Steve Palmer's Steyn City Championship predictions & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Steyn City Championship at The Club at Steyn City on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 10.30am on Thursday

Best bets

George Coetzee
4pts each-way 20-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Marcus Armitage
2pts each-way 28-1 Betfred

Oliver Bekker
1.5pts each-way 30-1 bet365

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Adri Arnaus withdrew from the Steyn City Championship on Tuesday morning, bidding to protect the weak wrist he developed over Christmas, leaving Dean Burmester clear favourite in his homeland for the second week running.

Burmester deserves plenty of respect for Steyn City - another long, soft track awaits this powerhouse - but he failed to seriously contend last week despite putting well. Preference is for a trio on offer at slightly bigger odds.

Steve Palmer's top tip

George Coetzee 20-1

Skipping the Kenya Open may help George Coetzee to peak for the Steyn City Championship and claim a sixth main-tour title. Gorgeous George took a month off after finishing ninth in the Ras al Khaimah Classic, then returned with fourth place in the MyGolfLife Open last week.

Coetzee closed with a 64 on Sunday, finding his A-game in impressive fashion, and there is every reason to believe he will sustain that gallop in a similar assignment this week.

Four of Coetzee's European Tour wins came in Africa - three of them in South Africa - and the porky Pretorian adores this type of tournament. He was pumping his drives off the tee at Pecanwood last week and can usually be relied upon for strong putting. That seems a potent combination for Steyn City.

Next best bet

Marcus Armitage 28-1

Big-hitting Salford lad Marcus Armitage can build on a decent MyGolfLife Open performance by contending in Steyn City. Armitage, who won his maiden Tour title in the European Open last summer, has started 2022 in fine fettle. After 12th place in Dubai, he was ninth in the Ras Classic, 17th in Kenya and 11th at Pecanwood last week.

Armitage seems to love South Africa, where he was fifth in the Joburg Open in 2017, third in the SA Open in 2020 and sixth in the Alfred Dunhill that year.

Other selection

Oliver Bekker 30-1

Complete a three-pronged attack with Oliver Bekker, who was runner-up in the South African Open at the end of last year. That bold effort came after a brilliant Challenge Tour campaign, through which he secured a DP World Tour card.

Bekker has quickly shown he belongs at this level, with back-to-back ninth-place finishes in Ras al Khaimah, then a final-round 63 for eighth place in the Kenya Open. Four rounds in the 60s last week for 11th place at Pecanwood banked another healthy cheque.

Bekker is in the form of his life and the 37-year-old has some course form, having finished ninth (of 48 teams) in the Steyn City Team Championship pairs event in 2018.

The Club at Steyn City course guide

Course The Club at Steyn City, Johannesburg, South Africa
Prize money $1.5m ($250,000 to the winner)
Length 7,716 yards
Par 72 - four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world rankings in brackets) Dean Burmester (74), Shaun Norris (80), Daniel van Tonder (84), Justin Harding (97), Laurie Canter (102)

When to bet By 4.30am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 10.30am on Thursday

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

Last week - MyGolfLife Open 1 P Larrazabal (33-1), T2 J Smith (28-1), A Arnaus (25-1), 4 G Coetzee (35-1), 5 R Sterne (200-1), T6 R Fisher (66-1), N Elvira (175-1), H Du Plessis (110-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The DP World Tour moves to a new venue for the inaugural Steyn City Championship. The only course form for punters comes from the Steyn City Team Championship - a three-round pairs event which was staged on the Sunshine Tour in March 2018. Hennie du Plessis, who was third-round leader in the MyGolfLife Open last week, won the Steyn City Team Championship in partnership with Jean Hugo. Oliver Bekker and Justin Harding tied for ninth place in the 48-team event. Like for last week's MyGolfLife Open, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course is in operation. The Club at Steyn City opened at the end of 2014

Weather forecast Heavy downpours are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, so soft conditions seem assured. Hardly any wind throughout, with temperatures around 18C

Type of player suited to the challenge Big-hitters should dominate on a long, open, soaked course - particularly with the air relatively cold for the most part

Key attribute Power

Spotlight insight Six of the last nine DP World Tour events in Africa have been won by a South African

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