Oosthuizen Heads Alfred Dunhill Championship Celebrating 25-Years In Returning To Joburg Where It All Began

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This week marks a milestone in the history of the Sunshine Tour, returning to Johannesburg for the hosting of the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Championship and 25-years on from the South African capital being the host city.

Top South African Louis Oosthuizen and winner of the 2010 Open Championship heads this premier Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament.

Many of those teeing-up this week have very personal reasons for looking forward to the challenge of the famed East Course, which is ranked within the top three in the Province of Gauteng.

Shaun Norris returns as the defending champion after what he described as a career-defining victory in this tournament at Leopard Creek last year, and now playing an East Course he has always enjoyed.

“Winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship last year was massive for me. Every South African wants to win this tournament, and it was a special week for me,” said Norris.

“There’s a little bit of extra emotion in a week when you’re defending a title because you always want to try and defend. It’s also nice to be in Johannesburg and staying at home, so I’m a little bit more relaxed. This has always been a great golf course and as South Africans we all love it. It’s a demanding test.”

Former champions Branden Grace, still the only golfer to have won both the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and Richard Sterne will relish the prospect of returning to an East Course where they’ve both won titles in their careers.

Germany’s Marcel Siem is simply enjoying being back in Johannesburg where in January 2004 he won the Alfred Dunhill Championship when it was still played in the city of gold before moving to its traditional home of Leopard Creek.

“It feels like I’m defending the title 21 years later. It feels great to be back here. I was still a baby at 24 years old. I remember the playoff with Gregory Havret and Raphael Jacquelin. It was the kickstart to my career. It meant a lot, and all the people in Joburg were so nice to me,” said Siem.

Rising South African star Casey Jarvis is back at the golf course where he achieved the crowning glory of his amateur career in winning the South African Amateur in 2020. He comes into this week in impressive form after winning twice in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour last month.

“I’m feeling very confident. To get the two wins is very special. It’s nice to head into a week like this on a golf course I know very well, and with some confidence,” he said.

Young Spanish sensation Angel Ayora also has fond memories of Alfred Dunhill Championship tournaments in general. He finished tied fifth in last year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, and tied fifth in this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

“It’s just a special event for me. I love being here in South Africa as well – the people, the food, the golf courses. And the weather. I prefer to play in hot climates. I’m just happy to be here again in this tournament,” he said.

Popular Pablo Larrazábal will form part of an impressive list of European challengers seeking to end South Africa’s dominance of this title. The Spaniard was the last European to win the Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2019.

John Parry finished runner-up last year, going on to finish the DP World Tour season in 11th place on the Race to Dubai Rankings, earning his PGA TOUR card for 2026. France’s Martin Couvra, the 2025 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, and Spain’s Angel Ayora are among the young emerging talent teeing it up.

ROYAL JOHANNESBURG — What you need to know.

• The history of Royal Johannesburg dates back to the founding of Johannesburg Golf Club in 1891, which was located on the current premises as far back as 1909. It received its Royal Charter in 1931.

• The club as it exists now is the product of a merger with the former Kensington Golf Club in 1998, the first merger of its kind in South Africa.

• The East Championship Course was designed in 1939 by Robert Grimsdell and is regarded to be in the top echelon of courses on the continent.

• After a full revamp in 2017, the course is now regarded as a contemporary parkland.

• In 2018, the East Course received numerous international accolades including two World Golf Awards (South Africa’s best course and Africa’s best course), Golf Scapes Top 100 Courses in the world (25) and Course of the Year by Luxury Travel Guide.

• The Par 72, 7656 yard layout has kikuyu fairways and tees and bent grass greens.

• This is the 12th time Royal Johannesburg has staged a DP World Tour event, most recently hosting the Joburg Open in 2017.   (Thanks to DP World Tour)



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