Pros ready to strike gold at Joburg Open

There will be everything to play for at this year’s Joburg Open as the R20.5 million tournament takes its place at a critical part of both the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour season at Houghton Golf Club from 6-9 March.

The Joburg Open is the final tournament on the DP World Tour’s International Swing, with England’s Laurie Canter set to tee it up at Houghton as he seeks to secure victory on this Swing and the US$200 000 bonus as well as qualification for some of the DP World Tour’s most lucrative tournaments later in the season.

The Joburg Open will also be the final tournament before the Sunshine Tour’s new The Courier Guy Playoffs, and is therefore the last opportunity to unlock a wealth of incentives at the end the season.

At the conclusion of the Joburg Open, the leading 72 players on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy will qualify for the first playoff tournament – the Serengeti Invitational from 20-23 March at Serengeti Estates where they will compete for R2.5 million in prize money.

Thereafter the top 50 players on the Order of Merit will qualify to play in the season-ending DNi Tour Championship at The Club at Steyn City from 27-30 March, with a total purse of R3 million.

At the end of the playoffs, the top three professionals on the final Order of Merit will all receive DP World Tour cards for the following season.

The first-place finisher will also receive exemptions into the Nedbank Golf Challenge as well as two Majors – The Open Championship and US PGA Championship – and a R500 000 cash bonus. Second place will earn a R200 000 cash bonus, while the third-place finisher will earn a R100 000 bonus.

Daniel van Tonder, currently first on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit, and Shaun Norris, currently second, will both tee it up at the Joburg Open in their ongoing battle for the No 1 spot at the end of the season.

The leading golfer on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings at the end of the season will also be rewarded with a R200 000 cash bonus.