SA Open should be a pearler

THE SA Open rarely upstages the Nedbank Golf Challenge on golf's annual summer swing through the country, despite having history and heritage on its side, coming as it does two weeks after the end-of-year jolly at Sun City.

But this week, the grand old lady can claim local bragging rights simply because South Africa's No1 player, Ernie Els, will make his only competitive appearance on home soil this year at Pearl Valley Golf Estates, near Paarl, in Western Cape.

The field also includes Masters champion Trevor Immelman, NGC winner Henrik Stenson, Ryder Cup campaigners Lee Westwood and Justin Rose, and rising Asian star Jeeve Milkha Singh.

Double US Open winner Retief Goosen is in the field, as are former Ryder Cup stalwarts Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, and rising Northern Ireland prodigy Rory McIlroy.

Last week's winners, Tim Clark and Richard Sterne, at the Australian Open and Alfred Dunhill Championships respectively, will also compete.

It's easy to see why the SA Open holds more appeal this year.

Despite a difficult time slot (December 18 to 21, when most golfers are on their holidays), Leisurecorp, the Dubai company behind Pearl Valley and the financial underwriter of the SA Open, has done an excellent job in attracting one of the best fields for years.

The organisers expect 50000 fans over the four days, which would put the event on a par with the NGC in terms of annual support.

Last year, James Kingston made his European Tour breakthrough on home soil in one of the most emotional victories of the season. Finishing in near darkness, the result of unseasonable rain, Kingston parred the last to secure a one-shot win over England's Oliver Wilson, and then sobbed on his mother's shoulder.

There might be a few more players sobbing when they leave the course during the next few days - for different reasons. The notorious south-easter will test the players and 81 bunkers will call for accuracy.

In 2007, the four-year-old Pearl Valley, designed by Jack Nicklaus, became the second-youngest course to host the Open after Humewood, in 1934, which was then three years old.

It's only the 27th course to host the SA Open since 1903 and the third new course this century after Erinvale, in Somerset West, and The Links, at Fancourt, in George.

"Last year, we built eight new tee boxes to give the course more length," Pearl Valley director of golf David Murray said.

"But the wind on the first two days last year forced us to push the tees further forward.

"We have learnt from last year. The par-threes were probably playing a little too long, especially when we got the greens as fast as we wanted them.

"We want to avoid balls blowing off the greens and the putting surfaces becoming unplayable. It's a tough balance."