A strong contingent of South African golfers will be hoping to make their presence felt when the Genesis Scottish Open tees off on Thursday at the Renaissance Club in East Lothian.
The tournament, co-sanctioned by the PGA and DP World Tours, carries a $9-million purse and comes just one week before The Open Championship.
South Africa’s charge begins early, with Ockie Strydom teeing off in the first group at 8am alongside Joel Dahmen (USA) and Isaiah Salinda (USA). Dylan Frittelli, a regular on the PGA Tour, goes out at 8:22am in a group featuring Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and Denny McCarthy of the United States.
Later in the morning, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a standout performer in both team and individual formats, tees off at 8:33am with Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard and Spain’s Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra.
Brandon Stone, one of South Africa’s most accomplished DP World Tour players, will partner Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler at 9:28am in one of the marquee groups of the day.
In the afternoon wave, veteran Shaun Norris starts at 1:37pm alongside England’s Danny Willett and South Korea’s Kim Si-woo, while Dean Burmester begins his round at 1:15pm, aiming to build on his recent good form. Thriston Lawrence, another in-form South African, tees off at 3:16pm with Germany’s Nick von Dellingshausen and Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa.
Completing the South African lineup are Jaco Kruyswijk (1:15pm), Aldrich Potgieter (2:32pm), and Dylan Naidoo (3:05pm), each hoping to put together a strong first round and push toward contention over the weekend.
The Genesis Scottish Open has become a key part of the global golf calendar, and for South Africa’s hopefuls, it offers both a stage and a test ahead of next week’s final Major of the season.
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Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Article Link: Saffas eye strong start at Genesis Scottish Open