Steve Palmer's Joburg Open first-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the first round of the Joburg Open at Houghton GC on the DP World Tour.

When to watch

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 10am Thursday

Best bets

Dale Whitnell to win 10.10am threeball
1pt 6-5 general

Preview

Joburg Open favourite Christiaan Bezuidenhout is scheduled to tee off at 10am UK and Ireland time in the first round at Houghton Golf Club.

Bezuidenhout, who made his Presidents Cup debut in September and beat Kevin Kisner in the Sunday singles, is 7-1 to win a fourth DP World Tour title this week. Two of his three previous victories have come in his homeland of South Africa.

Bezuidenhout is an unattractive short-priced threeball favourite, with playing partners George Coetzee and Marc Warren both capable of matching him over 18 holes. A more appealing option at a bigger price is Dale Whitnell to beat James Morrison and Keenan Davidse in the 10.10am group.

Whitnell enjoyed an excellent end to last season, moving up 119 spots in the world rankings in the last two months. A tie for 12th in the Italian Open in September was followed by 26th in the French Open, tenth in the Dunhill Links Championship and fourth in the Mallorca Open.

Self-belief has been coursing through the veins of the Colchester-born 34-year-old and this tidy player should fall in love with the short, fiddly Houghton layout. Whitnell has three top-20s to his name in DPWT events in South Africa, including fourth spot in the 2009 Alfred Dunhill.

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