2025 Investec South African Open Championship betting tips: Our expert’s top picks in Durban
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Our resident betting expert picks out his top Investec South African Open betting tips ahead of the world’s second-oldest national Open.
The Investec South African Open Championship returns to Durban Country Club for the first time since 2010 when Ernie Els won his fifth national Open. This year’s 114th running once more offers three non-exempt players entry into The Open Championship at Royal Portrush as part of the Open Qualifying Series.
Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour, the South African Open is the penultimate stop on the DP World Tour’s ‘International Swing’, showcasing the very best South African talent, all desperate to etch their name into the trophy lifted by so many great Springboks to go before them.
And with the last six winners of this prestigious event all homegrown, there’s a reasonable chance that the Durban crowds will have another reason to celebrate come the end of the week. Dean Burmester returns to defend his title from 2024 to battle it out against fellow countrymen including Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, and an international mix of the DPWT’s in-form players. It’s wide open.
But before we get to my betting tips, here’s everything else you need to know…
Investec South African Open key details
Venue: Durban Country Club (Par 72 – 6,691 yards)
Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 36-hole cut
Purse: $1.5 million with the winner receiving an estimated $200,000
Race to Dubai / Ryder Cup points: 3,000 / 1,000
Favorites: Dean Burmester 11/1, Laurie Canter 14/1, Jordan Smith 22/1
Defending champion: Dean Burmester (RSA), -11
Most wins: Gary Player (ENG), 13
How to watch the Investec South African Open
US viewers can catch all the action on Golf Channel.
All times EST
Thursday, February 27: The Golf Channel, 06.00
Friday, February 27: The Golf Channel, 06.00
Saturday, March 01: The Golf Channel, 05.30
Sunday, March 02: The Golf Channel, 04.30
UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.
All times GMT
Thursday, February 27: Sky Sports Golf, 11.00
Friday, February 28: Sky Sports Golf, 11.00
Saturday, March 01: Sky Sports Golf, 10.30
Sunday, March 02: Sky Sports Golf, 10.30
Investec South African Open tee times
Tee times and groupings can be found here.
Investec South African Open betting tips
The Banker: Daniel Van Tonder
33/1 ew (Paddy Power 7 Places)
History suggests a South African will win this event, and while he’s been out of sight out of mind at this level, Daniel Van Tonder has been going about his business at home, winning three times and finishing 2nd a further four times in his past 15 starts at home. In that time he’s finished inside the top 10 a ridiculous 12 times, including the seven top-2 finishes. He has missed just one cut, and his worst finish when making the weekend during this run is 11th.
Van Tonder has generally struggled in this event, but he overcome that in the best way possible by winning the 2021 South African Open at the Gary Player Country Club. That win came in the same year he had won for the first time on the DP World Tour in Kenya, and he has since won four more times at home, so he’s got the winning bug.
The obvious risk here is that his Sunshine Tour form doesn’t translate to the DP World Tour level, but when someone has either won or finished 2nd in seven of their past 15 starts, it’s very hard to ignore no matter where they are playing.
I think the risk of him struggling in this field has been taken into account and then some at 33/1.
The Outsider: Haotong Li
40/1 ew (Sky Bet 6 Places)
Haotong Li is on a run of eight straight made cuts, which is unknown territory for him in recent years. Li struggled greatly in both 2020 and 2023, but he’s always shown glimpses in between, and his recent win in Qatar was his fourth on tour. Considering he’s also lost two playoffs, and gone close on numerous occasions, we can safely put him as one of the most talented on the tour on his day.
Now that some consistency is creeping back into his game, it is time to chance him again, as we look for him to make it two wins in his past three starts. That alone would be enough to put some people off, as many don’t expect players to follow up a win so quickly, but Li is more than talented enough to do it.
Li has also been the best iron player in the field in recent weeks, ranking 13th, 1st, 19th, 2nd and most recently 6th in SG: Approach. He’s also ranked 34th, 2nd, 35th, 2nd, and 8th in SG: Tee to Green in that time to suggest he’s full game is coming together. That was highlighted by the fact he was 10th going into Sunday this past weekend, but he just couldn’t hold on in Round 4 for a strong result.
One of the notes about Durban Country Club is the fact it plays into the hands of those that love links golf, and Haotong certainly falls into that category. He has finished 3rd in an Open Championship, and 5th, 7th, 14th, and 23rd in the Alfred Dunhill Links, so Li clearly likes this sort of golf. Factor in two top-5 finishes at the Nedbank and you have a links lover, who has past form in the country, even if he’s not played much golf in this part of the world.
At 40/1 you are getting one of the most talented players in the field, and one that is in form.
The Long Shot: JC Ritchie
66/1 ew (Paddy Power 7 Places)
Last week we saw Jamie Rutherford and Gregorio De Leo carry strong HotelPlanner Tour form into a DP World Tour event and finish inside the top 5, and I am hoping South African, JC Ritchie can do the same on a familiar course.
Durban hasn’t been used for the South African Open since Ernie Els won in 2010, but it did host three of the four rounds at the inaugural Jonsson Workwear Open in 2022. Ritchie won the event that week, shooting 63-65-71 over his final three rounds, to win the event by six shots at 26-under.
That form here puts him above some of the rest right away, given many players will be seeing this course for the first time, and while significant renovations have been made here since 2022 due to major floods, it’s always good to return to a course you know.
The other thing to consider on top of course form, is a player’s performance in this event over the years, no matter which course played host. Particularly for the South African players, it is good to see how they cope with the pressures of their home open, and I am glad to say Ritchie passes that test as well. He’s missed the cut in two his last three starts in this event, but before that he had finished 3rd, 6th, and 5th, suggesting that if the course is right, he can rise to the occasion. We know he likes the course, so that’s another tick.
Looking at his current form, Ritchie has finished 5th, 9th, MC, 14th, and 6th in his last five starts, so he should come into this event with plenty of confidence. Sure, he now has to make the step up to the DP World Tour level again, but as stated earlier, Rutherford and De Leo were able to continue their form, and John Parry is an excellent example of someone who’s impressed at the lower level and run with it again.
It would be a first DP World Tour win if he were to win this week, but Ritchie has won 10 times on the Sunshine Tour, with four of those events co-sanctioned by the then Challenge Tour.
This is the perfect recipe of course and current form coming together and Ritchie can match what Jacques Kruyswijk did last week, which is to step up and win in this grade for the first time.
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2025 Investec South African Open betting tips from Today's Golfer.
