The Sunshine Tour has confirmed that former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel will be teeing it up this year. In addition, his Stingers teammate in LIV Golf, Branden Grace, will also be in action. 

While Grace has been battling in the rebel league, he is a former champion, having beaten Louis Oosthuizen by three strokes in 2020. Grace said the SA Open remains a special tournament and that it’s always an honour to compete in the national Open. 

“To win the second-oldest Open in the world, with so much history, is special. It also makes it even more special beating a player of Louis’s calibre,” said Grace.

Charl Schwartzel. Photo: Sunshine Tour

Schwartzel, in turn, has finished as the runner-up twice before, and on both occasions, it was at the Durban Country Club. In 2005, he lost to Trevor Immelman, and in 2010, to Ernie Els.

Schwartzel said winning the SA Open remains a bucket-list item.

“It would be an amazing tournament to win as the second-oldest national Open in golf. As a South African, it would be a privilege to have that under your belt. All golfers want to win their national Open, and it would mean a lot to me to do so.”

Defending champion, Dean Burmester. Photo: Sunshine Tour

Meanwhile, it is believed that Wilco Nienaber of Bloemfontein, who won last week’s NTT DATA Pro-Am at Fancourt, will also be teeing it up at the SA Open next week. The defending champion, Dean Burmester, who also hails from Bloemfontein, will be back in action to defend his title. 

Burmester is a Stingers teammate of Schwartzel and Grace, with the fourth member being Louis Oosthuizen.

The 2025 SA Open will tee off next Thursday.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh