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Two-time US Open golf champion and winner of this year’s LIV golf tournament at Steyn City Bryson DeChambeau headlined the strong field who confirmed their participation at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City from December 3-6.
DeChambeau, who will feature for the first time, will be joined by major champions Justin Rose, SA’s Casey Jarvis, defending champion Kristoffer Reitan and Marco Penge as the first five players confirmed for the challenge, with more to be announced later.
The confirmation was made during the launch of this year’s Africa’s major at Sun City on Tuesday as it returns to a transformed Gary Player Country Club in December, with the most significant course redesign in the tournament’s history creating a new championship test for one of world golf’s most recognisable events.
At the centre of the course redesign is an entirely new 470m par-four 1st hole. Built parallel to the original and climbing higher up the mountainside, it represents the most significant single change to the Gary Player Country Club layout in the tournament’s history. The site of the old 1st will become the course’s first dedicated practice range.
The transformation also includes new professional tees, refurbished bunkers, an enlarged dam on the 2nd and a newly opened view of the waterfall from the 9th. Together, the changes are designed to sharpen the championship test while retaining the character and tournament pedigree of a course that has been central to the Nedbank Golf Challenge since 1981.
Rose returns after finishing runner-up in 2007, while Jarvis arrives after back-to-back DP World Tour victories this season. Reitan returns to defend his title, with Penge adding further international pedigree to the opening field.
Brett Hoppe, resort general manager at Sun City, said the changes will give the world’s best players a new challenge.
“The Nedbank Golf Challenge has always been one of the highlights of the Sun City calendar, and golf remains the main attraction,” he said. “The changes give the world’s best players a new challenge, while the expanded programme across the resort gives spectators more reasons to stay longer and experience everything Sun City has to offer once play has finished.”
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