Out of the Rough: Investec South African Open Championship (2026)

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.

This is a nomadic event, being played at various courses across South Africa each season. This year’s installment will take place at the Stellenbosch Golf Club in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Stellenbosch Golf Club has hosted this prestigious event just once prior, hosting the 1999 installment that saw David Frost claim his second South African Open Championship 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 year marks the 115th playing of the Investec South African Open Championship.

This event is co-sanctioned between the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour and has been since 1997. 

The Field

Although last week saw a depleted field for the Magical Kenya Open, that is not the case this week in South Africa.

Two-time-winner on the season and current Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed will tee it up again this week in hopes to continue his dominance across the DP World Tour.

He’ll be joined by another two-time-winner on the season and South African native Jayden Schaper who looks to claim his national open this week.

Of course, being the national open of South Africa, a strong South African field will be in attendance this week.

This is also an event dominated by South Africans who have won each of the past seven installments.

Notable South Africans looking to claim their national open include Charl Schwartzel, Dean Burmester, Thriston Lawrence, Branden Grace, Shaun Norris, Casey Jarvis, Michael Hollick, Hennie Du Plessis, Zander Lombard, Dylan Frittelli, Jacques Kruyswijk, Daniel van Tonder, JC Ritchie, Ockie Strydom, Dylan Naidoo, Ryan van Velzen, Richard Sterne, among others.

South African golfing legend, and five-time South African Open Championship winner, Ernie Els will also be teeing it up this week.

Other notable golfers playing this week include Andy Sullivan, Julien Guerrier, Calum Hill, Freddy Schott, Dan Bradbury, Wenyi Ding, Marcus Armitage, Angel Ayora, Oliver Lindell, Antoine Rozner, Jacob Skov Olesen, Jorge Campillo, Matthew Jordan, Brandon Robinson-Thompson, Marcel Scneider, Romain Langasque, Alex Fitzpatrick, Eugenio Chacarra, among others. 

Naidoo comes in as the defending champion, having topped Laurie Canter in a playoff a season ago.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Burmester (2023,) Lawrence (2022), van Tonder (2021,) Grace (2020,) Sullivan (2015,) Hennie Otto (2011,) Els (2010, 2006, 1998, 1996 and 1992) and Sterne (2008.) 

The Course

Stellenbosch Golf Club was established in 1904, making it one of the oldest courses in all of South Africa.

It sits in the heart of South Africa’s Winelands as some shots this week will take place over vineyards.

The course also offers stunning views of the nearby Helderberg Mountains.

The original designer is left unknown but the course was extended to a full 18- hole venue by Ken Elkin in 1953.

Stellenbosch Golf club is a fairly flat parkland design that offers a few subtle elevation changes throughout.

It plays as a par-72 at just shy of 7,000 yards, measuring 6,986 yards.

The fairways are tree-lined and the venue itself is known for its “carpet-like” fairways and fast greens.

Water comes into play on four holes here, the second, fifth, 12th and 18th.

The opening stretch of holes will show how tough this track can be right out of the gate.

The first five holes are all par-fours that stretch over 400 yards. From there, golfers will face a lengthy 568-yards par-five. 

The seventh hole is one of the course’s signature holes, a downhill par-three.

 From there, the eighth is also a signature hole, another challenging par-five known by the locals as “Snakes and Grapes.” A sliced shot will send a ball into the bush on the right and a hook will result in a lost ball in the vineyards on the left. 

The final signature hole at this venue is the tight-uphill par-five 14th. Golfers will need to fade the ball off-the-tee followed by a draw for the second shot (or vice versa for a left-handed golfer.)

Although last played in 1999, the winning score was -5. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday currently calls for a 50-percent chance of precipitation. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all calling for just a five-percent chance. Temperatures will begin the week at 76-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 81-degrees on Friday. From there, the temperatures will drop to 80-degrees across the weekend. Winds will be at the highest on Thursday at 15 miles-per-hour before settling to 14 miles-per-hour across both Friday and Saturday. Winds will end the week at 13 miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Key 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

Hennie Du Plessis (+2500)

I was itching to get Du Plessis on my card for this event so although I wish the number was slightly better, he was my first click. He’s fresh off a third place finish last week at the Magical Kenya Open. He also placed 15th at the Qatar Masters, 16th at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, 19th at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, 25th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 64th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Although he didn’t play this event a season ago, he placed T25th in 2023, T9th in 2022, third in 2021 and T6th in 2020. Remember those events were at different courses, but it proves he plays this event rather well. Du Plessis is currently third on Tour in par-five average scoring, 16th in SG: ATG, 20th in GIR%, 22nd in SG: APP, 58th in SG: OTT, 74th in three-putt avoidance, 80th in SG: PUTT, 110th in scrambling and 132nd in driving accuracy. 

Thriston Lawrence (+3500)

I felt that this number was rather high for one of the premier talents out of South Africa. He is currently tenth on Tour in SG: OTT, 35th in par-five average scoring, 43rd in scrambling, 44th in SG: APP, 49th in three-putt avoidance, 53rd in driving accuracy, 61st in SG: PUTT, 106th in GIR% and 140th in SG: ATG. He too last played this event in 2023 where he finished T10th. Prior to that he won the 2022 installment and placed T19th in 2022. He placed 29th last week at the Magical Kenya Open, missed the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, placed tenth at the Dubai Invitational, 14th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and 33rd at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the season. 

Brandon Stone (+6000)

If you haven’t caught on yet, I’m going South African heavy on the betting card this week as they have dominated this event as of late. Stone opted to compete on the HotelPlanner Tour last week for the Jonsson Workwear Open, also in South Africa, where he placed T22nd. Prior to that he placed 36th at the Qatar Masters, 24th at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, missed the cut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, ninth at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 23rd at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He placed T16th a season ago at this event. He missed the cut in 2023, placed T59th in 2022, T14th in 2021 and T32nd in 2020. Stone is currently sixth on Tour in both GIR% and SG: OTT, seventh in SG: APP, 27th in par-five average scoring, 73rd in driving accuracy, 86th in SG: ATG, 89th in scrambling, 122nd in three-putt avoidance and 135th in SG: PUTT. 

Nathan Kimsey (+7500)

Kimsey is my lone non-South African on my card this week. I simply could not ignore his form or what his stats are telling me. He is currently eighth on Tour in driving accuracy, tenth in all three of GIR%, scrambling and par-five average scoring, 13th in SG: OTT, 20th in SG: ATG, 52nd in SG: APP, 56th in three-putt avoidance and 96th in SG: PUTT. Kimsey placed fifth last week at the Magical Kenya Open and prior to that placed 24th at the Qatar Masters, ninth at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship, 25th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open and 32nd at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He also placed T16th at this event a season ago and T43rd in 2022. 

Daniel van Tonder (+10000)

Van Tonder plays his best golf in South Africa. Looking back to the start of the HotelPlanner Tour season a year ago, he won both the SDC Open and the MyGolfLife Open. He also placed T6th at the Cell C Cape Town Open and ninth at the NTT DATA Pro-Am. If we take a look at what he did earlier this season in South Africa, his two best finishes on the season can be found with a T10th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and T14th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He placed 61st last week at the Magical Kenya Open, placed 52nd at the Qatar Masters, missed the cut at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and placed 15th at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. However, he has not been great at this event, missing the cut in both 2025 and 2023, placing T64th in 2022 and missing the cut in 2022. He did win the 2021 installment of this event but it’s worth noting that it was not a co-sanctioned event with the DP World Tour and was solely a Sunshine Tour event. Van Tonder is currently first on Tour in par-five average scoring, 23rd in SG: APP, 24th in SG: ATG, 30th in SG: OTT, 51st in driving accuracy, 62nd in both GIR% and scrambling, 140th in three-putt avoidance and 145th in SG: PUTT.

2025 Betting Card (Durban CC)

• Jayden Schaper (+3300) - T16th

• Francesco Laporta (+4500) - MC

• Deon Germishuys (+8000) - MC

• Freddy Schott (+10000) - 67th

2023 Betting Card (Blair Atholl)

• Hennie du Plessis (+2200) - T25th

• Romain Langasque (+2500) - T57th

• Ross Fisher (+6000) - T17th

• Matthew Southgate (+8000) - T57th