Challenge field still needs charismatic wild-cards There must be times when tournament director Alastair Roper would welcome the option to issue wild-card invitations for the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City.

By the standards of past years, the event that starts on Thursday may be high on quality, but the glamour quotient has been lowered by the absence of SA favourites Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and the withdrawal of exciting young American Anthony Kim. Luke Donald, a personable young man and fine golfer from England, replaced Kim because he was next on the world rankings at the cut-off date after the US PGA championship. The imagination might have been better captured by someone new and exciting, such as Camilo Villegas, the colourful Colombian who has leapt to No7 on the world list, although his big move came after the tournament deadline. Roper explained the reality he faces as director of a tournament that carries official world ranking points. “In terms of our agreement with the world ranking committee, we don’t have sponsors’ invitations,” said Roper. “To offer the points, which some players are keen to get for Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup selection, invitations are issued to winners of the Majors, the South African Order of Merit winner and then the highest available players on the official rankings.” It makes for an important difference between Sun City and Tiger Woods’s similar tournament in America. “Tiger insists on four special invites, which is why his event doesn’t carry ranking points.” As it is only the second year in which Sun City has offered points, Roper says it is no time to tinker. He acknowledges that the response to this year’s tournament will be “interesting”. The indications so far are good, he says, with demand for accommodation and hospitality packages as high if not higher than ever for an event that has become one of South Africa’s most sought-after corporate entertainment outings. The star attraction is Sergio Garcia, twice a former winner and playing possibly the best golf of his career with a recent win and three second-place finishes in big tournaments, including the PGA championship. Garcia has earned a career-high ranking of No2 behind Woods. He was only at five when the invitations were issued so he will arrive on a surge of form. Defending champion Trevor Immelman is the leading South African, with Els opting out for family reasons and Goosen dropping down the rankings – and in so doing perhaps strengthening the case for wild cards. Immelman’s victory in the Masters in April — when he became the only man to beat Woods in a Major this year before the great man’s knee problems — didn’t prove quite the launching pad to a new level in his career that many expected. In an interview in the latest issue of Compleat Golfer, Immelman admits that winning the Masters at 28 was “mind- blowing” and that he wasn’t prepared for the extra demands that came with his triumph. “It took me some time to let that sink in, press the reset button and refocus my goals.” One of his goals as a youngster watching TV coverage of what was then the Million Dollar was to play in the tournament one day. He did that for the first time in 2006, finishing seventh, and won last year, so it would not be a big surprise if the refocusing he talks about is in evidence during his defence. Another form player is Robert Karlsson, winner of the European Order of Merit and sixth in the rankings. Karlsson and Henrik Stenson are representing Sweden in the World Cup in China this weekend, where Rory Sabbatini is playing for SA and Miguel Angel Jimenez for Spain. Karlsson could provide the most formidable challenge to Garcia and Immelman. One of the tallest men in golf at 1.96m, he hits the ball vast distances. He won the Mercedes-Benz championships and the Alfred Dunhill Links, and had an outstanding year in the Majors with top-10 finishes in the Masters, US Open and British Open and a tie for 20th in the PGA. TV: M-Net and SS1, 10am to 5pm daily, Thursday to Sunday

Sun City Field Sergio Garcia (Spain) — Winner in 2001 and 2003. Great recent form. The bookmakers’ favourite. World ranking: 2.

Robert Karlsson (Sweden) — Winner of the European Order of Merit. Finished in top 20 in all four Majors this year. First time at Sun City. World ranking: 6.

Lee Westwood (England) — Playing at Sun City for the first time since 2004, the 2000 runner-up has worked on his fitness to recapture top form after a few disappointing years. World ranking: 10.

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) — Second and third in his two previous appearances. Third in the British Open this year and fourth in the PGA. World ranking: 12.

KJ Choi (South Korea) — His first appearance at Sun City, although he was a popular member of the International team at the Presidents Cup at Fancourt in 2003. World ranking: 16.

Justin Rose (England) — Second last year in his first appearance at Sun City, Rose was a star for Europe as a Ryder Cup debutant this year. World ranking: 18.

Kenny Perry (US) — At 48, he is living proof that you don’t have to be a young athlete to star on the US PGA Tour. Won three tournaments this year and played in the Ryder Cup. World ranking: 19.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) — The pony-tailed, cigar-smoking Jimenez is the antithesis of the stereotypical modern golfer but keeps churning out good results. Twice a winner in Europe this year. World ranking: 20.

Trevor Immelman (SA) — After winning at Sun City last year, he had surgery to remove a tumour, but made a remarkable recovery to win the Masters. World ranking: 22.

Luke Donald (England) — One of the games smoothest swingers, he missed much of this year’s action after a wrist injury in the US Open. World ranking: 27.

Rory Sabbatini (SA) — Not known for holding back, whether swinging a club or opening his mouth, he failed to follow through on a strong start to the year, but will be worth watching. World ranking: 30.

James Kingston (SA) — Long regarded as a journeyman pro, his emotional victory in the SA Open last year at 42 propelled Kingston into golf’s big- money league, with earnings of more than 1,2-million this year. World ranking: 72.

Colin Bryden

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