Author: Michael Vlismas

JOHANNESBURG (Gauteng) – Shaun Norris will take a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Joburg Open as he chases a third DP World Tour title and his second in just under three months.

Norris navigated his way superbly through some tricky third-round pin positions at Houghton Golf Club and signed for a 67 on Saturday to lead on 14 under par overall.

His nearest challengers are fellow South African Jacques Kruyswijk and Frenchman Adrien Saddier on 10 under par. Kruyswijk, who finished fourth in the 2023 Joburg Open and who won his maiden DP World Tour title in February’s Magical Kenya Open, signed for a third round of 68. Saddier posted a third round of 70.

Norris was still suffering from the ear infection that has plagued him this week, but it’s showing no signs of affecting his golf. He went into the third round just one shot clear of the field and that gap remained at the turn. But then Norris made three key birdies in five holes from the 10^th to extend his lead.

“The ear is still blocked and I can’t hear out of it. It was a little bit sore but the doctor has given me some good pain pills. It hasn’t been bothering me on the golf course. But when my brother (his caddie) is on my left-hand side I can’t hear a thing he says to me,” he said.

“But I hit the ball nicely and gave myself some good chances. Overall I can’t complain about the round. There were some bad shots here and there, but that’s golf. It’s more about how you handle the rest of the round.”

With the final round to come, Norris has no intention of playing it safe on Sunday.

“It’s nice to lead by four, but I want to win by 10 shots. So I’ll just keep going and change nothing.”

Behind him, Kruyswijk is relishing the final round challenge.

“I love chasing a leader. It’s why I play this game. I’m looking forward to a nice battle in the final round. Shaun’s playing some really good golf and it will take a lot to beat him,” said Kruyswijk, whose third round included a wedge holed out for eagle on the par-five 10^th hole.

And Saddier is hoping for a few putts to drop early on as he also chases this title.

“If that happens, I can put a bit of pressure on the leader and I can have a good day,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

JOHANNESBURG (Gauteng) – Shaun Norris battled through the pain of an ear infection and still managed to lead the Joburg Open heading into the weekend at Houghton Golf Club.

The South African produced a strong 63 on Friday to lead on 11 under par overall, with Frenchman Adrien Saddier his nearest challenger on 10 under after a 65 in which he dropped at the last to sacrifice a share of the lead.

Norris has played sublime golf over the past two days despite the fact that he has been in pain with an ear infection that refuses to clear, and which has even made it difficult for him to sleep.

“I picked it up on Tuesday afternoon. I saw the doctor on Wednesday. They tried to flush it out and it didn’t work. They put  me on antibiotics. It’s frustrating. I can’t hear anything out of my left ear. But somehow it’s not bothering me on the golf course. I think as golfers, when we’re over the shot we’re focused on nothing else. But it is annoying in between shots because I just can’t hear anything out of that ear,” said Norris, who admits he was concerned about the impact an ear infection would have on his balance and his golf swing.

“That was my main concern, but fortunately it hasn’t hindered me at all.”

It certainly didn’t trouble Norris on Friday as he went bogey free around this par-70 Houghton Golf Club layout.

“The course is in fantastic condition considering the rain we’ve had over the last few days, and I’m really enjoying it.”

Norris heads into the weekend hunting his third DP World Tour title, and his second in just under three months after winning December’s Alfred Dunhill Championship.

India’s Shubhankar Sharma, the winner of the 2017 Joburg Open and Scotland’s Connor Syme are currently third on nine under par.

Sharma in particular is looking forward to a weekend at a tournament that holds special memories for him.

“Coming back to South Africa is always special, and the Joburg Open was my first win and which got me onto the DP World Tour. I still fondly remember my win here. It was life changing,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

Tickets for the Joburg Open are available at https://sunshinetour.com/tickets

JOHANNESBURG (Gauteng) – China’s Wenyi Ding and England’s Jordan Smith took advantage of an early start and a receptive golf course as they opened with rounds of seven-under-par 63 on the par-70 Houghton Golf Club course to share the lead in the Joburg Open on Thursday.

Ding and Smith both went bogey free on day one of this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event, and they lead by one over South Africa’s Malcolm Mitchell and Jayden Schaper, Englishmen Marco Penge and Callum Tarren, and Germany’s Nicolai Von Dellingshausen.

With another heavy downpour overnight, the professionals were surprised to be greeted with a first round of blue sky and a golf course that had done well to recover from the rain.

Ding, who is in his rookie season on the DP World Tour, was particularly pleased with his start considering it was his South African caddie’s birthday, and he promised him a trophy this week.

“It was good to make some putts today. It’s been a long time. I hit it pretty well, especially my short irons, which gave me a lot of birdie chances,” he said.

Smith was equally pleased with his start on a Houghton Golf Club course he hasn’t played since the Joburg Open moved to this venue.

“I’m just really happy. It’s unbelievable how good the golf course is considering how much water it took overnight. It’s a very narrow golf course with a lot of trees lining the fairways. There are a lot of different options out there, but for me I tend to go for the driver. So it was just taking advantage of hitting driver on a few holes and hitting the wedge shots closer, and trying to manage the spin because with the greens being so soft you really have to judge it carefully,” he said.

And Jayden Schaper gave himself yet another good chance at a maiden DP World Tour  title as he leads the South African challenge alongside Mitchell.

“It was a nice solid start, especially with the eagle on the first hole. The golf course was playing quite soft in perfect conditions. It’s a straight forward golf course, and I’ve played it a few times.” – Michael Vlismas

Tickets for the Joburg Open are available at https://sunshinetour.com/tickets

The Sunshine Tour professionals once again made a valuable and vital contribution to the Birdies4Rhinos charity as they combined to raise R500 000 for rhino conservation in 2024.

Louis Albertse was the leading birdie maker with a record 501 birdies, earning his name on the famed rhino trophy that was handed over at this week’s Joburg Open.

The professionals donate an amount of their choice for every birdie they make during the year.

The contribution from the professionals as well as other fundraising initiatives took the overall total raised to roughly R1 million, which is donated to the Connected Conservation Foundation.

“The professionals are making a huge difference for us. All of the money they raise is put towards our projects involved in rhino conservation. We are making a difference, and the professionals help us considerably in terms of the success of our projects,” said Bruce “Doc” Watson, the Executive Chairman of the Connected Conservation Foundation.

Albertse said he was delighted to play his part in this cause.

“It’s a massive privilege to be able to help the rhinos in every way possible, and all the golfers coming together for us is brilliant,” he said.

The 115^th Investec South African Open will be played at Stellenbosch Golf Club, with the Cape’s fourth oldest golf club hosting the national Open for the second time in its history at the end of February 2026.

Stellenbosch Golf Club hosted the Investec South African Open in 1999 when local favourite
David Frost won the title at the golf club where he grew up and used to caddie for his father.

“Investec believes strongly that the Investec South African Open should travel around the country as a showcase of South African professional golf, and to allow the majority of South Africans to see and be inspired by this Out of the Ordinary championship which has such a proud history,” said Peta Dixon, Investec Head of Sponsorships.

“After being founded in 1974, one of Investec’s first regional offices opened in Cape Town in 1980, so we have a long and proud history in the Western Cape. We now have offices in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Tyger Valley, Knysna and George. We look forward to bringing the Investec South African Open back to Stellenbosch Golf Club for the first time in 26 years.”

Chris van der Merwe, General Manager of Stellenbosch Golf Club, said the club was delighted to welcome the Investec South African Open back to its fairways in the magnificent winelands of the Western Cape.

“We are incredibly honoured to have been selected as the host venue for the 2026 Investec South African Open and look forward to showcasing this prestigious championship as well as the beauty of Stellenbosch and the Cape winelands to a global audience. As one of the oldest golf clubs in the Cape, and indeed in South Africa, Stellenbosch Golf Club has hosted some major professional and amateur tournaments over the years and produced some of South Africa’s finest professionals such as Justin Harding, Oliver Bekker, Keenan Davidse, JJ Senekal and Hennie O’Kennedy. We’re looking forward to what will be a wonderful next edition in the proud history of this great championship.”

The Investec South African Open is co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour and forms part of the DP World Tour’s International Swing. – Michael Vlismas

When the rain finally stopped, they came. They came and they filled the grandstands and surrounded the 18^th green at Durban Country Club. They came because not a waterlogged golf course nor a championship decided over 54 holes could stop history. They came to see Dylan Naidoo become the first South African player of colour to win the Investec South African Open.

With South Africa’s Naidoo and England’s Laurie Canter tied for the lead on 14 under par after three rounds, a deluge of rain on Sunday forced the cancellation of the final round. It was then decided that the two of them would settle this year’s championship in a playoff on the par-four 18^th. And with the weight of history resting on his young shoulders, Naidoo stood tall as he made the birdie on the first playoff hole that shook South African golf history.

The fact that this former member of the GolfRSA National Squad did it at a Durban Country Club where in 1963 Sewsunker “Papwa” Sewgolum made history as the first player of colour to win a professional golf tournament in South Africa in the Natal Open added to the history of the day.

“For what this means in terms of Papwa Sewgolum and him having won the Natal Open here, it’s incredible. I feel like he was with me here today,” said Naidoo.

The victory secures Naidoo a DP World Tour card and he also claimed one of the three spots on offer for The Open at Royal Portrush this July on a magical Sunday. A Sunday when his father had flown in to watch a final round that didn’t happen, then left for the airport to fly back home for work on Monday, then raced back from the airport to watch the playoff and see his son step into golf history.

“Me and my dad have been through it all, and I couldn’t think of someone more special to share this with. It’s just been the best day ever. I mean, I’m on the DP World Tour. That’s outrageous. I’m going to be playing around the world against some of the best players in the world. And I’m playing in The Open. It’s a dream,” said Naidoo.

South Africa’s Darren Fichardt and England’s Marco Penge were the other two players to also secure a place in The Open through the Investec South African Open’s status as part of the Open Qualifying Series.

South Africa’s Christiaan Maas finished as the leading amateur and winner of the Freddie Tait Cup for the second time in his career, ending the tournament on 12 under par overall.

It was indeed a day for dreams, the biggest of which no doubt belonged to Naidoo.

“I felt like I had nothing to lose in the playoff. I just wanted to go out there and have fun and do it. To have my name on the Investec SA Open trophy is unbelievable. It’s like a fairytale,” he said. – Michael Vlismas

DURBAN (KwaZulu-Natal) –  Dylan Naidoo walked onto Durban Country Club’s 18^th green and threw his arms up as Durban’s golf fans stood on their feet cheering the young South African who shares the lead with England’s Laurie Canter in the Investec South African Open.

In near darkness and with the field having finally caught up the suspensions caused by the heavy rain earlier in the week, Naidoo parred the last for a 71 and a share of the lead with Canter on 14 under par. Canter signed for a solid 68 on a windy and tricky day at Durban Country Club.

“I felt like Tiger Woods out there. It was outrageous. I had crowds that were five deep following me. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It was just like an overflow of emotion. I’m ready for everything the final round has in store,” said Naidoo, who is chasing a maiden DP World Tour victory after coming close with a runner-up finish in December’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

Naidoo and Canter will go into Sunday’s final round one shot clear of England’s Marco Penge, while former Investec South African Open champion Branden Grace, Darren Fichardt and amateur Christiaan Maas are currently tied fourth on 12 under par.

But Saturday’s wind was a true showcase of the changes made to this venerable golf course and where its real strengths lie.

“It was a Test match out there. It was really difficult with the wind swirling, and it really was a case of patience and grinding,” said Naidoo.

Canter felt the same as he opened with a double bogey and then had to dig deep to get his challenge back on track.

“The golf course was a different animal in the wind. It was so much fun to play and such a great test. I like seeing the course with wind because I think that’s how it’s meant to play,” said Canter, who is looking for a double after winning the 2010 South African Amateur.

And just two shots back, Grace has a second Investec South African Open in his sights.

“It was just so amazing to see the crowds out there. I love this place and I’m looking forward to the final round,” he said.

Maas has easily wrapped up the Freddie Tait Cup for leading amateur as he also heads into the final round just two shots off the leaders. – Michael Vlismas