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European Tour: Joburg Open Preview

By Mike Randleman

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 17: Haydn Porteous of South Africa poses with the trophy after his victory on the East Course during day four and the final round of the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on January 17, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - JANUARY 17: Haydn Porteous of South Africa poses with the trophy after his victory on the East Course during day four and the final round of the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on January 17, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Joburg Open
Aug 11, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Haotong Li (CHN) tees off on the fourth hole during round 1 of the men’s golf in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Olympic Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Africa’s largest annual golf tournament is on display this week at the Joburg Open

The European Tour marches on to another non-European country this week for the Joburg Open. Follow along for more information as the Tour returns to traditional 72-hole stroke play after last week’s wild format.

History

For those not in the loop, Joburg isn’t some luxury car company or wealth investment company you feel like you should have heard of. It’s short for South Africa’s largest city, Johannesburg, where host site Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC (RJ&KGC) is situated.

The tournament has been held here since its beginning 2007 and is Africa’s largest annual golf tournament. It’s technically a Sunshine Tour event, but has been co-sanctioned by the European Tour since day one.

The venue features an East and West Course, which are both in play this week. The field will play the East on the weekend and one on the West Thursday or Friday. The 6,586-yard West plays to a par 71 and the East 7,001 for a par 72. Both predate the birth of Johannesburg’s native son in 1935, Gary Player.

RJ&KGC is also host to the South African PGA Championship and an international Open Championship qualifier site. It’s known for its scenic views of the Jukskei River and Linksfield Ridge.

The Field

Joburg Open
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – JANUARY 17: Haydn Porteous of South Africa poses with the trophy after his victory on the East Course during day four and the final round of the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club on January 17, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

If only the field list was as picturesque. In its defense, the lack of top tier talent is hurt by the popular Honda Classic on the PGA Tour, as well as next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.

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Defending champion, Johannesburg native Haydn Porteus, missed six of his last seven cuts going into this year’s Joburg Open but already has two career wins at the ripe age of 22. This could be the week that gets him going.

Trevor Immelmann is the biggest name of 71 South Africans in the field. The 2008 Masters champion has fallen on tough times with his game as of late, largely due to injury. He enters the week with a nastier missed cut stretch than Porteus: 11 in a row and 13 of 14. He also missed the cut here in 2016.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke and South Korea’s YE Yang are the other major champions in the field.

Several South Africans among the likes of Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace are absent. All but Schwartzel are stateside at the Honda in Florida.

The field’s second-highest ranked player, world No. 134 Li Haotong, is also China’s top golfer. Not a bad title to have at age 21. He has four wins on Asian tours and a breakthrough European Tour/Asian Tour win on home turf at the Volvo China Open last May. Two weeks ago he tied for fifth place at the Maybank Championship.

Another name to watch is South Korea’s Lee Soo-min, ranked No. 188. An elder statesman compared to Porteus and Haotong at age 23, he was a winner at the Shenzen International in April and has three worldwide wins.

Aussie Brett Rumford will seek back-to-back wins for the first time in his career. He won last week’s ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth in a match play victory over 17-year-old Phachara Khongwatmai. The win bumped him from No. 274 to 133, making him the field’s top-ranked player. Considering he had limited status on Tour before last week, that’s a good spot to be for the 39-year-old journeyman.

Odds and Ends

  • The European Tour has a handy webpage to find how to view the action designated by country.
  • Eight of ten Joburg Open champs hail from South Africa.
  • The Joburg Open has the European Tour season’s largest field at 210 players
  • Tournament purse checks in at 16,500,000 South African rands (~$1.25 million or ~€ 1.18 million)
  • Two-time event winner and South African Richard Sterne tied the European Tour’s second lowest 72-hole score in relation to par when he posted a 27-under 260
  • Haydn Porteus in 2016 and Andy Sullivan in 2015 won at 17-under-par. The winning score has been 13-under better every year.
  • Top three finishers this week automatically qualify for the Open Championship

Next: Talking Caddies with Brian Shell of the Evans Scholars Foundation

Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the Joburg Open, Thursday, February 23 – Sunday, February 26 beginning at 5am ET.  You can also stay current by liking the ProGolfNow Facebook page and following us on Twitter @ProGolfNow and  @mike_randleman to get the latest new and commentary on golf’s top events and your favorite players.

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