Joburg Open 2025 Preview, Picks & Analysis

The Joburg Open was last played at the end of 2023 but due to a change in the DP World Tour schedule it is being staged this week and follows the South African Open.

When it was last played it was won by South Africa’s Dean Burmester, who would go on to add the South African Open title the following week.

Last time around he overtook fellow South African Thriston Lawrence to win the Joburg Open by three shots. Lawrence has, of course, gone on to bigger things, having secured a PGA Tour card as a result of his excellent form in 2024. 

Lawrence had been the leader overnight, but as his game suffered a meltdown in the final round, South African golfer Burmester took advantage. It was his third DP World Tour title and his first in two and a half years.

Burmester made six birdies in a bogey-free round to finish on an 18 under. Compatriot Darren Fichardt also shot 64 to finish second, two strokes ahead of defending champion Dan Bradbury in third place.

"I was a little rusty coming in but my team did such a great job getting me ready," said Burmester, whose previous win was at the Tenerife Open in May 2021. "It paid off. I knew I had to do something special and fortunately I was able to do that."

South Africans dominated the leaderboard, with eight of the top 11 being home players. Lawrence, who led after the first round and by three shots after Saturday's third round, dropped four strokes in his first five holes and also had a double-bogey coming home in shooting a five-over 75. That was eight shots worse than any of his first three rounds and he finished in a tie for seventh on 10 under.

So can Burmester repeat the feat? Sadly, the answer to that is no. Burmester plies his trade on the LIV Golf Tour and they are in Hong Kong this week, which means that he is unable to defend his title. In truth, it leaves something of a bad taste in the mouth.

However, there is a strong chance that another South African will be walking away with the trophy at Houghton Golf Club.

Among the leading home hopes are Kenyan Open champion Jacques Kruyswijk, Dylan Frittelli, Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker, Wilco Nienaber, Deon Germishuys and Daniel van Tonder.

International challengers include the likes of Marcel Siem, Ewen Ferguson, John Parry, Marco Penge and Nicolas Colsaerts.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Frittelli is a three-time DP World Tour champion. He won the Bahrain Championship last year but has endured something of a rollercoaster ride since turning professional in 2012. He started 2013 with a second-place finish in the Telkom PGA Championship and played most of that year on the Challenge Tour, winning his first event at the Karnten Open in June. 

His performances in early 2013 lifted him into the world top-300 but he then had two fallow years, plunging to 926 in the world. He returned to form when losing a playoff at The Australian PGA Championship at the end of 2015. The following year he was second at the Zimbabwe Open and Northern Ireland Open before enjoying a second Challenge Tour victory at the Rolex Trophy. He finished eighth in the rankings, earning him a DP World Tour card for 2017.

In 2017 he had a tie for second place in the Eye of Africa PGA Championship and lost in a playoff at the China Open, taking him into the top 100 in the world for the first time. In June he won his first DP World Tour event, the Lyoness Open. At the end of the season he was runner-up at the Turkish Airlines Open and tied fourth at the DP World Tour Championship. He finished the year in 19th place in the Race to Dubai. He also won the Mauritius Open in December 2017.

In 2018, Frittelli played some PGA Tour events because of sponsor's exemptions and his world ranking and secured earned enough points to qualify for the Web.com Tour finals, where he would score his PGA Tour card for the 2018-19 season.

Fritelli won the John Deere Classic in July 2019, shooting 21-under par. It was his maiden PGA Tour succes and qualified him for the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush.

After finishing 172nd on the 2023 FedEx Cup standings and losing his playing rights on the PGA Tour, Frittelli returned to the DP World Tour for 2024 and promptly won in Bahrain.

There will be much attention on the performance of Jacques Kruyswijk. He turned professional in January 2013 after finishing seventh at the 2013 Sunshine Tour Q-School. He recorded his first professional victory in his rookie season in an event on the Big Easy Tour. In 2015 he received a one-shot penalty at the Vodacome Origins of Golf after whacking his ball off a tree then into his groin.

On the 2016-17 Sunshine Tour he won the Lion of Africa Cape Open in November and tied for fourth at the Joburg Open in February and finished 11th on the Order of Merit. On the 2017-18 Sunshine Tour he tied for fourth at the South African Open and once again finished 11th on the Order of Merit.

Kruyswijk joined the DP World Tour in 2017 after finishing tied second at qualifying school.

In 2020, his best results were third-place finishes at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship and Limpopo Championship.  

In 2021, Kruyswijk recorded five top-10s on the DP World Tour and finished in 116th place on the Order of Merit, retaining his card. He also recorded his second Sunshine Tour victory when he won the Sunshine Tour Invitationall held at his home club, the Centurion Country Club. He broke into the top-200 on the world ranking for the first time following this win.

In his 139th start on the DP World Tour everything changed for him when he won in Kenya. It was his first victory but he had never before finished in the top three.

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. 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 and will be expecting another victory this weekend.

Prize Money:

The total prize fund is £880,000, with 3,000 Race to Dubai and 1,000 Ryder Cup points on offer.

How to Watch:

Thursday, March 6, Friday, March 7, Sky Sports Golf, 11am; Saturday, March 8, Sky Sports Golf, 10.30am, Sunday, March 9, Sky Sports Golf, 9.30am.

To Win:

Dylan Frittelli. Can never be ruled out

Each Way:

Deon Germishuys. Looking to follow his fine form at the Kenya Open

Five to Follow:

Dylan Frittelli. Been there, done that

Deon Germishuys. Wonderful short game

Jacques Kruyswijk. One of the home favourites

Ivan Verster. Great amateur prospect

Rhys Enoch. Failed to live up to potential thus far