As the saying goes, a lot can change in a year. And in the case of the South African Open Championship, it has.

The 2021 South African Open took place at the Gary Player Country Club. And for the first time since 2013, it did not form a part of the DP World Tour schedule – the result of a rise in cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant at the time.

The event was run by the Sunshine Tour with a total purse of $500,000 – a drop of more than 50% from the previous year. Daniel van Tonder narrowly edged out Oliver Bekker to take the title and the R1.2-million winner’s cheque. 

Fast-forward 12 months and the SA Open is back on the DP World Tour, with a new title sponsor in the form of Investec. 

With a purse that has tripled to $1.5m, the event is being held from 1 to 4 December at the Blair Atholl Golf and Equestrian Estate in Lanseria – another celebrated Gary Player design.

The SA Open is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, with a history dating back to 1903, and some of the country’s finest talents will take to the fairways of Blair Atholl for a chance at claiming the historic title.

Daniel van Tonder during Day 4 of the 2021 SA Open Championship at Gary Player Country Club on 5 December 2021 in Sun City, South Africa. (Photo: Carl Fourie / Gallo Images)

The veterans

South African stars Charl Schwartzel – the 2o11 Masters champion – and nine-time DP World Tour winner Branden Grace, will be among those teeing it up at Blair Atholl on Thursday. Both Grace and Schwartzel joined the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series earlier this year, and have each won an event on the lucrative circuit.

Grace will be looking to replicate his 2019 SA Open triumph, where he fired a scintillating final-round 62 to claim the title at Randpark. On the other hand, Schwartzel, despite having 11 DP World Tour victories to his name, is still in search of his first SA Open title – his closest call coming in the form of a playoff loss to England’s Andy Sullivan in 2015. 

Schwartzel is an honorary life member at Blair Atholl, and holds the course record 0f 60 (-12), which he scored during social play. He will be hoping to draw on his experiences to finally claim a maiden SA Open title. 

Dean Burmester, who recently secured his playing rights on the PGA Tour for the 2022/2023 season, is the highest-ranked player in the field at 60th in the world rankings. 

Other notable players in the field include PGA Tour winner Dylan Frittelli, and Thriston Lawrence, who became the first South African to be crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year on the DP World Tour after a debut season which included two victories. 

Adam Breen during Day 1 of the SunBet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya at Umhlali Country Club on 19 October 2022 in Ballito, South Africa. (Photo: Carl Fourie / Gallo Images)

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A new experience

In the field of 156 players, a number are making their SA Open debuts. One of which is England’s Dan Bradbury.

Bradbury became the highest-ranked professional to ever win a DP World Tour event when he won last week’s Joburg Open ranked 1,397th in the world, earning himself full-status on the DP World Tour in the process.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet… it still feels weird calling myself a DP World Tour winner, but for it to happen so early on in my career is crucial. It’s life-changing. And it just couldn’t have happened at a better time, really,” said Bradbury.

“I’m loving my time in South Africa. Obviously it’s now my new favourite country… I guess I’ve got to say that. But, yeah, it’s really nice, and it just feels like everything is a bit of a bonus at the minute.”

Bradbury hopes to carry his momentum from last week into the SA Open.

“I’m just excited to get going and keep going with what we had. I’ve never really been in this situation but I’m just not going to change anything… go out, enjoy these next two weeks, and I look forward to getting home to the rest of the family and catching up with them at Christmas time.”

Another SA Open first-timer is Sunshine Tour rookie Adam Breen, who advanced through a six-man playoff to claim the final spot on offer in an SA Open qualifying tournament. 

The qualifying tournament, which took place at Modderfontein Golf Club on 29 November, had 105 players competing for one of four spots available in the SA Open.

“It means a lot. It’s a childhood dream come true. I came and watched this event as a kid, and I’ve watched it over the years on TV, so I’m very excited to make my SA Open and DP World Tour debut,” said Breen.

“I’m just looking to make the most of the week. There’s a lot of points on offer this week for us on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, and a lot of cash on offer as well. So those are great incentives.”

A tough test

A common word used to describe Blair Atholl is “long”. The course is known as the third-longest golf course in the world, stretching to a mammoth 7,527m off the back tees.

“I played 18 holes this morning, and the course is long. It’s brutal. But it’s wide and the greens are quite big,” said Breen. 

“It’s quite a demanding golf course, especially with the longer clubs. You really need to strike your long irons well, and you just need to manage yourself on the golf course well. From there on, it’s just about getting the ball in the hole.”

Designed by Gary Player in 2007, the course has only hosted one professional event – the 2021 Blair Atholl Championship on the Sunshine Tour, where Luke Brown prevailed on 12 under par.

“I think it will all depend on course setup and how long the course will play,” said Oliver Bekker, a veteran with seven wins on the Sunshine Tour.

“It’s a good test – physically and mentally – because it’s quite tiring walking around the golf course. It’s a big golf course to cover, so I think I need to stay hydrated this week and try to recover as much as possible to be fresh, mentally, come Sunday afternoon.” DM