The International Swing draws to a close this week in South Africa at the Joburg Open. Here are your five things to know.
Hill defends
Calum Hill won his second DP World Tour title at this event 12 months ago and he returns to Houghton Golf Club aiming to become the third multiple winner alongside two-time South African champions Richard Sterne and Charl Schwartzel. Hill shot an eight-under-par 62 in the final round last year to come from eight shots back and play his way into a play-off with home heroes Shaun Norris and Jacques Kruyswijk. After all three players recorded par on the first play-off hole, a par proved good enough for the Scotsman after Norris found the water with his approach and Kruyswijk missed his five-foot putt. Victory followed on from Hill’s DP World Tour breakthrough at the Cazoo Classic in August 2021. "It's awesome. A little bit surprised there, I thought we were having to go again (to another play-off hole),” he said. "It was a fantastic day, and this is the cherry on top.”
Jarvis chasing history
In the history of the DP World Tour, only two players have won three consecutive events: Sir Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros. Should Casey Jarvis win at Houghton, he will join that illustrious company in the DP World Tour history books. After claiming a maiden win at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa, he followed it up with a glorious homecoming at the Investec South African Open Championship last week and he is now going for the hat-trick, a feat countryman Jayden Schaper had a tilt at earlier in the season after his wins in Johannesburg and Mauritius.
Looking back
Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, the Joburg Open is celebrating its 18th edition this week. Founded in 2007, it was previously held at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club from 2007 to 2017, while Randpark Golf Club hosted in 2017, 2020 and 2021, the latter when Thriston Lawrence became the first winner of the DP World Tour era in the 2022 season. Steeped in tradition, Houghton – a host venue to 12 previous DP World Tour-sanctioned events – is staging for a fourth season in a row.
Inside the field
Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World leader Reed is one of three of this season’s winners on the 2026 Race to Dubai teeing it up in Johannesburg alongside South African pair Jarvis and Jayden Schaper. Andy Sullivan has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, and the Englishman is joined by fellow former champions Sterne, Hill, Lawrence, George Coetzee, Haydn Porteous, Darren Fichardt, Shubhankar Sharma and Dan Bradbury. Spain’s rising star Angel Ayora has played every event since making his season debut at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player and it would be no surprise if he became the latest first-time DP World Tour winner. Martin Couvra is no stranger to winning on South African soil having won the country’s three major amateur titles and last season’s rookie of the year will be one to watch. South African trio MJ Viljoen, MJ Daffue and Oliver Bekker, who have all won on home soil during the HotelPlanner Tour’s season-opening events in South Africa, are also in action. An 18-hole qualifying event will take place on Tuesday, with ten spots on offer at Killarney Country Club.
Swing finale offers route to Scottish Open
For the second consecutive year, the tournament is the seventh and final event of the International Swing. On the back of last week’s Investec South African Open Championship at Stellenbosch Golf Club, it brings a double header in the Rainbow nation to a close. Patrick Reed was confirmed as the Swing winner following the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa earlier this month but there is still plenty to play for this week. Through the Swing, the highest-ranked player not already exempt when the entry list is announced for the Genesis Scottish Open in late June will earn a place at the second Rolex series event of the year and with many players towards the top of the Swing standings already guaranteed a place at The Renaissance Club, that is wide open. As things stand, Hennie du Plessis is in line to lay claim to that reward.
