South Africa’s Dean Burmester said he’d never experienced crowds on a first day in South African golf like he did in Thursday’s first round of the Investec South African Open, which he ended in a share of the lead.
Golf fans lined the fairways and filled the grandstands on a day when Burmester’s opening five-under-par 65 on a challenging par-70 Stellenbosch Golf Club layout earned him a share of the lead with Spain’s Alejandro del Rey, England’s Joe Dean and Finland’s Oliver Lindell.
They are one stroke clear of South Africa’s Herman Loubser, American Johannes Veerman, England’s Nathan Kimsey and Italy’s Francesco Laporta.
Hot putter✅
— Sunshine Tour (@Sunshine_Tour) February 26, 2026
Straight Driver✅
Dean Burmester shoots a fine 5-under 65 on Day 1 @stellenboschgolfclub #investecsaopen2026 pic.twitter.com/1PnWwvZY0F
GolfRSA amateur Jack Buchanan, the winner of the recent Africa Amateur Championship, leads the chase for the Freddie Tait Cup after his opening one-under 69 in what is his debut in the Investec South African Open.
Patrick Reed opened with a 71 on his debut in this this championship, and defending champion Dylan Naidoo signed for a 73.
Ernie Els began his championship with a four-over-par 74.
Burmester, who won this title in 2023, said he was blown away by the throngs of fans who surrounded the first tee box and the cheers he received as a former champion stepping onto the 18th green with a share of the lead.
“What a vibe. What a venue. Everybody has done an amazing job here. Everybody who helped get this course into incredible shape has done a fantastic job. You can look at the scoring and for a golf course of this length it’s pretty fair. It’s going to show its teeth over the rest of the championship for sure,” he said.
The revamped golf course did indeed test this field on the opening day, combined with a gusting wind that certainly caught their attention.
“It was tough. The course is showing teeth for sure and I had a hot putter today. I just felt really comfortable on these greens. They’re the same as what I play in George when I’m home. It feels easy to see the lines and they’re a very comfortable speed. It’s fun to putt on them.
“But look, you don’t win it on Thursday but you can definitely play yourself out of it. I’m happy not to have done that. I’m proud of the way I hung in there. To only make two bogeys on a golf course like this in the wind and then to make seven birdies is special. I’ve just got to stick to my guns now and hopefully I can produce three more days like this.”
How it stands at the top of the leaderboard after round one 📊#InvestecSAOpen pic.twitter.com/S30wwWOIWM
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 26, 2026
SCORES
-5 - Alejandro Del Rey
-5 - Dean Burmester, Joe Dean, Oliver Lindell
-4 - Herman Loubser
-4 - Johannes Veerman, Nathan Kimsey, Francesco Laporta
-3 - Dylan Frittelli
-3 - Adrian Otaegui, Casey Jarvis, Angel Ayora, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Haydn Porteous, Rikuya Hoshino, Xander Basson
-2 - Altin van der Merwe
-2 - Matthew Jordan, Antoine Rozner, Thriston Lawrence, Jayden Schaper, Ewen Ferguson, Ryan Van Velzen, Jeff Winther, Robin Williams, Alex Fitzpatrick, Bernd Wiesberger
-1 - Louis Albertse
-1 - Jack Buchanan, Freddy Schott, Michael Hollick, Jason Scrivener, Dan Bradbury, Warwick Purchase, Julien Guerrier, Frederic Lacroix, Branden Grace, Wenyi Ding, MJ Viljoen, Brandon Stone, Sam Bairstow
Par - Matteo Manassero
Par - Toto Thimba Jnr, Gregorio De Leo, Eddie Pepperell, Niklas Norgaard, Dian Kruger, Marcus Armitage, Ockie Strydom, Justin Harding, Maximilian Steinlechner, Tristen Strydom, Karabo Mokoena, Samuel Simpson, Tyran Snyders, Daniel Cronje, Lyle Rowe, Kieron van Wyk, Wilco Nienaber, Hennie du Plessis, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Shaun Norris, Calum Hill, Ugo Coussaud, Romain Langasque, Malcolm Mitchell, Darren Fichardt, Hennie Otto, Todd Clements, Allen John
+1 - Ruan Korb
+1 - David Ravetto, Justin Walters, Jean Hugo, Ivan Cantero, Ben Schmidt, Deon Germishuys, Luis Carrera, Charl Barnard, Joost Luiten, Bryce Easton, Benjamin Follett-Smith, Darius van Driel, Kota Kaneko, Patrick Reed, Judd Sundelson, JC Ritchie, Pierre Viallaneix
+2 - Jovan Rebula
+2 - Jacques Kruyswijk, Martin Vorster, Keenan Davidse, Dylan Mostert, Yuto Katsuragawa, Brandon Robinson Thompson, Jens Dantorp, Kieran Vincent, Luke Brown, Scott Jamieson, Jorge Campillo, Connor Syme, Daniel van Tonder, Joel Girrbach, JJ Senekal, Bjorn Akesson