The Road to Mallorca heads to Cape Town for Cell C Cape Town Open in association with Honor. Here’s everything you need to know…
Historic venue
Royal Cape Golf Club is Africa’s oldest golf course and was established over 135 years ago back in 1885. Situated in the shadow of Table Mountain, it has hosted ten South African Open’s in its time, including the 1965 edition of the event, which was won by nine-time Major Champion Gary Player. Ernie Els, Mark McNulty and Trevor Immelman, the HotelPlanner Tour’s first Masters champion, have also triumphed at the historic venue. Tree-lined with narrow fairways, the par-72 championship course at Royal Cape will present a tough challenge this week.
Six consecutive years
The HotelPlanner Tour returns to Royal Cape for a sixth successive year, with each edition to date having produced a nail-biting finish. In 2020, Swede Anton Karlsson held off a late charge from South African Garrick Higgo to claim a one stroke victory in Cape Town. Home favourite JC Ritchie claimed back-to-back Cape Town Open victories in 2021 and 2022, the first via a playoff and the second thanks to a birdie at the 72nd hole. In 2023 it was Zimbabwean Benjamin Follett-Smith who joined the winner’s circle after posting a two under par final round to win by one stroke, and last year Swede Mikael Lindberg defeated South African Ryan van Velzen in a play-off after holing a 30 foot birdie putt on the second extra hole.
Stunning scenery
Royal Cape sits in the shadow of Table Mountain which provides the perfect backdrop for the tournament this week. Over 1,000 metres in height, the flat-topped mountain overlooks the city and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. An estimated 4.2 million people visit each year, with many tourists taking a five-minute cableway trip to the summit to take in the spectacular views of the Mother City. The more adventurous may choose to hike, with a full-day Table Mountain climb taking around five hours to complete.
