Four South Africans are in the field for this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point Golf Club. Rory Sabbatini is in the first group heading off the opening tee, while Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Tyrone van Aswegen complete the quartet.
All eyes, however, will be on the world No 1, Dustin Johnson, who will be aiming for his fourth straight tournament victory. It’s also his first start since withdrawing from The Masters, following a fall down the stairs of his rented apartment at Augusta.
‘I was playing the best golf of my career leading into the Masters,’ Johnson said. ‘I wanted to be there playing. I didn’t want to watch it on TV. Things happen. It’s all right. I’m back out here playing. I’ve got this week to look forward to. I’ve got a lot of tournaments ahead of me.’
Johnson will become only the second golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four in a row on the PGA Tour, if he manages to win this weekend at Eagle Point Golf Club.
‘I’m good to go,’ Johnson told media. ‘I haven’t practiced much over the last few weeks. I had to rest. I was sore for a while, a lot longer than I thought it would be. I practiced a little bit last week. I’m looking forward to getting back out here and playing again.
‘It took probably three weeks … last Friday probably was the first day I hit balls and didn’t feel it. It was just bruised badly. I went and had an MRI. It was clear, no issues, but bruised, bruised it really bad.’
Despite trying to keep the winning streak alive in Wilmington, North Carolina, this week in the last tournament before the Players Championship, Johnson said he’s not placing any pressure on himself.
Johnson heads up a field that includes Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson, but little else in the way of those high in the world rankings. Many are giving the week a miss ahead of next week’s Players’ Championship, which is widely regarded as the ‘fifth Major’ of the year.
Tee-off times for the South Africans in action (SA time, Thursday):
12.50pm: Rory Sabbatini, Stuart Appleby, Kyle Reifers
1.23pm: McKenzie Hughes, Hunter Mahan, Retief Goosen
1.23pm (off the 10th): Nick Taylor, Ernie Els, Alex Noren
6.11pm (off the 10th): Chad Campbell, Jason Kokrak, Tyrone van Aswegen
Photo: Gallo Images
