With the RAM Cape Town Open set to get under way at Royal Cape Golf Club and King David Mowbray Golf Club from February 6-9, we have picked out three players to keep an eye on this week.
Brandon Stone
The three-time European Tour winner tees it up in a Challenge Tour event for the first time since securing his graduation in 2015 at the RAM Cape Town Open this week. Following his promotion five years ago, Stone has become a consistent performer on the European Tour, with his most notable win coming at the 2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, a Rolex Series event, where he narrowly missed out on carding a 59 in the final round.
Despite being one of the most notable South African graduates in recent years, Stone has never won a Challenge Tour event, finishing runner-up on two occasions during his graduation season. Could that be about to change this week?
Craig Howie
Howie showed signs of his ability to be a regular contender on the Challenge Tour this year after beginning his season with a top ten finish at the Limpopo Championship. The 25-year-old guaranteed a second season on the circuit after making the 72-hole cut at European Tour Qualifying School, agonisingly missing out on his European Tour card by just two shots. He will be looking to make amends for that disappointment in 2020 and following an impressive amateur career, big things are expected of the Scotsman as he enters his second Challenge Tour campaign.
Anton Karlsson
The Swede is looking to take the first step towards earning immediate promotion back to the European Tour with a strong South African swing showing and he certainly made a healthy stride towards that goal with a top 20 finish at the season-opening Limpopo Championship.
Karlsson, whose best career finish is currently a runner-up placing at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters on the European Tour, has finished inside the top 35 on the Rankings in his two previous seasons on the Challenge Tour. He will be hoping to continue his strong start to the season with a positive outing in the Mother City this week.
