Five things to know: Steyn City Championship

The DP World Tour returns to Johannesburg this week for the Steyn City Championship. Here’s our lowdown on the second of back-to-back events in South Africa…

New event. New venue.

The 2022 Steyn City Championship makes its debut on the DP World Tour this week, the second of  back-to-back new events on the DP World Tour International Schedule, both co-sanctioned along with the Sunshine Tour.

The Club at Steyn City hosts the action, making it the 22nd different South African venue to host a DP World Tour event and the 94th event in the Tour’s history to take place the southernmost nation of the African continent.

The 7,716-yard par-72 course is located on the northern outskirts of Johannesburg and features four par fives including the 651-yard sixth hole. Dean Burmester will tee it up on home soil this week and is in awe of the venue: “It’s only eight years old and look at the condition of it for this week. The greens are just perfect. The rain has softened it up a bit which is a pity because I think they would’ve wanted it to be firm and fast. But it’s in spectacular condition, it’s beautiful, and it will pose a good challenge for the field this week.”

Heir Jordan for Steyn City throne?

With three top ten results in four starts, including a share of second last week, Jordan Smith is in good form heading into this week. The 2017 Porsche European Open champion is seeking his second DP World Tour title after two runner-up finishes this year and currently lies fourth on the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

George Coetzee, a five-time DP World Tour winner including three wins on home soil, is trending in the right direction after a final round of 64 to claim fourth place last week. The South African’s top five result at Pecanwood Golf and Country Club was a second successive top ten finish following a share of ninth in his previous outing at the Ras al Khaimah Classic.

African swing finale

The Steyn City Championship is the last of three consecutive DP World Tour events to take place in Africa in March. The Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa began the month where Ashun Wu reigned victorious for his fourth DP World Tour title.

The action then headed south from Kenya to Pecanwood Golf and Country Club, where Pablo Larrazábal came through a three-man play-off with a birdie on the second extra hole to win his sixth Tour event and his second in South Africa.

Race for Major qualification

There is less than a month to go until the Masters Tournament takes place at August National Golf Club, with the 50 leading players on the Official World Golf Ranking, which is published the week prior to the event, set to grace the historic event. South Africa’s Burmester currently lies 76th on the Official World Golf Ranking and remains hopeful of reaching Augusta at the beginning of April.

Burmester has already qualified for the US PGA Championship and Open Championship and has his sights set on a third Major Championship appearance.

“I’ve got two Majors this year, and hopefully three. I want to be challenging in the Majors. Last year in The Open I had a flash and was in the top five for about nine holes which was great. I saw my name up there. As a boy growing up, that’s where you want to be. You dream of standing at The Open with the claret jug, or at The Masters with a green jacket on come Sunday. I want to give myself a chance in a Major on the back nine on a Sunday. I’d be pretty happy just to have that chance right now.”

Sunshine Tour partnership

This week will see the second successive co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour on the DP World Tour Schedule following last week’s MyGolfLife Open hosted by Pecanwood. It is the third co-sanctioned event of the 2022 DP World Tour season after the Joburg Open took place at the end of November, which saw Thriston Lawrence claim the title. The growth of South African events has been helped by the strategic alliance between the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour, which was launched in July 2021.

The partnership has also benefitted the European Challenge Tour, which will resume its run of seven co-sanctioned events with the Sunshine Tour next week at the SDC Open. While the DP World Tour will return to South Africa for the penultimate event of the 2022 campaign, when the Nedbank Golf Challenge marks its 40th edition in November.