Investec South African Open Championship 2026 preview, picks & analysis

There is some bad news for the rest of the field at this week’s South African Open - Patrick Reed is back and has confirmed that he cannot wait for the tournament to kick off.

The man who has dominated proceedings at the start of the DP World Tour season will make his debut in golf’s second oldest national Open, which is a tournament co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour.

He said: "I’m really excited to make my first trip to South Africa. I have many friends from South Africa and I look forward to competing in their home country on the DP World Tour and in conjunction with the Sunshine Tour."

The current world number 18 adds to what will be one of the most significant weeks in world golf, with the 115th South African Open Championship offering a direct pathway into two of the game’s majors.

The winner will earn an exemption to the 2026 Masters, while the top three finishers will earn a place in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale if not already exempt.

Reed heads to Stellenbosch as the most in-form golfer on the DP World Tour at present with two victories and a runner-up in three tournaments this year, a place at the top of the International Swing, and currently first on the Race to Dubai Rankings.

He will also be aiming to become the first American winner of the South African Open in more than three decades, with Fred Wadsworth the last American champion in 1989.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Reed strengthens a field that includes five-time champion Ernie Els, former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel as well as five of the past six Investec South African Open champions in defending champion Dylan Naidoo, Dean Burmester, Thriston Lawrence, Daniel van Tonder and Branden Grace.

This is a tournament that tends to be won by home golfers but if anybody is going to stop that it is Reed.

Germany’s Freddy Schott may have something to say about that. He turned professional in 2021 after some regional amateur success and won his first professional event on the ProGolf Tour at the FaberExposize Gelpenberg Open that same year.

His second victory came on the HotelPlanner Tour at the Frederikshavn Challenge as he finished ninth on the 2022 Road to Mallorca to earn his way onto the DP World Tour. Like many before him, he lost his card in his rookie season but gained it straight back when he won Qualifying School Final Stage and while he once again failed to keep his playing privileges in 2024, two top tens in limited starts in 2025 saw him secure his card for 2026.

And he took full advantage, defeating Calum Hill and Reed in a play-off to win the Bahrain Championship for his first DP World Tour title. He would be the first to admit that consistency has been an issue and will be hoping that his maiden victory will change that.

Keep an eye on Michael Hollick as the season unfolds. He has been around for a long time but finally seems to have found something. His DP World Tour debut came in 2012, the same year he turned professional, at the South African Open but over the next 13 years he would make just 31 more, all on his home continent barring the 2013 Open and last season's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

He enjoyed moderate success on the Sunshine Tour, winning in 2015, but his breakthrough came last season as he won twice to finish seventh on the Order of Merit. That secured him a debut season on the DP World Tour at the age of 38 and he has grabbed his opportunity.

After a missed cut at the Australian PGA Championship, he finished in the top five at the Australian Open, making a hole-in-one along the way, as he secured qualification for The Open at Royal Birkdale this summer. Back-to-back top tens at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and in Mauritius then helped him finish ninth on the Opening Swing and earn a Rolex Series debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Solid results at Emirates Golf Club and in Bahrain see him sitting 29th on the Race to Dubai.

Perhaps the best chance of a South African winner is Jayden Schaper. He enjoyed a wonderful 2025 season, with nine top 10s and two third places. And then he made the most incredible start to the 2026 season finishing second at the Nedbank Challenge and then winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Mauritius Open in successive weeks. He also finished fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic and ninth at the Qatar Masters.

After winning in Mauritius, he said: "The last three weeks have been incredible. I don’t even know what to say. I wait five years for the first title and then the following week to get the second... it’s so cool.

"It took me close to two years, maybe two and a half, to realise you can’t play every event. You go out playing five, six, seven weeks in a row - it’s just not doable. You burn yourself out."

Twelve months ago, the final round was washed out after torrential rain finally took its toll.

After the tournament organisers finally gave in to the weather and decided that the course was unplayable, 54-hole leaders Dylan Naidoo and England’s Laurie Canter returned to the course for a sudden-death play-off and home favourite Naidoo claimed a famous and highly emotional victory with a brilliant birdie.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Andy Sullivan, in 2016 by Brandon Stone, in 2017 by Graeme Storm, in January 2018 by Chris Paisley, in December 2018 by Louis Oosthuizen, in January 2020 by Branden Grace, in December 2020 by Christiaan Bezuidenhout, in 2021 by Daniel van Tonder, in 2022 by Thriston Lawrence, in 2023 by Dean Burmester and last year by Dylan Naidoo. There was no tournament in 2024.

The Course:

Stellenbosch Golf Club has undergone something of a facelift and will be very different from the course that hosted the championship in 1999. It has been lengthened and will now play at 7,268 yards as a par 70. All 44 bunkers on the course have also been upgraded, and more trees have been planted in strategic areas on several holes. The dam near the 18th green has also been enlarged to make for an even more spectacular finish.

Form Guide:

Patrick Reed has made a sensational start to the season, with two victories already, and he is determined to win the Race to Dubai.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is $1.5m, with 3,000 Race to Dubai points and 1,000 Ryder Cup points also on offer.

How to Watch:

Thursday, February 26, Friday, February 27, Saturday, February 28, Sunday, March 1, Sky Sports Golf, 10.30am.

To Win: 

Patrick Reed. Having a ball

Each Way:

Jayden Schaper. Class act

Each Way:

Freddy Schott. A winner in 2026

Five to Follow:

Patrick Reed. Looking for third win of the year

Jayden Schaper. Wonderful temperament

Freddy Schott. Exciting German talent

Michael Hollick. Looks the part

Andy Sullivan. Has rediscovered his best form

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Marcel Siem. Wears his heart on his sleeve

Eddie Pepperell. Always good entertainment 

Dian Kruger. Promising South African amateur

Ernie Els. Still a crowd favourite

Wilco Nienaber. Nobody hits it further