The DP World Tour heads to South Africa for the penultimate event of its ‘International Swing’ for this week’s Investec South African Open Championship.
Durban Country Club will host its 18th South African Open this week for the first time since 2010 when Ernie Els claimed his fifth South African Open title.
The South African Open is the world’s second oldest National Open, with only the Open Championship outdating it. The South African Open has been played since 1893.
This event is co-sanctioned between the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour and has been since 1997.
There was no playing of this event a season ago. It was last played in 2023 when Dean Burmester claimed victory at Blair Atholl.
The Field
A South African has claimed their National Open in each of the last six playings of this event. Of course, there will be a strong home contingent looking to make that seven straight this week.
Of those include Burmester who won the last playing of this event at Blair Atholl in 2023.
Additionally, last week’s winner, Jacques Kruyswijk will look to use his National Open to go back-to-back.
He’ll be joined by the likes of Shaun Norris, Ryan Van Velzen, Dylan Mostert, Wilco Nienaber and others. Other South Africans teeing it up this week include LIV Golf’s Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace.
Other notable names teeing it up this week include Haotong Li, Laurie Canter, Alenjandro Del Rey, Johannes Veerman, Dan Bradbury, Marcel Siem, Adrian Otaegui and John Parry.
Other former South African Open champions teeing it up this week include Daniel Van Tonder (2021,) Grace (2020,) Chris Paisley (2018,) Brandon Stone (2016,) Andy Sullivan (2015,) Hennie Otto (2011,) Richie Ramsay (2009) and Richard Sterne (2008.)
The Course
Durban Country Club in Duban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa will host its 18th South African Open this week.
It plays as a Par 72 at 6,691 yards and was opened in 1922.
The course is best described as a coastal links course that features lush coastal vegetation, sand dunes, out-of-bounds fences and stunning views of the near-by Indian Open.
Durban Country Club is known for the massive undulations on some of the fairways which helps it feel like a typical links course and layout.
This course was last played on Tour as the inaugural host of the Jonsson Workwear Open in 2022.
However, the course will play completely different after it underwent a massive renovation following extensive flooding in 2022.
Most of the course sits below sea-level and therefore is within a flood plain. During the 2022 flooding, portions of the course were under-water for upwards of six weeks.
Entire greens, fairways, tee boxes, bunkers and the course’s irrigation system were ruined.
Nick Johnson oversaw the post-flood renovation that brought the course back to its former glory.
New tee boxes, bunkers and greens were built as well as a new drainage system was put into place.
Essentially, the entire course was re-built.
The course is known for its second hole, which has been described as one of the best coastal golf hole views in the entire world.
The first five holes have often been deemed one of the best five opening hole stretches in the world of golf. The course also features the ‘Prince of Wales’ hole which is the par-three 12th.
During the recent renovations, the other ten holes described as “boring” were addressed as well. All of the greens were replaced from the “ground up” on these holes and 43 bunkers were rebuilt, including state-of-the-art drainage systems, all built to USGA standards.
A new water collection stream was placed in the middle of the course as well. This not only allows the course to drain better, but brings water into play on multiple holes.
The Weather
As of the time of writing this, Friday has the highest chance of precipitation at 35-percent. Thursday is calling for a 20-percent chance of precipitation as Saturday and Sunday call for just a ten-percent chance. Temperatures will range between 77-and-79 degrees on all four days as well. Winds will range between seven-and-eight miles-per-hour on Thursday and Friday before peaking at 11 miles-per-hour on Saturday. Sunday is forecasting nine mile-per-hour winds.
Stats
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)
Driving Accuracy
Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)
Scrambling
Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)
Three Putt Avoidance
Par Five Scoring Average
Betting Card
Jayden Schaper (+3300)
With the fact that a South African has won this event each of the last six playings, I had to start my card there. My choice of that group was Schaper. He is currently 16th on Tour in three-putt avoidance, 21st in SG: ATG, 36th in GIR%, 51st in scrambling, 53rd in par five average scoring, 56th in SG: APP, 57th in driving accuracy, 62nd in SG: OTT and 85th in SG: PUTT. In other terms, he’s at least average on Tour in each of the nine statistical categories I took into consideration this week. He comes into this week on the back of a fourth place finish last week at the Magical Kenya Open and a fifth in the event prior at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. He also placed 13th this season at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and 21st at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Francesco Laporta (+4500)
The run of South African dominance at this event can’t last forever (or can it?) With that, my next selection is Laporta. We last saw Laporta at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters where he placed 21st. He also placed 13th at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, sixth at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and 31st at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic this season. Laporta is currently 12th on Tour in both driving accuracy and scrambling, 32nd in SG: APP, 39th in three-putt avoidance, 42nd in SG: OTT, 53rd in par five average scoring, 54th in SG: ATG, 60th in GIR% and 66th in SG: PUTT. Just as is the case with Schaper, Laporta is above average in each of the nine statistical categories I took into consideration this week.
Deon Germishuys (+8000)
Going back to the South African well, we’re going with Germishuys who impressed a week ago in Kenya. He placed third last week at the Magical Kenya Open. On the season, he also placed 28th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, 44th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and 38th at the Bepco Bahrain Championship. He is currently seventh on Tour in GIR%, 26th in scrambling, 35th in SG: ATG, 36th in driving accuracy, 47th in three-putt avoidance, 64th in SG: APP, 79th in SG: PUTT, 82nd in SG: OTT and 126th in par five average scoring.
Ferderik Schott (+10000)
Schott is currently second on Tour in SG: PUTT, fifth in scrambling, seventh in three-putt avoidance, ninth in SG: OTT, 12th in par five average scoring, 22nd in driving accuracy, 48th in SG: ATG, 58th in GIR% and 141st in SG: APP. That approach number is worrisome but he did gain 0.85 strokes on approach per round last week in Kenya. He’s an elite putter with a strong off-the-tee game. If he gains with his irons again, he can very well win this week. He placed seventh last week at the Magical Kenya Open. He also placed fifth at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, 16th at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and 15th at the BMW Australian PGA Championship on the season.
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