Month: September 2025

Johannesburg will once again be the stage for the culmination of the DP World Tour’s prestigious International Swing as the Joburg Open returns to Houghton Golf Club from 5-8 March, 2026, and with the chance for a South African professional to make history.
 
No South African professional has yet claimed an overall Swing victory on any of the five Global Swings that make up the DP World Tour’s season, and the Joburg Open’s co-sanctioning status with the Sunshine Tour offers the perfect opportunity for a local champion of the International Swing.
 
An overall Swing victory of one of the five Global Swings earns the winner a US$200 000 bonus as well as qualification for some of the DP World Tour’s most lucrative tournaments later in the season.
 
In announcing the 2026 Joburg Open, Cllr Dada Morera, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, said the opportunities this tournament provides and its global status reaffirms the city as a prime destination for major international events.
 
“The Joburg Open, and our partnerships with the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour, plays a valuable part in our tourism objectives to deliver the global message that Johannesburg is a city of opportunity and a home of world-class sporting events,” said Cllr Morera.
 
“It’s a message we’ve managed to consistently share since the inaugural Joburg Open in 2007, and through a tournament that showcases not only the operational excellence of the City of Johannesburg, but also serves as a source of pride for the golfers who participate and the opportunities it provides our next generation of South African golf stars to pursue their dreams. We’re also delighted to return to one of Johannesburg’s most historic and valued golf clubs in Houghton Golf Club for what will surely be another memorable edition of this tournament.”
 
The Joburg Open will also play a key role in determining the top 72 players on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit who will qualify for The Courier Guy Playoffs at the end of the current season where they will challenge for a range of incentives.
 
At the end of The Courier Guy Playoffs, the number one-ranked player on the final Courier Guy Order of Merit will receive a R500 000 cash bonus, a DP World Tour card for the following season, an exemption into the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and possible qualification routes via the Federation Ranking on the Official World Golf Ranking to The Open Championship and US PGA Championship.
 
The second and third place finishers on the Courier Guy Order of Merit will be fully exempt into all of the following season’s HotelPlanner Tour events and will also receive cash bonuses of R200 000 and R100 000 respectively.
 
“The Joburg Open occupies an important space on our schedule as a tournament that can truly launch a career and provide untold opportunities for its champion. We have a long and proud history with the City of Johannesburg and are looking forward to another week that takes the message of this world-class African city to the world, in partnership with the DP World Tour,” said Thomas Abt, Commissioner of the Sunshine Tour.
 
Ben Cowen, the DP World Tour’s Chief Tournament & Operations Officer, said: “We’re looking forward to returning to Houghton Golf Club for the fourth time in the history of the Joburg Open, and for a week that is going to be vital in terms of the crowning of our International Swing champion. It was at the Joburg Open where we teed off the new DP World Tour era, and it’s always a pleasure to return to a city – and to our partners at the Sunshine Tour and City of Johannesburg – that occupies such a key place on our schedule.”
 

• Englishman John Parry and Germany’s Marcel Siem add to field for DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned event

• Tickets available at an Early Bird special of 15% discount until 30 September 2025 at https://www.ticketbox.mu/event/abmo-2025 and using the code ‘GOLF15’

Englishman John Parry has confirmed that he will defend his AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open title when the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament is played at the spectacular La Réserve Golf Links, Heritage Resorts, from 18-21 December.

Parry claimed an emotional two-stroke victory over South Africa’s Dylan Naidoo and Christo Lamprecht at Mont Choisy Le Golf in 2024 which also helped him secure an overall victory of the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing that season. The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will once again be the final tournament on the DP World Tour’s Opening Swing.

Parry returns to Mauritius looking to become the first player in the history of the tournament to successfully defend his title.

“I’m excited to return to the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to try and defend my title. I have such good memories of Mauritius. The win was a major confidence boost for me in my career, and then to win the Opening Swing as well was a welcome bonus. And on top of this, the victory came on the day of my wedding anniversary. So Mauritius really holds fonds memories for me and I’m looking forward to going back there,” said Parry.

The Englishman’s victory in Mauritius was indeed life-changing for him, and could continue to be so. His win set him up to chase a potential PGA TOUR card. Parry is currently ranked eighth on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai Rankings, and if he retains his place in the top 10 by the end of the current season, he will earn PGA TOUR membership for next season.

Germany’s Marcel Siem is also confirmed for this year’s tournament and will relish a return to La Réserve Golf Links where he is an ambassador for Heritage Golf Club.

Siem has a proud history with the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open having played in this event five times with top finishes of tied 16^th and 19^th, and he particularly enjoys the challenge of La Réserve Golf Links.

“They’ve done a fantastic job with this golf course. It’s a tough test. You have to hit some good shots there, especially when the wind blows. The fairways and greens are really good, and there are some really tough holes out there,” he said.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open continues to make a powerful impact throughout world golf.

In less than a decade, the tournament has already established itself as a success story, and last year it delivered a record US$4.2 million in net economic impact for the Mauritian economy.

It was also the first DP World Tour victory for Rasmus Højgaard, who last week made his Ryder Cup debut as a member of the European team. Over the years it has hosted former Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup stars, and Major winners.

It has also been the starting point for many an international career, with both Dylan Naidoo and Christo Lamprecht, who finished runner-up last year, going on to claim breakthrough victories on the DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour shortly thereafter.

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open is proudly supported by leading brands such as AfrAsia Bank, Heritage Resorts, ER Group, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, Heritage Villas Valriche, Mont Choisy Group, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA), Range Rover, Emtel, Poncini, Mauritius Golf Federation, Phoenix Beverages, ticketbox.mu, DStv, C-Care, Mautourco, Ernie Els Wines, CBE and Miko Coffee.

STELLENBOSCH, Western Cape – Zander Lombard took another positive step in his comeback when he opened with a seven-under-par 64 highlighted by an albatross to lead Friday’s first round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at the Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate.

Lombard only returned to competitive golf in February this year following a near 10-month layoff after a knee injury and surgery.

But on a magnificent day in the Cape winelands he looked quite at home at the top of the leaderboard following a round that featured an albatross on the par-five 11^th.

“The albatross definitely boosted the round. It was such a perfect three wood hit just straight at the flag and which landed about nine metres short of the flag and trickled in. It was cool to see. It’s not every day that happens, and it’s great to have happened on day one of this tournament,” he said.

He leads by two strokes over Altin van der Merwe, and with a strong group of players including Keenan Davidse, George Coetzee, Stephen Ferreira and Yurav Premlall all just three strokes off the lead.

Gabrielle Venter is the leading Sunshine Ladies Tour professional after her opening round of two-under-par 69.

Lombard’s start was a big confidence boost as he continues to build his way back in the game following his injury.

“Since I had my 10 months off with my knee injury it’s been weird. I’ve been lacking a bit of consistency. But I’ve always felt like I’ve been playing well and just not scoring. To have a low round and get that confidence up, and to see the ball going in the hole and posting a good score is really nice. It seems like it’s all coming together at the right time now towards the end of the year and with some big tournaments to come.”

It’s also quite apt that Lombard should be hitting form in this tournament. His lone Sunshine Tour victory to date came on the 2018 Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

“The Vodacom Origins of Golf series really boosted my career. I’ve always enjoyed these events. They look after the players well and the pro-am before the events are always fun. Vodacom has been part of the Sunshine Tour for so many years and I love what they do for the Tour and for South African golf.” – Michael Vlismas

In the highly professional and technical world of modern golf, the 70-year-old Isaac Mahoney is a rare breed.

In his world, there isn’t too much use for digital devices, technological aids or complicated teaching drills to build what many consider to be the perfect golf swing.

As a golf coach for the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) since its inception in 1999, he’s used anything from an old duvet hung on his wife’s washing line to a broomstick to even the action of drinking a cooldrink to help teach the hundreds of underprivileged kids he’s helped discover golf.

And that’s because Mahoney isn’t looking to create the perfect golf swing. Rather, he’s looking to use golf to help create an almost perfect life for these children.

“Golf is the reward. The end result of whether they become superstars in the game doesn’t matter to me, just as long as these kids starting playing golf. I don’t care whether they are A Division, B Division or C Division champions. I just want them playing golf,” Mahoney said on the driving range at Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate on Thursday during a golf clinic for the SAGDB golfers with the Sunshine Tour professionals competing in this week’s Vodacom Origins of Golf tournament.

Mahoney’s simple approach to golf is borne from the simple and uncomplicated manner in which he first discovered the game.

“I grew up in Worcester. There was a golf course in what we called the township, and I lived behind it. Naturally I was a caddie. I always joke that golf estates are not a new thing in South Africa. We had golf estates back then already. We used to make clubs out of wire and then bend the face open or closed to create the different lofts. We made our own golf balls. And then we’d play through the backyards of the township. That was our version of a golf estate.

“So I use simple techniques to teach the kids. Golf coaching is often too technical for them. I try and make it as simple for them to understand. I explain it to them using examples they can relate to. For example, I tell them if you lift up a cooldrink can then your elbow and wrist action looks like this, which is a good action for the golf swing as well. I take what the top professionals do, and then I think how I’m going to explain it to a kid from the Boland so he understands it.”

And with every lesson, Mahoney has a life lesson attached to it for his young golfers.

“The simplicity of the golf swing is the most important for me, and together with that the life lessons I can teach the children. These kids will grow up and remember the lessons of golf one day. That’s more important. I teach them about avoiding the hazards on a golf course like avoiding the hazards of life. And if you find yourself in a hazard like a bunker, you need to equip yourself to get out of it. As in life, if you make a mistake you need to have the tools to correct it. I tell them that in their lives, it’s about not lying about a mistake. Tell the truth, and then you’re out of the bunker, so to speak. The children understand that language far better than the technicalities of a swing.”

Since the start of the Vodacom Origins of Golf series in 2004, the series has always included an SAGDB golf clinic with the Sunshine Tour professionals to help show these young children the world that golf can open up to them.

And in his decades of teaching, Mahoney has also witnessed many examples of how golf has changed the lives of young people.

“The kids are all over the place, but as soon as they start playing golf they change. Their whole personality changes. You see changes at school and at home, and you see how they change the people around them. That’s just because of the game of golf. It’s just about playing the game that changes them. I had one girl who just wasn’t performing anywhere in her life. She started playing golf and it changed her entirely. Today she’s a member of the SAPS and plays golf for the police.”

For Mahoney and the kids at the Vodacom Origins of Golf clinic, it comes down to a simple philosophy.

“We can offer golf nothing, but golf gives us everything. It’s up to us to get the kids into golf and to teach the lessons of golf. The game will then decide where they go with it. But the life lessons will always be there for them.” – Michael Vlismas

Dolphin Coast (KwaZulu-Natal) – Louis Albertse claimed his third Sunshine Tour victory in dramatic fashion when he beat Pieter Moolman in a playoff to win the Sunbet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya at Umhlali Country Club on Friday.

It was a predictably tight finish to a tournament that remained wide open going into the final round, with five players tied for the lead. Albertse and Moolman were part of that group.

It was Moolman who took the early advantage and went into the back nine with a two-stroke lead over Albertse.

But it was Albertse’s flawless back nine that forced the playoff as he made four birdies. Moolman birdied the last to set the target at 11 under par before being joined there by Albertse. Both players closed with rounds of 66.

Albertse then birdied the second playoff hole to take the title.

The victory moved him into eighth place on the Sunshine Tour’s Courier Guy Order of Merit standings.

Tyran Snyders continued his good form this season and signed for a 67 to finish third on 10 under par, claiming his third top-10 finish in his last five tournaments. 

Kyle Barker (67) and Jaco Prinsloo (68) shared fourth place on nine under par, while amateur Ruben van der Berg earned himself a top-10 finish with his closing 70. – Michael Vlismas Media

Dolphin Coast (KwaZulu-Natal) – Young stars Benjamin van Wyk and Tyran Snyders have played their way into a five-way tie for the lead and will chase their maiden Sunshine Tour titles in Friday’s final round of the Sunbet Challenge hosted by Sun Sibaya at Umhlali Country Club.

Van Wyk signed for a second round of 64 and Snyders posted a 67 to see them share the lead on six under par with the experienced Jaco Prinsloo (67), Louis Albertse (66) and Pieter Moolman (65). They are one stroke clear of the field.

Van Wyk, who recently graduated from college in America, finds himself in contention a month after he finished sixth on the Vodacom Origins of Golf series.

“I had an awesome day with my caddie, Jeff. I think I made 19 putts, which is by far the least I’ve had. I hit some good iron shots after I made a slight swing adjustment before the round. I’m really enjoying it. Playing pro golf is a lot of fun. It’s nice to be on the Sunshine Tour to see what I can do,” he said.

Snyders has also shown signs of finding his feet on Tour, with finishes of seventh, eighth and 12^th in three of his last four tournaments before this week.

“Life on the Sunshine Tour so far has been fun. It’s almost full circle as I’m meeting up with old friends again. I try not to make golf bigger than it is. It’s the same game I’ve played as a youngster,” he said.

With a five-way tie for the lead and as many as 17 players within three shots of the lead, including last week’s champion Haydn Porteous, it’s going to be a thrilling final round on Friday.

“I always like a stacked leaderboard. It makes it fun to watch,” said Van Wyk. “I’ll just stick to my routine and try and keep it simple and try to make lots of putts. I am super exited.”

Snyders is hoping for something similar.

“On this course there are a lot of guys that are still in it. I will just focus on what I can do and play like I did today – almost boring golf and take advantage of opportunities,” he said. – Michael Vlismas Media