive week of competition – a spell which started in South Africa for the Nedbank. He had only a four-hour flight from Mauritius on Sunday, though, so has had plenty of time to rest up in his beloved Joburg before turning his mind to South African Open combat.

Next best
Charl Schwartzel 18-1

Oosthuizen has never won the SA Open and has never ended up closer than three shots off the leaderboard summit. Charl Schwartzel has also drawn a blank, but in much more agonising fashion, and this could be the year the Johannesburg-born star finally gets the title he craves.

Schwartzel had one hand on the trophy in 2015 – five shots ahead with five holes to play – but a late wobble gifted Andy Sullivan a playoff place. The astonished Englishman birdied the first extra hole to triumph.

It is absurd that the name of Schwartzel – Masters champion in 2011 – is not on the SA Open silverware. His tournament form figures of 15-3-32-2-12-10-16-31-26-4-5-4-2-15 highlight how close he has come, and a half-decent week of putting at a ball-strikers' track like Firethorn could end the wait.

Schwartzel's record of success in European Tour events staged in his homeland is magnificent. He has won the Alfred Dunhill Championship four times, the Joburg Open twice, and also has a victory in the Africa Open and the Tshwane Open. Eight of his 11 European Tour triumphs have come in South Africa.

There was a bullishness about Schwartzel last time out in the Nedbank – he told reporters that he is swinging better than ever – but a nine at the par-four 15th hole in round two knocked the stuffing out of him. He can avoid card-busting holes in his home city this week.

Other selection
Romain Langasque 40-1

Complete a three-pronged attack with Romain Langasque, a talented French youngster who has just regained his European Tour card with fifth place at Q-School and is bursting with form. He won on the Challenge Tour by three shots at the end of September, then finished fourth in the Grand Final, before resuming European Tour combat with 23rd spot in Mauritius.

Langasque missed the cut by a shot in last year's Joburg Open, but at least has some Randpark knowledge under his belt, and his record in Africa is solid. He started his 2016 Challenge Tour campaign with second place in the Kenya Open, then was fifth in the Egyptian Challenge. Five European Tour starts in South Africa have yielded three top-25 finishes and he was third in the Mauritius Open last year.

Others to note
Shaun Norris
The Joburg journeyman has become a prolific winner in Asia and was third in the Joburg Open last year. Has strong place claims.

Erik van Rooyen
The European Tour maiden was runner-up in the Joburg Open at Randpark and will see this as another good opportunity for an overdue breakthrough.

Brandon Stone
The Pretoria-based pro won the SA Open in 2016 and fired a final-round 60 to win the Scottish Open in July, but more recent efforts have been underwhelming.

Scott Vincent
The Zimbabwean youngster, fourth in the SA Open last year, is full of potential.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout
The youngster has just enjoyed a solid rookie season on the European Tour and could do plenty of damage on his return home.

Sean Crocker
The Zimbabwe-born American finished ninth in the Australian PGA on Sunday to continue his fine form. Dangerman.

Staking plan
D Frittelli
4pts each-way 12-1 general
C Schwartzel
3pts each-way 18-1 BoyleSports, Sky Bet
R Langasque
1pt each-way 40-1 general

The lowdown

Course Firethorn Course and Bushwillow Course, Randpark Golf Club, Randburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Prize money €1.1m (€183,370 to the winner)

Length Firethorn 7,595 yards; Bushwillow 7,114 yards

Par Firethorn 72; Bushwillow 71

Field 240

Course records (Firethorn) – 72 holes 274 Mathias Gronberg (2000) 18 holes Christoffer Blomstrand (2018 Joburg Open); (Bushwillow) 18 holes 61 Shubhankar Sharma (2018 Joburg Open)

Course winners taking part Mathias Gronberg, Herman Loubser (2017 Qualifying School)

When to bet By 5am Thursday

Where to watch Live on Sky from 10am Thursday

Time difference South Africa is two hours ahead of the UK and Ireland

Last week – Mauritius Open 1 K Kitayama (80-1), T2 M Pavon (66-1), S Chikkarangappa (250-1), 4 J Harding (45-1), T5 D Frittelli (10-1), M Kawamura (66-1); Australian PGA Championship 1 C Smith (6-1), 2 M Leishman (5-1), T3 R McGowan (300-1), M Millar (60-1), 5 J Eom (250-1)

Course overview The long, beautifully manicured, tree-lined Firethorn layout has plenty of water in play. It hosted the 1995 South African Open won by Retief Goosen and the 2000 edition won by Mathias Gronberg, but was extensively remodelled in 2014. Since the course revision, the only Sunshine Tour events staged at Randpark have been the Qualifying School in March last year and the Joburg Open in December last year. Three of the four rounds of the Joburg Open were on the Firethorn Course, with the other at the neighbouring Bushwillow, and that will be the case again for the South African Open. There are two par-fives on each nine at the Firethorn. The toughest holes on the front nine are the long par-threes (the fifth and eighth), while the back-nine features three long par-fours (the tenth, 16th and 18th). The closing three holes, including the 223-yard par-three 17th, have been described as a “death of glory” stretch. The challenging trio provide much scope for late drama. The Bushwillow is similar but easier

Story of last year An inspired Chris Paisley defeated Branden Grace in a thrilling final-round duel at Glendower, the Englishman eventually finishing three shots ahead of the local hero

Weather forecast Hot and sunny, with light breezes, for the most part

Type of player suited to challenge Shubhankar Sharma (23 under par) and Erik van Rooyen (20 under) destroyed Randpark GC in last year's Joburg Open, but the Indian fired a 61 at the Bushwillow and Van Rooyen carded a 64 at the same track. A low score at Bushwillow is essential. The Firestone is more challenging and demands quality ball-striking. Long, accurate drivers are favoured given three of the rounds are at the more difficult course

Key attribute Accuracy

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