The Alfred Dunhill Championship will be held for the first time at the iconic Durban Country Club in 2027, merging one of South Africa's most prestigious tournaments with one of its oldest courses.
Although this tournament, co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour, is not entirely new to Durban Country Club in terms of major golf, it will be the last in a long line of major championships to use this legendary coastal course as its stage.
For the venue, which has hosted the South African Open a record 18 times, welcomed many of the world's greatest golfers, and served as the backdrop for several of the country's most memorable sporting moments, the Alfred Dunhill represents another significant addition to an already impressive pedigree. This also occurs during an interesting period for the club.
After severe damage caused by floods in 2022 and subsequent large-scale reconstruction, Durban Country Club has returned to the professional golf calendar in a remarkable way. The first serious test of its rejuvenated championship qualities took place at the Investec SA Open in 2025, and it met expectations.
History of Achievements
The return of the SA Open to Durban after a 15-year absence was always significant. What followed made it one of the most memorable editions of the tournament. Heavy rains threatened the championship before it began, severely waterlogging the course. The groundskeeping team worked around the clock to prepare Durban Country Club, but further downpours disrupted play.
Ultimately, the championship was shortened to 54 holes, where South African Dylan Naidu and Englishman Rory Cantler battled for the title. Naidu won in the playoff, securing his first DP World Tour title, a historic moment as the first Black South African player to win the national Open. The venue added deep meaning to this achievement. More than six decades ago, Seousunker 'Papwa' Seugolum won the Natal Open at Durban Country Club during apartheid, but he was sadly forced to accept the trophy outside the club in the rain.
Becker Maintains Pace
Durban Country Club did not have to wait long for the next professional tournament. The Jonsson Workwear Durban Open 2026 was the next test of the venue's championship qualities, and again, the weather tried to interfere. After heavy rain, the tournament was once again shortened to 54 holes, but Oliver Becker delivered a magnificent final round, finishing 16 strokes under par and winning by two strokes. This was another reminder that Durban Country Club is capable of demanding precision and patience from professional golfers, especially when the coastal wind and weather begin to change.
Now the stakes are rising again. South African golfer Dylan Naidu holds the SA Open trophy after winning the playoff at Durban Country Club.
When champions came to Durban
The Alfred Dunhill Championship will not be the first DP World Tour level tournament to bring an elite field to the club. In 2013 and 2014, Durban Country Club hosted the Volvo Champions, an exclusive European Tour event featuring players who had won tournaments in the previous season, as well as members with at least 10 European Tour victories. Among the participants were some of the most famous names in the game—and both editions ended with the same winner. Louis Oosthuizen won the title in 2013 and successfully defended it a year later, winning consecutively against fields that included top champions and Ryder Cup players. For two years, Durban Country Club effectively became home to European Tour champions.
Els and the Centennial SA Open
Perhaps the most iconic modern chapter in the club's SA Open history occurred in 2010. The centennial edition of the national Open was heavily disrupted by rain, but Ernie Els delivered a superb final round of 63 strokes to finish 25 strokes under par and beat Retief Goosen by just one stroke. His total score of 257 remains the lowest in SA Open history, despite the tournament being shortened due to weather. This was Els' fifth SA Open title and another reminder of his outstanding resume on home soil. This victory added another chapter to the history of the venue, where Els had already won the national championship in 1998.
The centennial edition of the South African Open in 2010 was heavily disrupted by rain, but Ernie Els delivered a superb final round of 63 strokes to finish 25 strokes under par and beat Retief Goosen by one stroke.
Where the player left their mark
Looking further back, another giant of South African golf emerges. Gary Player won the SA Open at Durban Country Club in 1956 and again in 1969, joining a pantheon that includes the nation's greatest sporting figures. His 1956 victory was Player's first SA Open title, an early milestone in a career that would make him one of the sport's most successful golfers. By the time figures like Player, Els, and Oosthuizen won trophies at Durban Country Club, the reputation of this venue as one of South Africa's premier championship courses was firmly established.
Next Big Star?
It is this rich history that makes the arrival of the Alfred Dunhill Championship so intriguing. The tournament moves to a venue where the most famous names have repeatedly been in the spotlight—Player, Els, Oosthuizen, Naidu. When the next elite contingent of DP World Tour professionals faces the coastal challenge next February, Durban Country Club will do what it has done for decades: provide the perfect stage for world-class golf.