World No 35, Branden Grace, leads the South African challenge at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, Troon, on Thursday.
Four of the world’s top 10 are in the field – No 4 Rory McIlroy, No 7 Henrik Stenson, No 9 Alex Noren and No 10 Rickie Fowler – for an event that passes as a final dress rehearsal ahead of next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Last year Grace (pictured) finished in a tie for 29th at the Scottish Open behind Sweden’s Noren, and the South African will be hoping to pick up from where he left off the last time he was in Europe, claiming a top 10 finish at the BMW PGA Championship.
Grace is one of 11 South Africans in the field this week, with the marquee three-ball for the first two rounds being that of Stenson, McIlroy and Fowler.
Selected tee offs (in SA time, one hour ahead of Scotland):
9.10am (10th hole): Ian Poulter (Eng), Branden Grace (SA), Chris Wood (Eng)
9.30am (10th hole): Henrik Stenson (Swe), Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Rickie Fowler (USA)
9.40am (1st hole): George Coetzee (SA), Benjamin Hebert (Fra), Kristoffer Broberg (Swe)
9.50am (10th hole): Paul Lawrie (Sco), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), Dylan Frittelli (SA)
10.00am (1st hole): Victor Dubuisson (Fra), Andrew Dodt (Aus), Haydn Porteous (SA)
10.10am (1st hole): Darren Fichardt (SA), Gary Stal (Fra), Soomin Lee (Kor)
1.30pm (1st hole): Thomas Aiken (SA), Nino Bertasio (Italy), Chris Paisley (Eng)
2.10pm (10th hole): Hennie Otto (SA), Daniel Brooks (Eng), Alexander Bjork (Swe)
2.30pm (10th hole): Trevor Immelman (SA), David Horsey (Eng), Sam Brazel (Aus)
2.40pm (10th hole): Matteo Manassero (Italy), Dean Burmester (SA), Paul Peterson (USA)
2.50pm (1st hole): Martin Laird (Sco), Fabrizio Zanotti (Para), Brandon Stone (SA)
3.30pm (1st hole): Mikko Korhonen (Fin), Justin Walters (SA), Florian Fritsch (Ger)
Across the Atlantic, Rory Sabbatini and Tyrone van Aswegen are the two South Africans in the field for the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The total prize money is $5.6-million.
Sabbatini is first off the first tee to open the tournament at 2.10pm SA time on Thursday, with playing partners Patton Kizzire and Kevin Tway, both of the USA.
At 8.20pm (SA time), Van Aswegen tees off with Americans Boo Weekley and Bud Cauley.
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
