Tournament  

• This is the 114^th edition of the Investec South African Open Championship. This is the 28^th time it has been co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour.
• First held in 1903, this is one of the world’s oldest national opens.
• The Investec South African Open Championship is the sixth event of The International Swing and the first of consecutive events to be held in South Africa, followed by next week’s Joburg Open.
• The International Swing is the second of five ‘Global Swings’ included on the 2025 Race to Dubai.
• This is the first time since 2010 that the event has been hosted at Durban CC. Ernie Els won his fifth South African Open title that year.
• Recognised internationally as one of South Africa’s premier golf courses, Durban CC opened in 1922. Laurie Waters is credited as the first designer, with additions from architects Stafford Hotchkin and Bob Grimsdell.
• Durban CC played host to the Jonsson Workwear Open which was co-sanctioned between the HotelPlanner Tour and the Sunshine Tour in 2022 as South African JC Ritchie secured a six-shot victory.
• The course was upgraded by Golf Data after floods in 2022, which closed the site for a number of months. It reopened in March 2024, with 18 new greens complexes in situ.
• The last six editions of the event have produced South African winners, with Dean Burmester returning to defend the title he won at Blair Atholl in 2023.
• There are three places available in The 153^rd Open this week as part of The Open Qualifying Series. The leading three players (not otherwise exempt) will earn a place at Royal Portrush later this year. Laurie Canter, Ryggs Johnston, Romain Langasque, Bryan Newman (a) and Jordan Smith are already exempt.

Players

• Past champions of this event teeing it up this week include Dean Burmester (2023), Daniel van Tonder (2021), Branden Grace (2020), Chris Paisley (2018), Brandon Stone (2016), Andy Sullivan (2015), Hennie Otto (2011), Richie Ramsay (2009) and Richard Sterne (2008).
• Last week’s Magical Kenya Open presented by absa champion Jacques Kruyswijk is one of seven winners from this year’s Race to Dubai in the field. He is joined by Haotong Li, Laurie Canter, Alejandro Del Rey, Johannes Veerman, John Parry and Ryggs Johnston.
• An 18-hole qualifier was held at Mount Edgecombe for the remaining six places in this year’s field. South African Keelan van Wyk won with a score of seven under par.
• Daniel van Tonder currently leads the Road to Mallorca Rankings after his terrific start to the campaign, which included back-to-back HotelPlanner Tour victories at the SDC Open and MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood Estate. The South African will tee it up on home soil this week hoping to continue his rich vein of form.