The DP World Tour has proudly played regularly in South Africa in co-hosting tournaments with the ‘home’ Sunshine Tour.
Though it’s somewhat surprising that it’s been 11-years since a co-sanctioned event was last in Durban and South Africa’s third largest city and was in 2014 for the final edition of just four Volvo Champions tournaments and staged on this week’s Durban Country Club course.
In addition, it has been 15-years since the South African Open was last in played in Durban and won by legendary Ernie Els by defeating by a shot his fellow US Open winning compatriot Retief Goosen.
Indeed Durban was a regular stop on the South African Open rota since the inaugural event in 1903 and with the club playing host every fews years and up to an 18th occasion with Els’ fifth success in 2010.
Stunning aerial shot of the Durban CC – The Moses Mabhida Stadium (Large white structure), the Kings Park Stadium to it’s right and the two Durban CC courses – Championship course close to the Indian Ocean the club’s Beachwood course more along the river. Image Golf Planet Holidays
The prior longest Durban gap in playing host was 11-years between 1928 and 1939.
So now, and also after the event was not staged last year in 2024, one of the golf world’s prestigious open championships has returned to Durban and the stunning Durban Country Club course, laid out about a wedge-shot distance from the Indian Open shoreline.
This week’s 114th hosting of the Investec South African Open is a double proud occasion as this year it forms part of the Open Qualifying Series with the leading three players not already exempt for the Major earning a place in The Open at Royal Portrush.
Dean Burmester – winner of the 2023 South African Open and this week’s defending champion. (Image – Sunshine Tour)
Equally proud is defending South African Open and Stingers GC team member Dean Burmester who said it best when he looked out over Durban Country Club and the spectacular staging ahead of this week’s Investec South African Open and declared, “I feel incredibly proud”.
“I’m just proud to be the defending champion and to stand here as a South African having lifted that trophy,” he said speaking to Compleat Golfer
“I have my name alongside so many great champions of this event. I’m proud to be here and I’m proud to put up a defence of this special championship.
“It’s a good field this week, and it’s great that our Open – the second oldest national Open in the world – can draw a field like this.
“The course has changed a lot since last I played here in 2013. They’ve put in a burn on the back nine which comes into play a lot. They’ve opened up a lot of the bush areas and that’s let the rough grow. You have to be really precise. We’ll get some wind and rain this week so it will be all about managing emotions and conditions and then we’ll see what happens.”
Heading the field this week will be now LIV stars Charl Schwartzel, winner of the 2011 Masters and also his Stingers club team-mate Branden Grace who was runner-up to Louis Oosthuizen in the 2014 Volvo Champions event and the last time Durban hosted a major men’s tournament.
