Liam Johnston gets his 2026 season under way this week after gaining late entry into the Jonsson Workwear Durban Open, the fourth and final co-sanctioned event between the HotelPlanner Tour and Sunshine Tour in South Africa.
The Scot has played the waiting game over the first three weeks of the season, having earned category 12b status after graduating via the Tartan Pro Tour last year.
And after travelling to Johannesburg unsure whether he would tee it up at Durban Country Club come Thursday morning, Johnston was named as last man in the field on Tuesday afternoon, and, unsurprisingly, the 33-year-old is eager to get going.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” he said. “I was at home on Monday morning unsure whether I was going to travel or not. I decided I’d go and found out when I landed in Johannesburg that I was in, so it was all worthwhile.
“I played here four years ago when the HotelPlanner Tour was last here. I think there’s been a few changes, which I’m really looking forward to seeing.
“I love this place; it’s a great golf course. You need to manage shots into greens as there are a lot of fall-off areas. I’m really looking forward to the challenge this week.”
Johnston earned one of two HotelPlanner Tour cards on offer to the Tartan Pro Tour in 2025 following a consistent season on home soil. And, despite not tasting victory on the Official Satellite Tour, the Scot believes the drop down was the catalyst for an upturn in form.
“It was probably the best I’ve played over the course of a long period of time, which was really pleasing,” he added.
“Sometimes you almost hit rock bottom and must think about what’s going wrong. Luckily, I figured a few things out and it turned into some good performances.
“My Achilles heel has always been off the tee, and I lost confidence in that. I think that stems from my technique not standing up enough under pressure. Last year, driving was one of my strengths, which is why I had some better performances.”
The Scot returns to the Road to Mallorca with winning pedigree to his name having tasted victory three times previously on the HotelPlanner Tour, most recently at the 2022 Empordà Challenge.
And four years on from his third career triumph at the level, Johnston is confident his game is in even better shape.
“Honestly, I believe my game is better [than 2022]," he added.
"I always knew when I get the ball in play the rest of my game stands up nicely. But if you don’t do that enough during a week, it doesn’t matter where the rest of your game is.
“I think I had three wins on the HotelPlanner Tour, but they were my only top tens, I was good at getting across the line. But looking at the Tartan Pro Tour last year I had as many top tens as I didn’t, which was really pleasing. I feel like my game is better more often now.”
Johnston is part of strong field at this week’s Jonsson Workwear Durban Open including Road to Mallorca Number Two Will Enefer, three-time DP World Tour winner Brandon Stone and six-time HotelPlanner Tour winner, Benjamin Hebert.
The first round of the Jonsson Workwear Durban Open gets under way at 6:20am local time with Johnston teeing off at 7:00am alongside Haraldur Magnus from Iceland and South African Ruan Korb.
