Robert Lee picks out two South African stars who need to rebound in 2015

Robert Lee tips a Challenge Tour graduate to upstage a star trio of home favourites at the South African Open.

After such a hectic end to the golfing year in 2014, it was nice to have a short break to recharge the batteries, and I’m sure most professionals will have taken the chance to relax over the festive season.

But both the European and PGA Tours swing back into action this week, and I’ll be in the Sky Sports studio presenting coverage of the South African Open Championship at Glendower.

As usual, there is a strong home contingent headed by former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and tournament host Ernie Els, while Branden Grace will be looking to continue the sublime form that landed him the Alfred Dunhill Championship title at Leopard Creek last month.

I’ll be looking for Schwartzel to get back to winning ways this season after a poor 2014 by his standards, and I think he needs to rediscover his enjoyment of the game as he looked a little forlorn at times last year.

When I watch Charl, I don’t know what it is but it’s a bit like when I watch Sergio Garcia sometimes, I’m not sure he sees the joy in his golf as much as he should.

It might just be his way of expressing himself but you need that bit of enjoyment to go with the fire – and it seems like sometimes he’s just going through the motions. I could be doing the guy a complete disservice but that’s what it looks like from the outside.

No letting up

You’ve got to keep pressing the button playing this game, you can’t ease off for a couple of years. It has got to be full-tilt, giving your very best all the time and sometimes, when I look at Charl, I’m not sure he does. I’m not saying he doesn’t try hard, but I think he could try better.

He’s been playing a full complement of tournaments on both Tours, but I don’t think his schedule is to blame. All these top guys have got managers and they must have sat down and worked out a sensible balance between the European Tour and the PGA Tour.

I’m pretty sure Charl and his advisors have it all planned and it can’t be that hard to work out a schedule for both.

Ernie Els: Needs to finds some magic with the short stick

Ernie Els has been playing both Tours for years, and maybe his immense amount of travel caught up with him last year. It’s difficult because Ernie is 45 now and there is a tapering off. You don’t sustain it like you did when you were 30.

Ernie also made the bold move of going back to the short putter last year because he can’t use the long, anchored putter like he did beyond the end of 2015. So that might be a part of his low-key season, but I’m sure he’s still very keen to do well.

Gary Player set the mould for young South Africans in terms of travelling everywhere, because if you’re based in South Africa you’ll always be travelling a lot. Home for Ernie is mostly in the United States now, but I think the putter change is the main issue for him. He has to learn to deal with the short stick again.

Big year for Grace

As for Grace, he started off with a 62 at Leopard Creek when the golf course was like a pudding. Then the course firmed up on the final day, they put some tough flags out and 72 was a good score, but he shot a 68 when he was leading - the second best score of the day.

I thought it was a superb performance from a guy who has found winning difficult since he won four titles in a 12-month period in 2012.

You start to doubt yourself, so he’ll have answered a lot of questions in the way that he handled himself in that last round. It can only mean that I suspect he is going to have a very good season.

Branden Grace: Impressive win at Leopard Creek last month

Two notable absentees from their national championship are Louis Oosthuizen and Tim Clark, which surprises me.

Professional golfers are all freelance individuals and can do whatever they want, but personally I’d want to play in my national open. Adam Scott goes to a lot of trouble to go back to Australia at the end of the year, and I think Louis and Tim should be playing in the South African Open.

Rob’s Sky Bet Tip: Sam Hutsby

I think this week is a really good week for the guys who have graduated from the Challenge Tour, and I’m backing Sam Hutsby to play well. He's 5/1 to secure a top 20 finish with Sky Bet.

Sam looked a bright prospect when he first arrived on the European Tour, but then he kind of lost his way – and his card.

But he spent a year on the Challenge Tour and got his playing rights back. If you play a hardened year of tournament golf and finish high enough to get your card, you are well set for the next year and ready to hit the ground running.

Sam has played on the European Tour, he knows what it’s like and has had a flavour of it. He’ll come back probably a better player after feeling what it’s like to be off it and having to earn his way back.

He will be looking to get his year off to a jump start. A lot of people through the years in the first South African event play well when they’re breaking new ground, so I fancy Sam might be another.