Joburg Open 2026: Preview and three golf betting tips

Odds Now’s golf tipster Ross Kilvington continues his weekly look at the action from the 2026 DP World Tour.

In this latest preview, the focus is on the 2026 Joburg Open, set to tee off on Thursday from Houghton Golf Course in South Africa. Read on to find out which golfers are being tipped for success this weekend.

Joburg Open 2026 betting preview

The DP World Tour moves north to Johannesburg from Stellenbosch this week as the Joburg Open will be held for the ninth time.

It wasn’t on the schedule last year due to a reshuffle, but it returns this week, marking the end of the annual International Swing in the process.

The event will be held at Houghton Golf Club for the fourth consecutive year. Measuring at 7,421 yards and playing as a par 70, the course isn’t overly tough, although water does come into play on five holes.

Jack Nicklaus played a part in the renovation of the course back in 2009, adding some fairway bunkers to several holes. Considering Houghton is situated over 5000 feet above sea level, the longest hitters off the tee will rejoice at this setup.

Last year, Calum Hill won the tournament after prevailing in a three-man playoff to claim his second DPWT title.

Dean Burmester looked primed to bring us another win last week before frustratingly faltering over the weekend.

As ever, we at Odds Now pick out three selections ahead of the Joburg Open this week, ranging from 16/1 to 60/1.

2026 Joburg Open betting picks

Selection #1 – Casey Jarvis - 14/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 7 places, 1/5 odds)

Casey Jarvis has enjoyed an excellent start to 2026. The South African has won his previous two events – the Kenya Open and last weeks South African Open Championship – to shoot up the Race to Dubai standings.

So far this year, he ranks fifth for stroke average (68.24) and seventh for average putts per round (27.76), certainly proving that he belongs among the very best on the DPWT.

His performance in Kenya was particularly pleasing. Not only did the South African shoot rounds of 62, 65, 66 and 62 to finish at -25 for the tournament, but he finished the week ranked first in both stroke average (63.75) and Strokes Gained: Total (+4.12).

To follow that up with another victory last weekend was even more impressive and there is every reason to think he could make it a famous hat-trick on home soil here.

On the negative side of things, this will be his seventh start in a row, which could be a factor at the end of the week – especially with the course being played at altitude.

If he can channel in another display like he did in Kenya, however, Jarvis will be right up there on Sunday.

Selection #2 – Callum Hill – 30/1 (Star Sports, 1/5 odds, 6 places)

Calum Hill could easily be on three DPWT titles by now, really.

The Scot was leading the Bahrain Championship by two shots heading into the final round, but ultimately lost a three-man playoff. A week later, he shot a final round 67 to finish a narrow runner-up to Patrick Reed at the Qatar Masters. So he is certainly trending in the right direction.

A T20 finish at Stellenbosch last week sets him up perfectly for the Joburg Open tilt – a title he has won before. Indeed, Hill is the defending champion of the event, securing his second tour title last year, winning in a playoff.

He looked so comfortable around Houghton 12 months ago, ranking joint-first for stroke average (66.5) across the week.

This year, he ranks 11th in driving distance (311.33), which suggests the Scot could be ready to take advantage of the altitude and set up plenty of birdie chances once again here.

With a couple of near misses already this season, Hill will be hoping to defend his title this week.

Selection #3 – Jacques Kruyswijk - 50/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 7 places, 1/5 odds)

Jacques Kruyswijk ironically was one of the runners-up to Hill in the playoff last year.

That was no flash in the pan, however, A year before that, he finished T4, following up on impressive T24 and T32 results in 2023 and 2022.

This is a man who clearly relishes playing at Houghton and I feel that odds of 50/1 with seven places are far too generous to ignore given an outstanding course record.

Results this year have been solid, rather than spectacular, for Kruyswijk, But the South African has still recorded three top-20 finishes from his five events in 2026.

In 2025, Kruyswijk ranked first in the event for Strokes Gained: Total (+3.32) and if he performs in a similar fashion this year, he will certainly be among the contenders on Sunday.

Ross Kilvington's best bets for the Joburg Open 2026

1pt EW - Casey Jarvis - 14/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 7 places, 1/5 odds)

0.75pt EW - Callum Hill – 30/1 (Star Sports, 1/5 odds, 6 places)

0.5pt EW - Jacques Kruyswijk - 50/1 (Ladbrokes/ Coral - 7 places, 1/5 odds)

Total staked - 4.5pts