The next Sunshine Tour event is the legendary Investec South African Open Championship. Its purse is $1.5 million US, the biggest of the four remaining events on the 2024-25 Sunshine Tour calendar.
The South African Open is proudly one of the oldest national open golf championships in the world. The first time this tournament was played was in 1903, and it is co-sanctioned by the European Tour alongside the Sunshine Tour.
While it is not currently the tour’s flagship event, that honor is with the Alfred Dunhill Championship; the South African Open remains the one event every player on this tour wants to win.
Event Information
The 2025 South African Open is the 114th edition of this championship. It will be played at the Durban Country Club for the first time since December 2010. That event was a classic, with Ernie Els winning his fifth and final South African Open by one stroke from Retief Goosen.
he defending champion is Dean Burmester. Burmester won the December 2023 even at 11 under par, three strokes ahead of Ryan van Velzen (South Africa), Jesper Svensson (Sweden), and Renato Paratore. That event was held at the Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate in Johannesburg.
2025 South African Open Odds
2025 South African Open odds to win with BetXchange:
- Dean Burmester – 49/20
- Laurie Canter – 18/5
- John Parry – 26/5
- Jordan Smith – 41/7
- Jayden Schaper – 43/7
- Johannes Veerman – 19/3
2025 South African Open Leading Contenders
Burmester is the favorite (49/20) and man to beat as he looks to win his second South African Open this weekend. This isn’t an event that has been kind to the defending champion, with Trevor Immelman the last player to win back-to-back trophies in 2003 and 2004.
Burmester is joined in the field by fellow LIV golfers Branden Grace (23/3) and Charl Schwartzel. Schwartzel is the seventh favorite at 20/3 and might be worth a punt if you think playing on a typically more challenging tour is a potential measure of success. Schwartzel hasn’t won since LIV Golf London in 2022 and being on home soil makes him a threat in Durban.
Jayden Schaper is another golfer worth watching this weekend. He has finished in the top 10 three times in the SA Open, all on different courses. He is also a high accuracy player and his game will suit the expected windy conditions in Durban.
The Kenya Open last week saw the SA Open’s third favorite John Parry beaten by Jacques Kruyswijk. Kruyswijk led from the end of the third round and he is a 9/1 shot to go back-to-back and win in Durban.
2025 South African Open Prediction
This tournament has been favorable to players from the host nation over the last stretch. The six most recent winners have all been native South Africans, with England’s Chris Paisley being the last foreign winner in 2018.
Els tour this course apart in 2020 as he posted a course record -25 after tearing apart the flat back nine. Expect a big score for the winner, with -20 likely the minimum requirement for victory
Pick: Charl Schwartzel – 67/10
It just feels like it is time Schwartzel picked up another win given his form and ability to play a tight course like Durban CC.
