2026 Joburg Open a chance for SA pros to make history

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 No 1-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.”