Casey Jarvis has a chance to earn back-to-back DP World Tour wins on Sunday. Ben Coley looks ahead to the final round of the SA Open.
Golf betting tips: SA Open final round
2pts double Hill and Guerrier to win their three-balls at 100/30 (bet365)
Casey Jarvis climbed to the top of the South African Open leaderboard with a best-of-the-day 64 at Stellenbosch and is now in pole position to become the latest to win back-to-back events of this nature.
Most recently, Jayden Schaper did it at the end of 2025, but down the years it's been a fairly consistent feature of these co-sanctioned tournaments. Each of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Schaper has won twice in two weeks. Viewed through that prism it makes perfect sense that Jarvis might as well.
With just two players within two shots of him, both of them yet to win at this level, this is a golden opportunity for Jarvis and the rewards would be much more significant than those of the Kenya Open. Victory here isn't just about doing something not even Schwartzel managed and capturing what's a historic championship – it would also earn him starts in both the Masters and the Open.
Still outside the world's top 125, it's going to be virtually impossible for Jarvis to get into the Masters any other way and qualifying for the Open won't be straightforward either, so there's a heck of a lot at stake. To what extent he can put that out of his mind may determine how he fares but it does complicate matters. Based on his clinical display last week, this would otherwise look his for the taking at a very fair 7/4.
Someone has to win of course and these huge prizes are on offer to all involved, so the hurdles Jarvis has to clear also stand in front of Hennie du Plessis, Francesco Laporta, and the rest of the chasing pack.
Like Jarvis, Du Plessis has come of age over the past few months, parenthood and a return to full fitness both part of the equation. He's highly talented and clearly up to winning after a bright start to the year in the Middle East, followed by second place to Jarvis last week.
Laporta meanwhile must surely have Andrea Pavan on his mind, his Italian compatriot having suffered a horrendous accident earlier in the week. Pavan is by all accounts lucky to be alive and may never play golf on the DP World Tour again. Laporta would be a fitting and popular champion and the fact that he's spent so much time in South Africa down the years makes this a suitable place to break through at last.
As far as the market goes I'd say Du Plessis makes least appeal at just a fraction bigger than Jarvis, despite being a shot behind him. Laporta has often flattered to deceive and can struggle with putter at the best of times, so if there is a bet it's the favourite.
My preference though is to see how it unfolds, these major starts adding complicating factor. It could be an edge day at Stellenbosch.
Three-ball opportunities are somewhat thin on the ground but CALUM HILL's experience and relative class should see him oblige.
Xander Basson has been professional for quite a long time without achieving anything comparable to a top-10 finish in this so it's a massive Sunday in his career, particularly with the Open a realistic target even if winning to earn that Masters invite isn't.
Kieron van Wyk has more promise and will be back in Puerto Rico next week for another crack at the PGA Tour event he contended for last year, but again he's just not been tested in scenarios such as this.
It would be interesting to see whether he sticks to that plan in fact, were he to win this title or finish high enough for a spot in the Joburg Open field, but for now it makes sense to take him on based on a lack of experience in this environment.
Hill has at least played in a major before and, twice a runner-up on the DP World Tour already this year, he might gain a form of compensation by playing his way to Birkdale. At the very least he should win this at about even-money.
Further up the tee-sheet, JULIEN GUERRIER looks the pick of the remainder.
He's in with Freddy Schott and Justin Walters and the latter emptied on Saturday, having first qualified for this at the start of the week and then carded an excellent second-round 65 to advance to the weekend.
The veteran produced one of the worst third rounds in the field and a repeat in the final round appears likely, leaving Guerrier with only Schott to beat.
Schott won in Bahrain recently and has loads of talent, but Guerrier has never been better and the solid Frenchman looks the one to be with at a course which can't be bullied. He has a good record in South Africa and can enhance it by climbing inside the top 30 or so.
Posted at 16:45 GMT on 28/02/26
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