Austria, Portugal and Cyprus have all hosted back-to-back European Tour events this year, part of a patchwork schedule driven by necessity towards an uncertain climax. Now, in November, at last it feels safe to say the end of this part of the journey does have a destination, and it remains Dubai.
The final stop before we get there is familiar, too, although someone has put the puzzle pieces back in the wrong boxes. As a result we begin three weeks in South Africa with the return of the Joburg Open, at the same course which hosted the SA Open as recently as January. We end it not with the Nedbank Challenge, yet nevertheless at Sun City for, erm, another SA Open, with a second trip to Leopard Creek splitting the two.
For most of the locals and all of the Sunshine Tour players who help complete these fields, there's no need to worry about Dubai, but for many of the internationals and one or two of the South Africans that end-of-season goal remains. To get there you'll need to be 60th or better on the Race to Dubai, in theory at least. Who knows whether that line will move if and when Patrick Reed (first), Collin Morikawa (third), Tony Finau (35th) and even Rory McIlroy (16th) decline the opportunity to head to the Middle East.
For now though let's worry less about that and more about the Joburg Open, which is back for the first time since the 2018 edition which, ahem, took place in 2017. Oh and it was spread over both courses here at Randpark, which has always been a feature of the event, ever since it began nearby at Royal Johannesburg. This year, however, all 72 holes will be played at Firethorn, the harder layout and the one which hosted three of the four rounds back in January. You know, in the SA Open I mentioned. I'm not trying to discombobulate you, honest.
As you'd expect and have no doubt grown used to, the field isn't all that strong - in fact it's towards the weaker ones we've had since things began in earnest at the British Masters. That means no Belgians (and therefore no more Detry talk, thank you very much), no Andy Sullivan and indeed not much of an English contingent at all. Sam Horsfield might have been here but for an injury in Cyprus but he isn't, and Richard Bland is the third or fourth-shortest UK player in the betting.
You would think, therefore, that this is a fine chance for the home team to take back a title which was won by Shubhankar Sharma in 2017. Typically, South Africans - advantaged by their comfort in dealing with conditions ranging from kikuyu grass to heat and altitude - have dominated these co-sanctioned events, winning eight out of 12 Joburg Opens, all six Africa Opens, five from six in the Tshwane and six of the last eight at Leopard Creek.
There had been an exception, the SA Open itself, which Sullivan won during a spell of prolonged pain for the home crowds. I always felt that was best explained by the history, prestige and attached pressure in that tournament, underlined by Charl Schwartzel's meltdowns and Louis Oosthuizen's tears. Here, in what is so clearly a Joburg Open, there should be no excuses.
