Speaking ahead of the championship, defending champion Dylan Naidoo said this is a big week for South African golfers and that he is looking forward to giving his all on the greens. “This has always been the one tournament that means the most to us as South African golfers. This one has the history and the gravitas. It’s a really exciting week. I want to give my absolute best this week,” said Naidoo (via Sunshine Tour). Branden Grace, who won the championship in 2020, is also looking forward to an interesting week. He added that it’s time to show the world what this tournament means to them as South African players. “It’s our biggest event as South African golfers. Now the rest of the world will see what this tournament means to us. I still get goosebumps when I watch the videos of my victory. This is one of those that, as a South African golfer, you want to win, and I’ve been privileged enough to do so. Anytime we have the chance to come back and support the Sunshine Tour is pretty special, and knowing that I’ve had my hands on this trophy makes this week even more special. “I hear there are going to be amazing crowds this week. It’s also nice to see the Investec South African Open moving around the country like it has – from Johannesburg to Durban and now to Stellenbosch. It’s nice that it’s seeing the country,” said Grace (via Sunshine Tour). Dean Burmester is also looking forward to playing in a tournament which he said he has many fond memories of. “I have so many fond memories of this event and all the history that goes with it. I’ve had a very long relationship with Investec as well, so this is a very special event for me for a lot of reasons. We have an amazing field this week, and we’ve got a really good opportunity to showcase what we’re all about as a country and how we can unite through sport, and golf plays a big part in that. It’s amazing for anybody in this field to have the opportunity to play in The Masters and The Open. To be able to showcase our young talent on a platform like this to the world is special,” said Burmeste (Via Sunshine Tour). Fresh from securing his breakthrough win on the DP World Tour at the Magical Kenya Open, Casey Jarvis is hoping to build on that momentum ahead of the Investec SA Open. “I know I’m capable of achieving things on the DP World Tour. My game relies on confidence and I’m running on that at the moment. This tournament also means the world to us as South Africans. The set-up here is amazing, the field is really strong, and it’s great to see some big overseas names wanting to come and play here,” he said (via Sunshine Tour).