George Coetzee heads into the week of the WGC-Cadillac Championship ranked 77th in the world, but he’s likely to surprise at Trump National Doral this week.
The 29-year-old’s recent victory at the Dimension Data Pro-Am, where he finished birdie, birdie, eagle two days in a row, proved that he has fully recovered from a broken ankle that he suffered last year.
The University of San Diego graduate played in the WGC-Cadillac in 2014 and shot 71 in the final round at TPC Blue Monster to share 16th place.
Coetzee will be eyeing a top 50 spot in the world rankings ahead of the April first deadline to qualify for the Masters. The Pretoria local’s injury woes put his ability to contend on the PGA Tour in question, but he’s bounced back well and looks set to contend this week at Doral.
He’ll be joined by fellow young gun Branden Grace, who grew up playing at Fancourt and thrives on tough layouts. Expect big things from the world number 11, who has a plethora of shots to help him navigate the tougher holes this week.
For Coetzee there is a serious urge to play at Augusta National, where he missed the cut in 2013. In order to get there he needs to post big results, starting at the WGC-Cadillac where he tees up alongside the best in the world.
