THE 18th edition of the Joburg Open officially got underway in spectacular fashion as the tournament week teed off with an exciting Pro-Am at the iconic Houghton Golf Club.
With the main tournament scheduled to tee off tomorrow, the prestigious international golf event has already brought together the best of professional and amateur talent.
The Pro-Am, held on Tuesday, gave 90 amateur golfers once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the fairways with 30 professionals from the Sunshine Tour and the DP World Tour.
Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg Margaret Arnolds welcomed sponsors and partners at the prize-giving dinner, where she handed over awards to the day’s outstanding performers.
On Hole 9, the Net star Nearest to the Pin prize went to Jon Josset, while Peter Ntsoko claimed Nearest to the Pin on Hole 16.
Clinching top honours in the Pro-Am was professional Heinrich Bruiners and his team of Shawn Jaards, Tashi Bansi and Tyron Govindasamy.
The excitement now builds toward Thursday, at 06:00 am, when the young talented golfer Tshiamo ‘Tshitshi’ Makamedi from Alexandra will officially hit the opening shot to mark the start of the main tournament.
This year’s field features 156 golfers from around the world, including defending champion Calum Hill.
Arnolds said the Joburg Open remains one of the City’s flagship sporting events, positioning Johannesburg as a premier global destination while creating opportunities for caddies, local vendors and entrepreneurs all under the gaze of millions of international viewers.
This year’s edition also introduced an exciting four-ball auction featuring 2025 Courier Guy Order of Merit winner Danie van Tonder.
The initiative added a meaningful community dimension to the tournament, with all proceeds dedicated to supporting the development of golf at Soweto Country Club.
The spirited bidding culminated in Jason Shield from Betway securing the winning bid at R35 000, demonstrating the private sector’s continued commitment to investing in local sporting development.
Notable players include Dylan Naidoo who made history in 2025 when he became the first South African player of colour to win the coveted Investec South African Open Championship at Durban Country Club, Shaun Norris the 42-year-old narrowly missed out on victory in the 2025 edition of the Joburg Open, and George Coetzee just to name a few.
In February 2014, Coetzee won his maiden European Tour title in his 107th start with a three-stroke victory at the Joburg Open.
The Joburg Open tees off from March 05 to 08 at Houghton Golf Club.
Image supplied (Tshiamo ‘Tshitshi’ Makamedi, from Alexandra, will officially hit the opening shot to mark the start of the main tournament on Thursday).
