220/1 Winners double for South African Open & Hero World Challenge

The European Tour sanctioned South African Open Championship takes place at Gary Player Country Club this week and the PGA Tour action comes from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Our golf expert Steve Palmer has been in good form with a couple of each-way doubles over the last few weeks and he’s back with another double ahead of this week’s events, which he recommends backing once again as an each-way double.

You can see his selections below, and don’t forget to check out our dedicated Golf Tips and the rest of our Sports Tips too!

South African Open & Hero World Challenge Winners Double

Our each-way golf doubles have been delivering place returns in recent weeks, threatening the jackpot, and this week we are gunning for a 220/1 chance with Wilco Nienaber and Xander Schauffele.

Nienaber is bidding to win the South African Open for the first time. The 21-year-old powerhouse got off the mark on the Sunshine Tour in May and has established himself as one of the most promising players in the game.

Last year he arrived at Gary Player Country Club lacking main-tour experience and without any competitive rounds under his belt on the course, but he defied the handicaps by finishing 11th, making 20 birdies.

With storms forecast on tournament-eve and during the weekend, Nienaber’s big-hitting should be shown to great effect in soft conditions. If he can cut out the horror holes which ruined his challenge last year – he made three double-bogeys over the weekend – this rising star of the sport may prove the man to beat.

Pair 16/1 shot Nienaber in an each-way double with Xander Schauffele, who can be a leading contender in the Hero World Challenge.

Schauffele has arrived in The Bahamas with more desire than many of his 19 Hero foes. The Californian is desperate to end a three-year PGA Tour winning drought – and the Hero is a wonderful opportunity to do so.

His last Tour success came in Hawaii – Schauffele seems to enjoy golfing on a breezy island – and three of his four victories have come in small-field, no-cut events like the Hero.

He won the Olympic gold medal in August, played well in the Tour Championship, then made a superb Ryder Cup debut, earning three points from four matches. The world number four, eighth and tenth in his two previous trips to Albany GC, is an appealing option at 12/1.