It could be the Fisher show at Tshwane Open
JOHANESBURG: Golf being golf, picking a winner at the start of a 72-hole strokeplay event involving 156 players is a risky business because rarely does this game go according to plan.
But in the Tshwane Open beginning today there is a possibility that it could come down to a Fisher versus Fisher battle – defending champion Ross Fisher from England against South Africa’s Trevor Fisher Jnr who scored his maiden victory on the European Tour in the Africa Open at East London GC this past Sunday.
Ross Fisher, a five-time winner on the European Tour, ended a four-year drought 12 months ago when he saw off the challenge of Michael Hoey and Danie van Tonder at The Els Club Copperleaf. Fisher isn’t returning to the scene of his victory, as the tournament has switched to Pretoria Country Club, which is hosting a European Tour event for the first time.
Despite never having played the par-70 layout, which was re-designed by Gary Player in 2004, Fisher is still confident of mounting a strong title defence.
He said: “I’ve been in pretty decent form this season, I played really well in the Nedbank Challenge back in December and then had some reasonable results in the Desert Swing in January. After that I took some time off and am feeling nice and fresh now, so I’m Pretoria in pretty good shape.”
Trevor Fisher Jnr, meanwhile, will be bidding to make it two wins in a row after cruising to victory in East London by five shots from Engand’s Matt Ford courtesy of stunning weekend rounds of 63 and 64.
“I’m trying to feed off last week, though, so let’s see what we can do. Since Sunday, with all of the excitement, I haven’t really slept that well. I tried my best to accommodate everyone but, yeah, I feel dead beat,” said Fisher Jnr.
The local fans will be keeping a close eye on Pretoria CC’s own George Coetzee who won the first golf tournament he ever played, aged 10, when he shot 49 in a nine-hole event here. The 27-year-old has been a member of the club ever since and, although richly talented, has been tinkering with his swing and missed the cut in last week’s Africa Open.