The eighth edition of the RAM Cape Town Open gets under way on Thursday with the Royal Cape Golf Club and King David Mowbray Golf Club hosting the large exciting field, writes ANDRE HUISAMEN.
The competition will be co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour for the first time this year, which adds to the competitiveness of an already exciting group of players.
Three players are worth keeping an eye on throughout:
Wilco Nienaber
Nienaber is one of a few players going into the weekend having found some needed form of late after finishing second at the Limpopo Championship over the weekend. After turning pro last year, Nienaber has had a good start to his season on the Sunshine and currently occupies 17th spot on the Order of Merit list. The 19-year-old won the SA Amateur Championship at the King David Mowbray Golf Club at the beginning of last year, which will provide him with a platform to capitalise on a low score again in the opening two rounds this week.
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Jacques Kruyswijk
The 2016 champion seems to be nearing excellent form once again with his recent performances. The 27-year-old Kruyswijk finished third at both the Eye of Africa PGA Championship and the Limpopo Championship over the past weekend, moving up to 33rd on the Order of Merit List after a slow start to the season. The fact that he knows how to win at the Royal Cape Golf Club course will certainly provide him with even further confidence – making him a serious contender to become a two-time champion at the event.
Jayden Schaper
Since his magnificent performance at the SA Open last month, Schaper has taken the golfing world by storm and become a projected future Major winner hailing from South Africa. The Junior Players Championship winner decided to turn pro shortly after competing at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic a couple of weeks ago. And, having won the junior grand slam, Schaper will now be eyeing his first real contention as a pro. The Cape Town Open could prove a significant event to make that mark.
