The DP World Tour (European Tour) is headed to South Africa this weekend for the South African Open in Stellenbosch. This event was founded in 1903, and it became a Sunshine Tour event in 1972. The South African Open was the Sunshine Tour’s flagship event between 1999 and 2016, and again from 2018 to 2020. Gary Player is the most successful player in the event’s history, having won the South African Open 13 times.
The South African Open will be played over 72 holes in a traditional individual stroke play format. The prize fund is $1.5 million, with the winner taking home $255,000.
Event Information
This event has been held all over South Africa. This is the first time that Stellenbosch has hosted the South African Open since 1999. Since then, the course has been upgraded and lengthened, making it a real challenge for golfers. The key to beating this course is to succeed on the long par-fours and short par-threes.
The championship course at Stellenbosch Golf Club is set at a 7,213-yard, par-70 course.
2026 South African Open Odds
2026 South African Open odds to win with BetXchange:
- Jayden Trey Schaper – 10/1
- Patrick Reed – 11/1
- Angel Ayora – 13/1
- Dean Burmester – 20/1
- Branden Grace – 20/1
- Hennie Du Plessis – 20/1
Some of the bigger hitters on the DP World Tour are back for this event after skipping out in Kenya. Patrick Reed won two of the past three tournaments before Nairobi, so he is clearly in fine form. Other tour winners this season missing from the back in the list of starters include South African Jayden Schaper, second in the Race to Dubai Rankings, and Spaniard David Puig.
2026 South African Open Leading Contenders
We picked the wrong South African to win in Kenya last weekend. Hennie du Plessis was in and around the top of the leaderboard for the entire event, but an opening round where he only went two-under put pay to his chances. He has to settle for third place.
The winner was Casey Jarvis, who can be had at 25/1 to win here. He was remarkably consistent at Karen Country Club, posting rounds of -6, -5, -4, and then leading the field with a final round of 8-under to win by two strokes from American Davis Bryant. Bryant is 160/1 to win in Stellenbosch.
Reed is No. 18 in the world for a reason, and he is the class of this field. Jayden Schaper, who is the favorite to win in his home country, and Thriston Lawrence, who is 28/1 to win, are the only other two players inside the world’s top 100 teeing off in Stellenbosch.
2026 South African Open Prediction
A course that is over 7,200 yards and that plays to a par-70 means that length off the tee is going to be vital. The course has a number of narrow sections, so if you are thinking of backing a bomber, you’d better pick one with above-average fairway accuracy.
Pick: Dean Burmester at 20/1
There is something about Burmester playing courses in his home country that takes him to a different level. He won the South African Open in 2024 at Blair Atholl just outside of Johannesburg, while three of his four victories on this tour have come in South Africa. He is value at 20/1.
