In terms of the world rankings, it is one of the weakest fields in the 29-history of the tournament still referred to as the "Million Dollar", but now officially known as the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
This is because old spoilsport Tiger Woods had to go and move his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, back a week which means it will be held over the same four days, later this week, as the NGC. And since California as a destination is a lot more accessible than Sun City for most of the world's top golfers, Tiger's 16-man line-up includes the bulk of the top 20 players in the world rankings, leaving NGC tournament director Alastair Roper with the best of the rest.
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Even so, the 2009 Nedbank Challenge teeing off on Thursday promises to be something worth watching - particularly since one Rory McIlroy will be making his debut in the steamy Pilanesberg. The 20-year-old Ulsterman is unquestionably the best young player in the world; he seems to get better every week and many regard him as the heir apparent to Tiger's world No.1 crown. He plays fast and aggressively and with confidence, and hits the ball enormous distances which is why fans everywhere have been flocking to see him.
"I like to swing with no fear," he is quoted as saying in the latest edition of Golf Digest magazine. "I'm a grip-it-and-rip-it guy, and over the ball I think about nothing other than the target. I don't focus on technique. But under pressure, I do use one swing thought: I pick a spot a foot in front of the ball and hit over it ... HARD. That takes my mind off the outcome of the shot and keeps me in the process," added the young Ulsterman who scored his debut win on the European Tour in this year's Dubai Desert Classic, aged just 19 at the time.
'Rory McIlroy will be making his debut in the steamy Pilanesberg' Since then he has moved swiftly up the world rankings to No.10, and he seems to be in his very best form right now judging by his heroics (for heroics in this instance read birdies and eagles) for Ireland alongside partner Graeme McDowell in the World Cup of golf which finished Sunday at Mission Hills in China.
'There's no more gutsy player than Tim Clark'
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