Finding itself in a new slot on the DP World Tour’s Schedule, the Joburg Open is set to put a cap on the Tour’s ‘International Swing’ this week.
Last held in November of 2023 as part of the 2024 DP World Tour season, the Joburg Open now follows the South African Open to put an end to the Tour’s stay in Africa and its ‘International Swing.’
This event is co-sanctioned between the DP World Tour and the Sunshine Tour and was first held in 2007.Â
This will be the 17th playing of the Joburg Open as the event was not held in 2018 or 2019.
The event is held at Houghton Golf Club as has been since the 2023 season.
The Field
As the DP World Tour winds down its ‘International Swing’ and prepares for its ‘Asian Swing,’ many of the Tour’s top names remain idle this week.
Tour veteran Jordan Smith, 2025 Nedbank Golf Challenge winner Johannes Veerman and South African Jayden Schaper open as the odds-on-favorites to win this week.
Of course, being played in South Africa and co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, South Africa will see a strong representative within this field.
Along with Schaper the likes of Shaun Norris, Daniel van Tonder, Wilco Nienaber, Brandon Stone and Jacques Kruyswijk look to lead the South African charge.
A South African has won this event two-of-the-last-three seasons and ten-of-the-16 editions.
Other notable names teeing it up this week include John Parry, Francesco Laporta, Joost Luiten, Sam Bairstow, Daniel Brown, Adrien Saddier, Andy Sullivan and Ewen Ferguson.Â
Dean Burmester won this event last year over Darren Fichardt by three strokes. Burmester will not be back this season to defend his title as he’ll be playing in Hong Kong as part of the LIV Golf Tour.
Other former winners of this event teeing it up this week include Dan Bradburry (2022,) Shubhankar Sharma (2017,) Fichardt (2017,) Haydn Porteous (2016,) Sullivan (2015,) George Coetzee (2014) and Richard Sterne (2013 & 2008.)
The Course
Houghton Golf Course in Johannesburg, South Africa is this week’s host.
It plays as a par 72 measuring 7,241 yards.
This track has a rich history, hosting the South African Open eight times as well as the South African PGA Championship at the end of the last century.
This course is a traditional tree-lined parkland course with fairly generous fairways.
Although the fairways are generous, they are undulating and the course as a whole has lots of water hazards and bunkers in play.
The greens featured this week are bentgrass and are undulating.
Additionally, the course is listed at 7,241 yards on the scorecard but does not play as long as that number suggests as it sits over 5,000 feet above sea level. Therefore, the ball travels approximately 10-percent further.
In all, the long straight-line hitters off the tee will see a leg up this week.
The Weather
As of the time of writing this, there is a significant chance of precipitation to open play this week as Thursday calls for a 70-percent chance. From there, Friday and Saturday are calling for a zero-percent chance and Sunday a 35-percent chance. Winds will be at the highest on Saturday at just seven miles-per-hour as the rest of the week calls for just five-or-six miles-per-hour winds. Temperatures will begin at 79-degrees across Thursday and Friday before slowly decreasing to 75-degrees come Sunday.
Key Stats
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Average Driving Distance
Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)
Scrambling
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)
Bogey Avoidance
Sand Saves Percentage
Betting Card
Jayden Schaper (+2500)
I was on Schaper last week at the Investec South African Open Championship where he finished 16th. Prior to that he placed fourth at the Magical Kenya Open and fifth at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. He also placed 13th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 21st at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the season. Over the past two seasons, in which this event was held at Houghton Golf Course, Schaper placed ninth last year and 18th in 2023. He is currently 18th on Tour in bogey avoidance, 33rd in GIR%, 44th in SG: APP, 46th in scrambling, 54th in SG: OTT, 83rd in average driving distance, 88th in SG: PUTT and 129th in sand saves percentage.Â
Brandon Robinson-Thompson (+4000)
Robinson-Thompson didn’t play last week at the Investec South African Open Championship but prior to that placed 41st at the Magical Kenya Open, third at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and eighth at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship. He also placed 42nd at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open this season. He did not play in either of the last two seasons here. Robinson-Thompson is currently sixth on Tour in GIR%, 15th in average driving distance, 21st in bogey avoidance, 33rd in SG: PUTT, 39th in both SG: APP and scrambling, 57th in SG: OTT and 126th in sand saves percentage.Â
Marco Penge (+5500)
Penge is currently third on Tour in both average driving distance and GIR%, fourth in SG: PUTT, 17th in SG: APP, 20th in bogey avoidance, 64th in SG: OTT, 123rd in sand saves percentage and 127th in scrambling. A mighty fine stat profile if you ask me. He played here a season ago where he missed the cut but is fresh off a third place finish at last week’s Investec South African Open Championship. He also placed 20th at the Magical Kenyan Open recently and placed 27th at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open earlier this season.Â
Deon Germishuys (+12000)
Like Schaper, I was on Germishuys a week ago at the Investec South African Open Championship where he missed the cut. Prior to that, he placed third at the Magical Kenya Open. He’s also placed 38th at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, 44th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and 28th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the season. He is currently tenth on Tour in GIR%, 14th in bogey avoidance, 41st in scrambling, 59th in sand saves percentage, 78th in SG: APP, 80th in SG: OTT, 86th in SG: PUTT and 131st in average driving distance. He placed 21st here a season ago and 66th in 2023.