American Patrick Reed, the 2018 US Masters champion, has warned that the Stellenbosch golf course will bring a nasty sting to players missing fairways at this week's SA Open, especially if the wind picks up.
The world's second-oldest national open begins on Thursday, with Reed ranked as high as 18th in the world, with the next best local heroes Jaden Shaper, 56th, and Thriston Lawrence, 80th.
Located in the Winelands, it has a picturesque layout but can be dangerous when the wind blows.
“It's demanding to get off the tee,” Reed said after Wednesday's Pro-Am, during which he got a taste of the wind after two quiet days.
“It's very narrow. It's not particularly long, it's just you have to play from short grass. You have to hit good quality tee shots, put yourself into play so you can attack the space because if you're not playing from the fairway it's going to be a struggle.
“These fairways are so narrow so it's obviously going to put a premium on (location) striking the ball and knowing where to miss it,” he said.
Reed said his decision to come to South Africa, where he will also play in the Joburg Open in Houghton next week, was partly about getting playing time before the Masters in April.
But it was also inspired by his teammates on the tour, including his former LIV comrades like Charl Schwartzel, who jokingly interrupted Reed's interviews with reporters and said he needed a translator to understand him.
“You're talking a different language,” Schwartzel said, laughing. “Okay, come here, come over and translate for me,” Reid responded.
The American – who left LIV earlier this year to move to the DP World Tour, where he enjoyed two wins in the Middle East – said he is adjusting to the Kikuyu grass.
But he learned how to experience different conditions around the world from Gary Player, who won the SA Open a record 13 times.
“I feel like that's a huge part of what was always instilled in me. I was talking to Mr. Player (and he said) to be a worldwide player you have to travel around the world, and I've always wanted to be a worldwide player and because of that, seeing different types of conditions, different types of grasses, learning to play on all surfaces.”
Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, now 41, said he wanted to win the SA Open, where he was runner-up twice, in 2005 and again in 2015, where he lost to Andy Sullivan in a playoff.
He won the Freddie Tait Cup in 2002 as the top-ranked amateur player, but has never won the tournament outright.
“This is what I want, this is why I'm here,” Schwartzel said while on the LIV tour, wearing a shirt with the Rhino logo of his Southern Guards team.
“I know there are a lot of other really cool things – winning gets you into the Masters and Open Championships and things like that – but I just want the South African Open.”
When Reed and Brooks Koepke left LIV earlier this year, there was some speculation that it was the end of the Saudi-funded tour, but the American dismissed this and said it was helping the game grow.
Reed said, “My decision was more a personal decision than anything and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at LIV. The product is a great product, it shows a different side of golf, and I think it needs to do that.”
“The average spectator is really too old to move the game forward and what LIV has done and the way they've shown the fun side and the edgy side of golf is really bringing in a younger generation, and that's how we move the game forward.”
The first day's action will be broadcast live by SuperSport on DStv channel 213 from 12.30pm.
Times Live