The 115th South African Open at Stellenbosch Golf Club took no prisoners on day one, reminding the field that golf in the Cape Winelands can be as ruthless as it is picturesque — especially when the wind has a say.
A tricky Cape breeze swept across the fairways on Thursday, testing the precision and skill of the players in equal measure. While some prevailed, a handful of big names quickly discovered there would be no easing into the tournament.
Defending champion Dylan Naidoo (3-over par) battled to find his rhythm, while four-time Major winner Ernie Els (+4) endured a frustrating start, despite making an eagle on the fifth hole. Masters champions Patrick Reed (+1) and Charl Schwartzel (+7) also struggled to tame a layout that punished even the slightest lapse in judgment.
Instead, the early honours on Thursday belonged to four players who navigated the blustery conditions and tricky rough superbly, sharing the lead at five under par. South Africa’s Dean Burmester, champion in 2023, was the only local among the leaders, alongside Spain’s Alejandro del Rey, Englishman Joe Dean and Finland’s Oliver Lindell.
Southern Guards GC star Burmester continued his encouraging start to the season with a composed round of 65, mixing seven birdies with two bogeys in the swirling wind. His patience on the greens, where he avoided three-putts and two-putted only four times, proved decisive on a day when par was a good score across much of the course.
“I would not wish this rough on any amateur golfer,” Burmester said following his round.
“The guys who played in the Pro-Am — the three I played with — struggled. It is difficult and you have to read the lie well. My lie on 18 was not an easy one. It is a gamble and you must play the right shot for the right lie. I managed to do that today.
“The putter was hot today. I would not be surprised if I was leading the stats after that. There were a lot of ones in my putting stats, for sure.”
Burmester, looking to take the outright lead on the 18th, overshot the green with his approach and landed in a thick patch of rough above the flag, metres from the bunker. He expertly wedged the ball towards the hole to leave himself an easy tap-in par to finish.
He was pleased with how the course played on the first day, but warned that it would “show its teeth” over the weekend.
Fellow South African Herman Loubser finished a shot behind Burmester at four under and is tied for fifth with three overseas players. Dylan Frittelli, Casey Jarvis, Haydn Porteous and Xander Basson are the other locals who finished in the top 10 after the first round. They are tied for ninth with four others.
American Reed said he hit a lot of loose tee shots and that playing out of the rough was a tough ask.
“The performance was not great,” the Masters winner said.
“From tee to green it was a struggle. Distance control was tough because of how high the ball sat, even in the fairway, and I kept hitting it high off the clubface. I also missed two short putts. It was a grind out there.”
With the wind predicted to remain a factor and conditions expected to toughen, the chasing pack will know there is little room for error on Friday and, for some players, the cut is a real possibility.
If the opening round was any indication, the rest of the SA Open is set to demand precision, resilience and brilliance over the next few days.
Meanwhile, two-time DP World Tour winner Andrea Pavan withdrew from the tournament after he was badly injured after reportedly falling several floors down an elevator shaft ahead of the opening round.
The freak accident took place at a private residential place and Scotsman Richie Ramsay replaced him in the field. The DP World Tour confirmed his withdrawal but did not disclose his medical status, according to Golf Digest.
