Volvo stat pack

A preview and stats for this week's European Tour event - the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa.

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The Links Course at Fancourt welcomes the European Tour for the second time in its short history. This week, the 11-year-old Gary Player-designed layout plays host to the Volvo Golf Champions event, which features - as its name suggests - a select group of tournament winners and all-time Tour greats. Those qualified to tee-up on Thursday include: Every European Tour winner since December 2010, along with those who have won 10 or more Tour titles during their career and who are still under the age of 50. Opened in November 2000, The Links is one of three courses at Fancourt and is set in lush countryside on South Africa's Southern Cape. The course first staged a European Tour event in December 2005 when Retief Goosen held off close friend Ernie Els to win the South African Open by one shot. The same pair were also involved when The Links hosted the Presidents Cup match in 2003. So who's taking part this week? Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano: Ended last year on a high but still has a lot of catching up to do after missing much of 2011 because of injury. Retief Goosen: Despite struggling to enter the winners' enclosure nowadays, the 43-year-old remains a top-class professional and is likely to contend again this week on a course he knows well. Branden Grace: Made his European Tour breakthrough last Sunday and could figure again this week over the renowned Links course at Fancourt. Louis Oosthuzen: The in-form 29-year-old won the Africa Open at East London earlier this month and his last 18 rounds of European Tour action average an excellent 67.67. He is the hottest pro teeing-up this week. Robert Rock: Has started the New Year in decent shape by posting a top 10 finish in last weekend's Joburg Open. Has a sound record in South Africa. Charl Schwartzel: Experienced a shock to his system last week when he missed the cut in Johannesburg. However, he is unlikely to suffer the same fate this week at Fancourt - he rarely performs poorly on home soil. EUROPEAN TOUR FORM Last 12 Tournaments (Since Oct 9th, 2011) Player: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 Thomas Aiken: 5 / 23 / 5 / MC / 70 / 57 / MC / 3 / - / 26 / 14 / 24
Thomas Bjorn: - / 8 / - / 15 / 42 / 66 / - / - / - / 29 / - / -
SSP Chowrasia: - / - / - / - / 65 / MC / Wd / - / MC / - / - / -
Darren Clarke: - / - / - / - / 38 / - / - / - / - / 57 / - / -
Nicolas Colsaerts: 14 / 44 / - / 28 / 20 / MC / - / - / 35 / 19 / - / -
Simon Dyson: - / MC / - / - / 16 / 33 / - / MC / - / 46 / - / -
Ernie Els: - / - / - / - / 33 / 23 / - / 69 / - / 34 / - / -
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano: 6 / MC / 2 / 12 / - / Won / - / - / - / 29 / - / -
Kenneth Ferrie: - / 72 / MC / 52 / - / Wd / - / - / - / - / - / MC
Oliver Fisher: MC / 44 / MC / MC / - / 46 / 48 / - / 53 / - / - / -
Retief Goosen: - / - / - / - / - / 46 / - / 6 / - / 37 / 3 / 16
Branden Grace: - / - / - / - / - / - / MC / 9 / - / - / 14 / Won
Padraig Harrington: - / 16 / - / - / - / MC / 3 / - / 51 / - / - / -
Michael Hoey: - / - / 20 / - / 62 / 23 / 38 / - / MC / 54 / - / -
Dave Horsey: - / 66 / 11 / MC / - / 19 / - / - / 21 / 37 / - / -
Raphael Jacquelin: - / 52 / MC / 15 / - / 74 / 29 / - / - / 48 / - / -
Miguel A Jimenez: - / MC / - / 2 / 38 / 19 / - / - / 11 / 44 / - / -
Robert Karlsson: - / - / - / - / 56 / MC / - / - / - / 11 / - / -
Pablo Larrazabal: - / 11 / MC / 38 / 20 / MC / - / - / MC / 10 / - / -
Paul Lawrie: 59 / 11 / - / - / 49 / MC / - / - / 46 / 2 / - / -
Thomas Levet: - / MC / 35 / MC / - / MC / 48 / - / - / 42 / - / -
Tom Lewis: - / Won / Wd / - / 76 / MC / - / - / - / - / - / -
Joost Luiten: - / 29 / 11 / MC / - / 5 / Won / - / - / 51 / - / -
Matteo Manassero: 51 / - / 35 / 28 / 69 / - / - / - / MC / 34 / - / -
Pablo Martin: - / MC / Ret / - / 75 / MC / MC / MC / MC / - / - / -
Colin Montgomerie: - / 44 / MC / - / - / 57 / 23 / - / 46 / - / - / -
Garth Mulroy: - / - / - / - / - / - / Won / 9 / - / - / 34 / MC
Alexander Noren: - / 29 / 3 / 35 / 49 / 46 / - / - / - / 37 / - / -
Jose Maria Olazabal: MC / MC / MC / 47 / - / - / - / - / 42 / - / - / -
Louis Oosthuizen: - / - / - / - / 7 / 3 / 8 / - / - / 6 / Won / -
Hennie Otto: MC / 16 / 20 / - / - / - / 7 / Won / - / 22 / - / MC
Robert Rock: - / 70 / - / 28 / 33 / - / 38 / 47 / - / 8 / - / 9
Charl Schwartzel: - / - / - / - / 4 / - / - / - / - / 5 / - / MC
Lee Slattery: Won / MC / - / - / 33 / 46 / 44 / 63 / - / - / - / 17
Matthew Zions: 55 / MC / 27 / MC / - / 57 / MC / - / MC / - / - / - Key: 1: Madrid Masters
2: Portugal Masters
3: Castello Masters
4: Andalucia Masters
5: HSBC Champions
6: Singapore Open
7: Iskandar Johor Open/Alfred Dunhill Ch'ship
8: South African Open
9: Hong Kong Open
10: Dubai World Championship
11: Africa Open
12: Joburg Open LOWEST 12 STROKE AVERAGES For Last 12 European Tour Events (Since Oct 9th, 2011) Average (Rounds) 67.67: Louis Oosthuizen (18)
69.14: Garth Mulroy (14)
69.42: Retief Goosen (19)
69.46: Padraig Harrington (13)
69.50: Branden Grace (14)
69.57: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (21)
69.58: Hennie Otto (24)
69.85: Joost Luiten (20)
70.06: Colin Montgomerie (16)
70.24: Miguel Angel Jimenez (21)
70.48: Lee Slattery (25)
70.51: Thomas Aiken (39)
70.52: Alexander Noren (23) (Min. No. of Rounds = 12) Fancourt: Par 73; 7,271 yards Note: The winning 72-hole total at the 2005 South African Open was 282. Played as a par-73, only two golfers shot lower than 290 that week.