So, golfers are currently swinging at the Houghton Golf Club for this year’s Joburg Open. Historically played at the Royal Johannesburg course and the Kensington Golf Club until 2017, the tournament moved to Houghton Golf Club to offer golfers fast greens, unpredictable weather, and unique water hazards. Additionally, the tree-lined fairways host a number of elite golfers from around the globe, including many from the home country itself.

After this week, the leading 72 players will qualify for the first playoff tournament, the Serengeti Invitational (March 20-23). Following that, the top 50 will advance to the season-ending DNi Tour Championship (March 27-30). Notably, South African golfers won 6 of the last 10 tournaments. Essentially, Shaun Norris and Jacques Kruyswijk are currently in the top 10, so it will be exciting to see if this year’s win will remain on the continent as well.

This means that the stakes are high this year as well. Last time, Dean Burmester from LIV Golf took home the title, finishing three shots ahead of fellow South African golfer Darren Fichardt. In 2023, Burmester earned R20,500,000 ($1.1 million). Looking ahead, this year, we will see talented golfers competing for the same prize, with the winner set to take home $190,000. The last player will take $2,690. Here’s a complete breakdown of the purse.

Interestingly, this tournament will also mark the last of the International Swing for this season. The winner will earn an additional $200,000. Laurie Canter is currently leading the way. After finishing in 2nd place at the South African Open, he claimed 334 points on Sunday. He has amassed 1,256.20 swing points from his four starts, and with his rival, Tyrrell Hatton, not present at the Joburg Open, he is likely to remain at the top.

Additionally, he will gain entry into all of DP World Tour’s Back 9 events, securing that $200,000 bonus we mentioned earlier. So, how are the golfers at the Joburg Open doing right now? Let’s take a look at them as well.

A look into the Joburg Open’s second round

The 2023 champion, Dean Burmester, is absent from the field. He will be seen competing in the latest LIV Golf event in Hong Kong. However, it’s worth noting that Burmester has had a moderate start this season, finishing T36 at the Investec South African Open. Despite his absence this time, we have many other golfers to look forward to. Notably, South African golfer Shaun Norris is currently leading the leaderboard with a score of -11. Interestingly, if the 42-year-old golfer secures this win, it will be his third victory on the DP Tour. Furthermore, this win would feel special because he has been battling an ear infection since earlier this week.

Besides these two golfers, we have India’s Shubhanker Sharma, the winner of the 2017 Joburg Open. He is currently tied at T3 with Scottish golfer Connor Syme. Consequently, their score is -9. Ahead of them, and in the second position, is Adrien Saddier, with a score of -10. But we are looking at a variety of players in the top 10. Netherlands’ Joost Luiten is currently tied for T5 with the English golfer Richard Mansell and South African Jacques Kruyswijk. They are tied with Nicolai von Dellingshausen, Callum Tarren, and Wenyi Ding.

We don’t know what will happen next, but exciting things are happening at Joburg Open. Catch the action on the Golf Channel, and let us know your predictions!