Joburg Open 2026 preview, picks & analysis
By: Derek Clements | Edited: Mon 02 Mar 2026
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You certainly cannot fault Patrick Reed’s new-found commitment to the DP World Tour. Clearly determined to win the Race to Dubai, this week sees the former Masters champion teeing it up at the Joburg Open at Houghton Golf Club as he looks to create a piece of DP World Tour history in South Africa.
He leads the Race to Dubai and could wrap up a victory on the International Swing, with the Joburg Open the last tournament on this Global Swing. Should he achieve this, he will become the first American winner of the International Swing since its inception in 2024. And who is going to bet against him achieving precisely that in this event that is co-sanctoned with the Sunshine Tour.
Reed said: "The Sunshine Tour has been so supportive for my first trip to South Africa. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone in person and teeing it up against the guys in the 2026 Joburg Open. I’ve heard great things about the Houghton Golf Club course, and I know it will be an exciting tournament start to finish."
Reed has already won two of the seven tournaments on the International Swing, and finished tied second in another, and is chasing the $200 000 bonus for the winner of the International Swing as well as exemption into all of the DP World Tour’s Back 9 tournaments later this season. Not that this is going to be an issue for him!
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Joining Reed will be South Africa’s Jayden Schaper, a back-to-back winner on the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour at the end of last year in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Mauritius Open, and England’s Andy Sullivan, a former Joburg Open champion.
The field also includes a host of former Joburg Open winners in defending champion Calum Hill, as well as Thriston Lawrence, Dan Bradbury, Richard Sterne, Shubhankar Sharma and Darren Fichardt.
South Africa’s Shaun Norris and Jacques Kruyswijk, who finished runner-up in the play-off with Hill last year, are also headed to Johannesburg.
Last year Scotland's Hill secured his second DP World Tour title after a sensational final round of 62 and a playoff victory to claim the Joburg Open, defeating home favourites Kruyswijk and Norris.
Hill, who began the day eight shots adrift, said: "It's awesome. I'm delighted. It was a fantastic day and this is the cherry on top. Getting the birdie on the 18th was the only way I was going to have a chance. I got lucky with the bounce up the slope and made a nice five-footer and then it gave me a chance to have a go in this play-off.
"You never know how a play-off is going to go. I think that might be my first play-off ever so it's nice to have a 1-0 record on that."
After all three players parred the first play-off hole, a par was good enough for Hill to win it at the second just as lightning arrived in the area, after Norris found the water and Kruyswijk missed his five-foot putt.
The win ended Hill's wait for a second DP World Tour title, having secured his first at the 2021 Cazoo Classic. He has enjoyed a superb start to this season, finishing tied second at the Bahrain Championship and second at the Qatar Masters.
Kruyswijk enjoyed a stellar career as an amateur where he won the Royal Silver Vase in 2011. He won twice as an amateur in 2012 on the IGT Pro Tour and then turned professional in 2013. He won The Els Club on the Big Easy Tour in 2013 and and added four further IGT Pro Tour victories to his resume.
His breakthrough Sunshine Tour victory came at the 2016 Lion of Africa Cape Town Open in his native South Africa and he earned a debut season on the DP World Tour in 2017 after finishing inside the top 25 at Qualifying School Final Stage.
Kruyswijk won his second Sunshine Tour title at the Sunshine Tour Invitational in 2021 but lost his playing rights on the DP World Tour after the 2022 season.
He secured a third at the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Zebula in 2023 and two weeks later he won the Dormy Open on the HotelPlanner Tour. He finished 11th at Qualifying School Final Stage to earn a return to the DP World Tour for the 2024 Race to Dubai and retained playing rights after finishing 104th on the season-long standings.
He earned his maiden DP World Tour victory at the Magical Kenya Open last year. He was seven strokes back after 36 holes, but carded weekend rounds of 64-67 to win by two strokes at Muthaiga Golf Club.
Andrea Pavan would have featured as a contender in this preview but suffered a horrific accident on the eve of the South African Open. The lift doors at his accommodation opened and he stepped in, but there was no lift car and the popular Italian golfer fell three storeys. He suffered serious back and shoulder injuries and faces a long period of rehabilitation. The thoughts of everybody at Golfshake are with Pavan and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Tournament Winners:
It was won in 2015 by Andy Sullivan, in 2016 by Haydn Porteous, in 2017 by Darren Fichardt, in 2018 by Shubhankar Sharma, in 2020 by Joachim B Hansen, in 2021 by Thriston Lawrence, in 2022 by Dan Bradbury and in 2023 by Dean Burmester and last year by Calum Hill. There was no tournament in 2019.
The Course:
Houghton Golf Club is a par 72 measuring 7,153 yards. It is a tree-lined course with lots of water hazards, bunkers and undulating greens. A course where straight hitters will thrive.
Form Guide:
South Africans have dominated this tournament but it is difficult to see beyond Patrick Reed.
Prize Money:
The total prize fund is £880,000, with 3,000 Race to Dubai points on offer.
How to Watch:
Thursday, March 5, Sky Sports Golf, 10.30am; Friday, March 6, Sky Sports Golf, 10.30am; Saturday, March 7, Sky Sports Golf, 10am; Sunday, March 8, Sky Sports Golf, 9.30am.
To Win:
Patrick Reed. Dominant force
Each Way:
Calum Hill. Looking for another victory
Each Way:
Jayden Schaper. Superb South African
Five to Follow:
Patrick Reed. Impossible to ignore
Calum Hill. Good start to 2026
Jayden Schaper. In dreamland
Casey Jarvis. Playing with confidence
Martin Couvra. Sweetest of swingers
Five Outsiders to Watch:
Robin Williams. A powerhouse
Andrew Johnston. Crowds still love him
David Law. Trying to establish himself once and for all
Kota Kaneko. Promising Japanese player
George Coetzee. The great enigma
About the author
Derek Clements is a seasoned sports journalist and regular Golfshake contributor, specialising in tour coverage, opinion pieces, and feature writing. With a long career in national newspapers and golf media, he has reported on the game across Europe, the United States and Australia. A passionate golfer, he has played and reviewed numerous renowned courses, with personal favourites including Pebble Beach, Kingsbarns, Aldeburgh, Old Thorns and the K Club. His love of the game informs his thoughtful commentary on both professional golf and the wider golfing community.
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