2023 Joburg Open: Expert picks explored

The 2023 DP World Tour season has officially closed, but the Joburg Open will continue to add dynamism to European golf. The second South African stop of the tour in November will not only act as a link between one season and another, but will be defining the first three qualifiers to the fourth Major of the season.

The 2023 Joburg Open will be played at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg. It is a Sunshine Tour event, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour. The event is extremely attractive, as it hands out the first three tickets to The Open Championship in 2024 at Royal Troon.

Not surprisingly, several players who are regulars on higher-ranked tours are in the Joburg Open field. These are players who, for one reason or another, have not secured their participation in The Open yet. There is no better place to look for it than on the Sunshine Tour.

One of the golfers with best chances at the Joburg Open, according to experts, is Dean Burmester, who will be playing as a local player. Burmester is one of the best South African players at the moment, with an excellent 2023 season in LIV Golf.

Burmester finished 14th in the LIV Golf individual ranking with 89 points. Among his best results for the year were five Top 10s in the 14 tournaments he played. His team, Stinger GC, finished fifth in the Teams Championship.

Another favorite of the experts is South African Thriston Lawrence. The 90th-ranked player according to the Official World Golf Ranking has played most of the year on the DP World Tour, although he has also had some openings on the PGA Tour.

Lawrence has won two tournaments during 2023, the BMW International Open and the South African Open Championship. Additionally, he already won the Joburg Open in 2021.

Spaniard Adrian Otaegui will arrive at the Joburg Open as the second-ranked top golfer (96th) behind Lawrence. Otaegui finished in four top 10s during the season, including two second-place finishes. He missed only five cuts in 28 tournaments played.

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How The Open qualifying process continues after the Joburg Open?

The qualifying process for The Open Championship begins next weekend, but will run through July 2024. The organizers will be awarding at least 35 tickets via the qualifying events.

Below is the schedule of qualifying events for The Open. It includes events both on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour:

• Nov. 23-26, 2023, Joburg Open, (Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt as of the closing date, who make the cut)
• Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 2023, ISPS HANDA Australian Open, (Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt as of the closing date, who make the cut)
• March 7-10, 2024, Arnold Palmer Invitational (One place to the leading player, not already exempt as of the closing date, who makes the cut)
• May 30-June 2, 2024, RBC Canadian Open (Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut)
• June 6-9, 2024, the Memorial Tournament, (One place to the leading player, not already exempt, who makes the cut)
• June 20-23, 2024, KLM Open, (Two places to the leading two players, not already exempt, who make the cut)
• Regional Qualifying June 24, 2024 (Various)
• June 27-30, 2024, Italian Open, (Two places to the leading two players, not already exempt, who make the cut)
• Final Qualifying, July 2, 2024, Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, West Lancashire (Minimum of 16 places)
• July 4-7, 2024, John Deere Classic (Two places to the leading two players, not already exempt, who make the cut)
• July 11-14, 2024, Genesis Scottish Open (Three places to the leading three players, not already exempt, who make the cut).

The 152nd edition of the so-called "original golf championship" will be played from July 18-21, 2024 at the Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland.