DP World Tour: Investec South African Open Tee Times Leaderboard
The Opening round of the Investec South African Open is under way on the Stellenbosch GC under sunny skies 21*c.
Alejandro Del Rey led a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard alongside former winner Dean Burmester, Joe Dean and Oliver Lindell at the 2026 Investec South African Open Championship.
Del Rey set the clubhouse target at -5 after bouncing back from a bogey with six birdies in his 65 before 2023 champion Burmester, Englishman Dean and Finland's Lindell matched the 28-year-old's total.
Home hopeful Herman Loubser, American Johannes Veerman, England's Nathan Kimsey and Italian Francesco Laporta were one shot further back -4 66 while eight players were locked at --3 67 in a logjammed leaderboard.
"Very pleased. At the start of the round it was a little bit tough, I hit a couple of bad shots and managed to fix it," Del Rey said. "Came into the back nine with a little bit of wind, it was a bit difficult, but hit it really well on the back nine and managed to make a couple of putts for a very good round.
"You've got to be very accurate with your irons. I thought I did very well today and hopefully I keep doing that for the rest of the week."
South African quartet Dylan Frittelli. Casey Jarvis, Haydn Porteous and Xander Basson, Emirati Adrian Otaegui, Spain's Angel Ayora, Japan's Rikuya Hoshino and Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat are all 67 -3
Patrick Reed admitted his first round of the Investec South African Open Championship was a "grind" as he faced the challenge of playing in a new country.
After finishing in 26th on his first start at the Dubai Invitational, the 35-year-old has gone on to win the following week at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, lose in a play-off to Martin Couvra at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and claim his second victory of the season at the Qatar Masters.
The American sits comfortably at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings delivered by DP World, but he was six off the pace in South Africa after an opening round of +1 71.
"Not great," Reed said. "I never really got comfortable, hit a lot of loose tee-shots and because of that playing out of the rough. Even when I was in the fairway, I just kept hitting the ball high on the face, it just sits so high on the grass.
"So because of that, the distance control wasn't quite what I want to and I felt from tee-to-green I struggled today. I had two short putts that I missed, but besides from that it was a grind.
I grew up watching Tiger and wanting to have that mentality and play as well as Tiger, but also it was fun watching Phil hit those flop shots, so because of that I was always on the practice green hitting the hard chips."
Springbok legend Ernie Els a 5 time winner of his National Championship had 4 bogey's and a double with an eagle 3 thrown in is well behind T126 +4 74.
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