Joburg Open 2025 Picks, Predictions And Odds

Hot on the heels of the South African Open Championship in Durban, the DP World Tour is moving inland for the final leg of its International Swing. Remaining in South Africa, the Joburg Open will bring the curtain down on the second chapter of the European Tour's season.

The tournament only began in 2007 but already has a storied history involving multiple different winners, several rain-affected weeks and a couple of different positions in the schedule.

One-time Masters champion, Charl Schwartzel is among two players to have secured this title twice in its short lifespan, clinching both the 2010 and 2011 Joburg Opens - the latter of which arrived in the same year as his triumph at Augusta.

Although he won't be in the field this week as a result of LIV Golf Hong Kong - also accounting for defending champion, Dean Burmester - there are a plethora of other South Africans who know how to win involved, including last week's South African Open champion, Dylan Naidoo.

Below are the odds for many of the leading players involved this week as well as our picks to contend at the 2025 Joburg Open.

JOBURG OPEN COURSE: HOUGHTON GOLF CLUB

Houghton Golf Club has been around since 1926, with A.M. Copland the club's first professional as well as being the course architect. It has hosted eight South African Open Championships and was the original site of the Alfred Dunhill Championship for its first six runnings.

The Jack Nicklaus design group renovated the beautiful course more recently, with the parkland layout in the Highveld now protected against longer hitters by an array of ponds, dams, and bunkers - as well as the litany of trees which feature heavily throughout.

Houghton GC will play as a 7,227-yard par-70 course at this week's Joburg Open, with just two par-5 holes and four par-3s among the majority of par-4s.

The winning score usually slots somewhere in the high teens under par, with Richard Sterne's outrageous course record of 27-under back in 2013 skewing the data in that regard.

JOBURG OPEN PREVIOUS WINNERS

*tournament shortened to 36 holes due to combination of Covid-19 and inclement weather.

** tournament reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather

JOBURG OPEN BETTING ODDS

Winner odds (correct at time of publishing) are via FanDuel Sportsbook.

• Jordan Smith (+1600)
• Johannes Veerman (+1800)
• Shaun Norris (+2500)
• Jayden Schaper (+2500)
• Francesco Laporta (+2800)
• Andy Sullivan (+3000)
• John Parry (+3000)
• Ewen Ferguson (+3000)
• Joost Luiten (+3300)
• Wilco Nienaber (+3500)
• Daniel Brown (+3500)
• Adrien Saddier (+3500)
• Jacques Kruyswijk (+3500)
• Alejandro Del Rey (+3500)
• Dan Bradbury (+3500)
• Sam Bairstow (+3500)
• Romain Langasque (+3500)
• Daniel Van Tonder (+3500)
• Brandon Robinson Thompson (+4000)
• Brandon Stone (+4000)
• All other players priced at +4500 or higher

JOBURG OPEN BETTING PICKS

Elliott Heath

FAVORITE: Jacques Kruyswijk (+3500)

Kruyswijk followed his brilliant Kenya Open victory was a modest T37th last week and I’m backing him to discover his form of two weeks ago and challenge at the top of the leaderboard once again. Plus, he has good course form here, having been T4th two years ago and T24th in 2022.

In addition, he’s a proven winner, especially in this part of the world, with three Sunshine Tour victories, a Challenge Tour win and a number of other wins on satellite tours coming before his Kenya triumph.

OUTSIDER: Darren Fichardt (+11000)

The 49-year-old, who has five DP World Tour victories and 18 Sunshine Tour wins, has rediscovered his form recently after a run of six missed cuts. He was T4th last week in South Africa after ending his MC streak with a T21st in Qatar.

He returns to a happy hunting ground in Joburg, where he was second in 2023 and he is also a past Joburg Open winner, too, albeit at a different course. This veteran has clearly found something, so I’m hoping he can keep his strong form up.

Jonny Leighfield

FAVORITE: Jayden Schaper (+2500)

I backed Schaper at the South African Open Championship last week and he was right up there with a chance before the final round was cancelled due to heavy rain. Given Houghton GC is similar to Durban CC in that it is another golf course which requires supreme accuracy, I will copy my own selection and back Schaper once more.

The young South African had two top-10s before his T16th last week, and he's able to boast three top-20 finishes in four starts at the Joburg Open, so course and historic form means I fancy him to compete here once more.

OUTSIDER: Marco Penge (+5500)

This might be a case of locking the gate after the horse has already bolted, but I'm going to make up for missing out on Marco Penge last week by choosing him this. The young Englishman has only recently returned from a betting ban but appears to be desperate to make up for lost time and has come out hot since Kenya two weeks ago.

Results of T20th and third suggests he is confident and in form, and a similar style of course to last week means he could well be capable of repeating - or even surpassing - his excellent display in Durban.

HOW TO WATCH THE JOBURG OPEN

USA (ET)

• Thursday, March 6 - Round One: 6:00am - 11:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
• Friday, March 7 - Round Two: 6:00am - 11:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
• Saturday, March 8 - Round Three: 5:30am - 10:00am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)
• Sunday, March 9 - Round Four: 5:30am - 10:30am (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)

UK (GMT)

• Thursday, March 6 - Round One: 11:00am - 4:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
• Friday, March 7 - Round Two: 11:00am - 4:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
• Saturday, March 8 - Round Three: 10:30am - 3:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)
• Sunday, March 9 - Round Four: 9:30am - 2:30pm (Sky Sports Golf)

Golf Monthly Betting Picks: Best Results 2025