Joburg Open 2026 Betting Tips: 150/1 shot one of six in South Africa

Just one week after earning his breakthrough DP World Tour title in Kenya, Casey Jarvis completed a remarkable double in his home championship, winning the South African Open in Stellenbosch. His feat mirrors that of countryman Jayden Schaper at the end of 2025 and confirms that the future of South African golf is in very safe hands, with both well on their way to playing on the PGA Tour in 2027.

Both of these rising stars will be in action as the tour closes out its International Swing this week, with the Joburg Open at Houghton Golf Club.

Our golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with his usual long-read preview of the event. He's picked out six players he likes the look of this week, so check out Jamie's thoughts and his Joburg Open 2026 Betting Tips below...

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*You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Joburg Open Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

Debuting in 2007, the Joburg Open is an event co-sanctioned between the DP World Tour (DPWT) and Sunshine Tour, and it has been played at Houghton Golf Club since 2022. It returned from a three-year hiatus in 2020 and moved to this new March timeslot in 2025 after the previous four editions were held in November.

Previously dominated by the home contingent, international players have enjoyed plenty of recent success, winning four of the last six renewals. However, fan favourites, Charl Schwartzel (2010, 2011) and Richard Sterne (2008, 2013), are the only players to win multiple titles.

Last five winners:

• 2025 (Houghton Golf Club)

Winner: Calum Hill (-14, playoff)

Runners-up: Shaun Norris, Jacques Kruyswijk (-14)

• 2023 (Houghton Golf Club)

Winner: Dean Burmester (-18)

Runner-up: Darren Fichardt (-15)

• 2022 (Houghton Golf Club)

Winner: Dan Bradbury (-21)

Runner-up: Sami Valimaki (-18)

• 2021 (Randpark Golf Club)

Winner: Thriston Lawrence (-12) – event reduced to 36 holes

Runner-up: Zander Lombard (-8)

• 2020 (Randpark Golf Club)

Winner: JB Hansen (-19)

Runner-up: Wilco Nienaber (-17)

Calum Hill produced a stunning final-round 62 in 2025 to overturn an eight-shot deficit, forcing 54-hole leader Shaun Norris into a playoff alongside Jacques Kruyswijk. Hill then sealed the title with a par on the second extra hole, capitalising as both of his opponents succumbed to mistakes.

The Scot returns to defend in flying form, with runner-up finishes in Qatar and Bahrain across his last five appearances.

THE COURSE

Houghton Golf Club

• Original architect / Year opened: M. Copland / 1926
• Latest renovation: Jack Nicklaus extensively renovated the layout in 2009, so much so that the current venue is now attributed to being his design
• Previous tournaments: South African Open (eight times, most recently in 1992), Alfred Dunhill Championship (2000-2004)
• Par / Yardage: Par 70 / 7241 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 4x par 3s (177-230 yards)
  • 12x par 4s (364-544 yards)
  • 2x par 5s (545-572 yards)
• Course style: Tree-lined and strategic parkland course situated at around 5700ft above sea level (this causes the ball to travel over 7% further, meaning the course plays closer to 6740 yards)
• Fairways:
  • Generous and largely doglegging fairways
  • Bunkers are strategically placed to catch out longer hitters
  • Gnarly kikuyu rough offers added protection
• Greens:
  • Small bentgrass greens that are often shallow/narrow in shape and angled to the fairway
  • Typically receptive which makes them simple to hit despite their size
  • Multi-tiered with a mixture of striking slopes and more subtle undulations, they're tricky to putt
  • Ranking as the third-toughest scrambling test on tour, the penalty for missing is severe
• Defences:
  • Water is in play on seven holes
  • Altitude makes club selection difficult to judge
  • Kikuyu rough can be punishing to errant ball-striking
• Average winning score: -17.66 (last three editions)

Houghton Golf Club proved a scoreable test in the first two renewals before challenging weather limited scoring in 2025. The par 5s are there to be attacked, the par 3s are short as a whole, and taking that altitude into account, many of the par 4s can be reduced to a strong drive and a wedge.

There are a handful of extra-lengthy holes that can pose higher demands – most notably the 544-yard par-4 3^rd and the 536-yard par-4 15^th – though unless the conditions again play their part, I see no reason why we won't see a return to the low scoring of those 2022 and 2023 tournaments.

THE WEATHER

Thunderstorms are forecast in the days leading up to the event, and this threat is predicted to linger throughout. This should again ensure we have a receptive course, and for the first three rounds, wind speeds of 6-9mph shouldn't cause too many problems.

It is expected to rise to a constant 12mph breeze for the final round, and with gusts of upwards of 35mph, we could be in for another chaotic Sunday in Joburg.

KEY STATS

SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)

This test is all about the long game, with iron play into the small, soft bentgrass greens all the more important due to that punishing scrambling challenge.

Although stats are incomplete for this event due to the exclusion of non-DPWT players, they can still tell us something about how to perform well here.

• 2025
  • Calum Hill (Winner): 10^th in SG: Approach / 9^th in GIR
  • Shaun Norris (2^nd): 16^th in SG: Approach / 4^th in GIR
  • Jacques Kruyswijk (2^nd): 11^th in SG: Approach / 11^th in GIR
  • Dylan Frittelli (4^th): 15^th in GIR
• 2023
  • Darren Fichardt (2^nd): 2^nd in SG: Approach / 9^th in GIR
  • Dan Bradbury (3^rd): 4^th in SG: Approach / 9^th in GIR
  • Jacques Kruyswijk (4^th): 8^th in SG: Approach / 6^th in GIR
  • Zander Lombard (4^th): 10^th in SG: Approach / 6^th in GIR
• 2022
  • Dan Bradbury (Winner): No stats but he's a notably strong iron player
  • Sami Valimaki (2^nd): 6^th in SG: Approach
  • Daniel Van Tonder (3^rd): 1^st in SG: Approach / 1^st in GIR
  • Louis de Jager (5^th): 11^th in SG: Approach / 12^th in GIR

SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Distance

The driver is another key ingredient to contending at Houghton Golf Club, where those with the power to take the tight line and attack the strategic bunkering have enjoyed enormous success.

• 2025
  • Calum Hill (Winner): 9^th in SG: OTT / 10^th in driving distance
  • Jacques Kruyswijk (2^nd): 13^th in driving distance
  • Dylan Frittelli (4^th): 13^th in SG: OTT / 3^rd in driving distance
• 2023
  • Dean Burmester (Winner): No stats but he's a classy and lengthy driver
  • Dan Bradbury (3^rd): 5^th in SG: OTT / 4^th in driving distance
  • Zander Lombard (4^th): 15^th in SG: OTT / 12^th in driving distance
• 2022
  • Sami Valimaki (2^nd): 8^th in SG: OTT
  • Louis de Jager (5^th): 3^rd in SG: OTT / 11^th in driving distance

Par 4 Scoring

Lastly, with 12 par 4s at the course, it makes sense that you have to score well on them to be in the mix.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Nedbank Golf Challenge / South African Open – 2020 (Gary Player Country Club)

Gary Player Country Club is a setup heavily favoured by quality ball-strikers. Testing the players' ability to play at altitude, it also features kikuyu rough and fairways, and small bentgrass greens.

Notable correlating form:

• Dan Bradbury: Houghton GC (1^st, 3^rd) / Gary Player (2^nd, 5^th)
• Dean Burmester: Houghton GC (1^st) / Gary Player CC (4^th)
• Shaun Norris: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Gary Player CC (5^th)
• Darren Fichardt: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Gary Player CC (6^th, 9^th)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Houghton GC (3^rd) / Gary Player CC (1^st)
• Dylan Frittelli: Houghton GC (4^th) / Gary Player CC (3^rd)

Jonsson Workwear Open – 2024 / South African Open – 2013-2018 (Glendower Golf Club)

Another tree-lined course at altitude with bentgrass greens and kikuyu rough, Glendower Golf Club is worth checking out this week.

Notable correlating form:

• Dean Burmester: Houghton GC (1^st) / Glendower GC (4^th)
• Shaun Norris: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Glendower GC (2^nd)
• Jacques Kruyswijk: Houghton GC (2^nd, 4^th) / Glendower GC (4^th)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Houghton GC (3^rd) / Glendower GC (2^nd)
• Thriston Lawrence: Houghton GC (7^th) / Glendower GC (2^nd)

Alfred Dunhill Championship – 2025 / Joburg Open – 2007-2017 (Royal Johannesburg – East Course)

Located just a 15-minute drive from Houghton Golf Club, the conditions at Royal Johannesburg's East Course mirror this test. This tree-lined parkland's winding fairways are strategically bunkered, whilst the small bentgrass greens produce similar GIR percentages to this week's host.

Notable correlating form:

• Darren Fichardt: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Royal Johannesburg (1^st)
• Shaun Norris: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Royal Johannesburg (2^nd)
• Jacques Kruyswijk: Houghton GC (2^nd, 4^th) / Royal Johannesburg (4^th)
• Zander Lombard: Houghton GC (4^th) / Royal Johannesburg (2^nd)

Alfred Dunhill Championship (Leopard Creek Country Club)

The tree-lined Leopard Creek was the strongest match to Houghton Golf Club statistically, ranking closely across each tee-to-green category in difficulty.

Notable correlating form:

• Shaun Norris: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Alfred Dunhill (1^st)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Houghton GC (3^rd) / Alfred Dunhill (1^st, 3^rd)
• Zander Lombard: Houghton GC (4^th) / Alfred Dunhill (3^rd)
• Dale Whitnell: Houghton GC (6^th) / Alfred Dunhill (4^th, 7^th)

Kenya Open – 2026, 2021, 2019 / Kenya Savannah Classic – 2021 (Karen Country Club)

Recent Kenya Open host Karen Country Club ticks many of the boxes already mentioned. It's a tree-lined parkland at altitude, with small bentgrass greens, and smartly bunkered fairways with an element of risk/reward.

Notable correlating form:

• Calum Hill: Houghton GC (1^st) / Karen CC (3^rd)
• Jacques Kruyswijk: Houghton GC (2^nd, 4^th) / Karen CC (5^th, 5^th)
• Daniel Van Tonder: Houghton GC (3^rd, 5^th) / Karen CC (1^st)
• Louis de Jager: Houghton GC (5^th) / Karen CC (2^nd)
• Jacob Skov Olesen: Houghton GC (7^th) / Karen CC (5^th)

Qatar Masters (Doha Golf Club)

Bahrain Championship (Royal Golf Club)

Despite being exposed Middle Eastern courses, there is a striking amount of comp form between Houghton Golf Club and both Doha Golf Club and Royal Golf Club. With generous fairways that favour longer hitters and showcasing demanding short-game tests around their respective putting complexes, we can understand why those form ties have developed.

Notable correlating form:

• Calum Hill: Houghton GC (1^st) / Qatar (2^nd), Bahrain (2^nd)
• Dan Bradbury: Houghton GC (1^st, 3^rd) / Qatar (5^th)
• Darren Fichardt: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Qatar (1^st)
• Sami Valimaki: Houghton GC (2^nd) / Qatar (1^st)
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout: Houghton GC (3^rd) / Qatar (2^nd)
• Dylan Frittelli: Houghton GC (4^th) / Bahrain (1^st)
• Zander Lombard: Houghton GC (4^th) / Bahrain (2^nd)
• Brandon Robinson Thompson: Houghton GC (7^th) / Qatar (3^rd)
• Jacob Skov Olesen: Houghton GC (7^th) / Qatar (3^rd)

THE FIELD

World No. 18 Patrick Reed is in action again this week and is one of four top-100 players in the field, joined by the South African trio of Jayden Schaper (No. 57), Casey Jarvis (No. 80), and Thriston Lawrence (No. 81).

Reigning champion Calum Hill defends and is accompanied by a further eight former winners: Dan Bradbury (2022), Thriston Lawrence (2021), Shubhankar Sharma (2017, December), Darren Fichardt (2017, February), Haydn Porteous (2016), Andy Sullivan (2015), George Coetzee (2014), and Richard Sterne (2013, 2008).

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Jayden Schaper 10/1, Patrick Reed 11/1, Angel Ayora 12/1, Hennie Du Plessis 12/1, Casey Jarvis 14/1

1.5 pts Jacob Skov Olesen each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 35/1

We've witnessed another talented youngster break through on the DPWT in recent weeks and I wonder if former No. 12 amateur Jacob Skov Olesen may be the next. The Dane has two top-five finishes across his last three starts and having placed 7^th on his Joburg debut in 2025, he can continue the hot streak for international players.

Olesen ended his impressive rookie season with six top-10 finishes and was 11^th at the DP World Tour Championship on his final appearance of the campaign. He took a little time to get going in 2026 but burst into life in Qatar, finishing 3^rd, and he backed that up with a 5^th-place finish in Kenya the following week.

Although he was only 63^rd at the South African Open, he sat 135^th after the first round due to a five-over 75. He responded excellently with a four-under 66 in round two to make the cut but wasn't quite able to build on that over the weekend.

Iron play was his biggest strength in 2025, ranking 32^nd in GIR and 38^th in SG: Approach. Encouragingly, those irons have returned to form in his latest starts. He's also got a strong short game and has looked dependable off the tee throughout his short pro career.

Olesen opened with a 65 on his first spin around Houghton Golf Club last year, and following a 72 in round two, he bounced back with scores of 65 and 68 to finish 7^th. Those top-five finishes in Kenya and Qatar should also serve him well, and though he has less than two years of professional experience behind him, his progress suggests that a maiden victory may not be too far away.

1 pt Sam Bairstow each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 60/1

Although he has not managed to put himself in the mix at the top of the leaderboard, Sam Bairstow has made a steady start to 2026. He’s hitting the ball solidly and now playing at a course where he went as well as anyone over the weekend 12 months ago, I fancy him to contend.

Last year was a story of two halves for Bairstow, as he started positively but fizzled out towards the end. That said, he did manage a 10^th-place finish at the Aussie PGA Championship in November and has begun the new season with four made cuts in a row, producing a best of 34^th in Bahrain.

He continues to thrive on the putting surfaces, ranking 10^th in SG: Putting, and when paired with his ranking of 30^th in GIR, that creates a particularly potent combination. The driver also looks in decent shape, matching his top-20 power with top-50 accuracy.

Similar skillsets have previously thrived at Houghton and Bairstow certainly showed potential to do so last year, firing rounds of 67 and 65 over the weekend to jump from 65^th to 9^th place. A finish of 15^th on his one trip to Glendower Golf Club in 2024 is another plus, and with two top-15s in three Qatar Masters starts strengthening his case, expect the Englishman to push for a first DPWT win in Joburg.

1 pt Wilco Nienaber each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 60/1

The incredible achievements of Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis should serve as inspiration for the rest of this deep pool of emerging South African talent.

Whilst he may have been a pro since 2019, Wilco Nienaber is still only 25-years-old and has yet to realise the immense potential he showed as an amateur. He arrives here after a first DPWT top-10 since 2023 at the South African Open, and having shown promise around this layout in 2022, he’s worth taking to make further progress this week.

Nienaber mixed his time between the DPWT and HotelPlanner Tour in 2025 but failed to strike a real blow on this top tier. He did, however, run riot over the field at Fancourt to win his second NTT Data Pro-Am title by seven shots, and then signed off the year with an encouraging 21^st-place finish in Mauritius.

His game has looked in decent shape at the beginning of 2026, as he’s made the cut in each of the four Sunshine Tour/HotelPlanner Tour co-sanctioned events, recording two top-25s. He then carried that momentum to Stellenbosch, where he closed with a five-under 65 to finish 9^th.

This rangy bomber is all about the driver and the club helped him to a 24^th-place finish at the Joburg Open in 2022 – an event in which he sat 10^th at halfway. He has missed his last two cuts at Houghton, but he’s been more consistent in these early weeks of the new year, and on a receptive setup that rewards bold driving, this looks an ideal opportunity to turn that potential into trophies.

1 pt Dylan Frittelli each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 60/1

I’m going to go back to the well on two players put up last week, the first of which is Dylan Frittelli. He made a strong start at the South African Open before fading as the week progressed, but with an attractively trending profile at Houghton, I’m keen to keep him on side.

Frittelli has been ultra-consistent since the end of last year, missing just one cut in his last 10 DPWT outings. He finished 14^th in Johannesburg at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December and has claimed two further top-20s this year, placing 10^th at the Dubai Invitational and 20^th at the Qatar Masters.

His delicate touch around the greens has been on show in recent months, ranking 13^th in SG: Around-the-Greens and 26^th in scrambling. Meanwhile, he’s also had better control of the putter, ranking 44^th in SG: Putting.

Frittelli’s length (ranking inside the top 20 in driving distance) has proven a major asset at Houghton. It helped him to a 12^th-place finish on debut in 2023 and he went even better last year, finishing just one shot outside of the playoff in 4^th.

A victory in Bahrain in 2024 has worked out well in relation to this test and with his 3^rd-place finish at Gary Player Country Club in the 2020 South African Open a plus, the Joburg man is more than comfortable at altitude.

1 pt Shaun Norris each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 66/1

Shaun Norris is another Joburg native, which was central to me putting him up in last year’s edition of this event. He agonisingly let a four-shot lead slip to finish 2^nd there, but at around three-times the price this time around, he’s well priced to gain redemption.

Ending the NTT Data Pro-Am with a round of 90, Norris was a risk at Stellenbosch but there was no such drama, where he played soundly to finish 50^th on a tightly-packed leaderboard.

He’s been excellent in these co-sanctioned events in recent years, finishing inside the top 10 at the South African Open, Nedbank Challenge, and Alfred Dunhill Championship alongside this event in 2025. With his effort last week a step in the right direction, I expect him to push on at Houghton.

Though he excels on the greens, ranking 4^th in SG: Putting, the long game has been largely reliable this season. In addition, if conditions do deteriorate and turn it into a slog, his top-class scrambling would become a real asset – a stat for which he ranked 11^th in 2025.

Norris was 18^th here in 2022 and almost responded perfectly to his missed cut in 2023 by finishing 2^nd 12 months ago. He’s a former winner at Leopard Creek, has finished 2^nd both at Royal Johannesburg and Glendower, and with a 5^th-place finish at last year’s Nedbank Challenge completing a hugely encouraging correlating form profile, I had to give him another shot.

1 pt Robin Williams each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 150/1

South Africa’s Robin Williams has been hitting the ball strongly at the beginning of 2026, and after impressing here last year when completely out of form, he looks primed to capitalise on those positive vibes ignited by his countrymen so far this season.

Williams did little of note last season, with his 14^th-place finish at Houghton one of just three top-20s. He did begin the new campaign with a 19^th-place finish at the Aussie PGA Championship at the end of 2025 and there have been green shoots of promise this year.

He finished 11^th at the SDC Championship on the Sunshine Tour/HotelPlanner Tour five starts ago and whilst ending in 57^th position at the South African Open, he was 30^th after 36 holes before a third-round 74 derailed his week. Although this appears underwhelming, he had missed his last five cuts prior to finishing 14^th around here in 2025 and was 5^th going into the final round.

Arriving with rankings of 3^rd in SG: OTT, 7^th in driving distance, and 60^th in GIR, his long game is in considerably better shape and having already proven he can contend at this level – finishing 2^nd at the 2024 SDC Championship – Williams is attractively priced to feature prominently in Joburg.

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