Westwood favourite for hat-trick of Nedbank golf titles
Published:Lee Westwood has been installed as the 4/1 joint-favourite to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge title this weekend.
The event is an invitation-only tournament with just 12 players competing for the $1,250,000 first prize – hence the slightly reduced odds.
The World No.6 is the only previous winner in the field and will take some beating after shooting 17-under and 15-under in the previous two renewals at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City.
The course has been set up to be a tougher test this year though, so don’t go expecting a repeat of Westwood’s third-round 62 from last season. He’s also endured a change in caddy and coach in recent months and continues to struggle to find consistency on the greens.
However, since his debut in the event back in 1998, Westwood has never finished outside the top five and he shouldn’t be ignored – even after his distinctly average season.
Joint favourite with Westwood is this year’s Masters runner-up Louis Oosthuizen.
The South African finished fifth at the DP World Tour Championship last week and was second in Singapore earlier in the month.
He’s not finished outside the top six in his last three starts and has won the event previously, making him a decent shout to add a win to his recent consistent performances.
At slightly longer-odds is European Ryder Cup star Paul Lawrie who, after several years in relative obscurity, is finally living up to his potential with some excellent performances in 2012.
He’s out at 25/1 to win for the third time this season and looks to be one of the players more likely to upset the form guide – if he can get his putter working.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
