Justin Harding leads a dozen South Africans at Ras Al Khaimah Classic

Johannesburg - A full dozen South Africans, led by Justin Harding, will be in action at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Al Hamra Golf Course, in the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

Harding is the top SA player on the DP World Tour (DPWT) rankings, effectively the money list, at 12th. Harding who celebrates his 36th birthday on Wednesday, finished fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic two weeks ago.

Harding had led for most of the tournament including by two at the end of round three, before a costly triple bogey during his four-over final round meant he had to settle for tied fourth place on eight-under for the week.

Last week, Harding played on the Asian Tour’s Saudi International and finished 24th in a quality field.

ALSO READ: Justin Harding cashes in with R728k in Saudi International for 24th place

His strong challenge two weeks ago, should fill Harding with confidence as he goes in search of his third European Tour victory.

At 17th on the DPWT rankings, Thriston Lawrence will also be hoping for a strong showing. Lawrence won the Joburg Open in November, the first event of the DPWT season. Since then, the 25-year-old missed the Abu Dhabi Championship after testing positive for Covid-19, and then missing the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Last week, Lawrence finished in a respectable tie for 53rd at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and will be looking to keep up that improvement; as he seeks to make the best use of his newly-gained DPWT exemption status for his Joburg Open victory.

At 28th in the DPWT rankings, Zander Lombard has not played much since his second at the Joburg Open behind Lawrence. In fact, his only tournament since was the Ras Al Khaimah Championship last week when he finished 57th. The 27-year-old