Strydom held the lead heading into the final round of a 54-hole Sunshine Tour event at the same venue in October but was denied victory by an inspired Ruan Korb, who overturned a seven-shot deficit with a stunning 63. Ten weeks later Strydom claimed his maiden DP World Tour title on home soil at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the 38-year-old made it two wins in six starts at the Singapore Classic in February. "I've done well on this course in the past," Strydom, who is currently at a career-high 145th in the world rankings. "I feel like this course owes me one and hopefully that's this week. There are a lot of good players here, but we've all got the same job - to keep it low and under the wind." Winds gusting up to 40mph are forecast for Thursday's first round and home favourite Brandon Stone is braced for a tough challenge.

"I've been watching the wind forecast, and especially the predictions for Thursday," said Stone, who carded a closing 60 to win the third of his DP World Tour titles in the 2018 Scottish Open. "You can definitely see the course has been built for a breeze and it's no secret that this part of the country has wind that will flatten flagsticks. "The wind will certainly change how this course plays but I have to commend the greenkeeping staff here because it's in fantastic condition considering they've been in a long drought in this region."

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