Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace will headline a strong local field when Glendower hosts the 107th playing of the BMW SA Open from 11-14 January 2018, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

Last year, South African fans were entertained by former world No 1, Rory McIlroy, who finished runner-up to Graeme Storm, but attention this year will focus squarely on Schwartzel and Grace, who have committed to playing in the event hosted by four-time Major winner Ernie Els.

Schwartzel is currently the second-highest ranked South African after Louis Oosthuizen and has 11 European Tour wins to his name, but has not won since the Valspar Championship in 2016. He accumulated three top 10s last season, including finishing third at The Masters.

Grace, who finished T15 at the CJ Cup last week, has five Sunshine Tour wins to his name, but joins Schwartzel in never having lifted his national championship. The 29-year-old’s last win was in April 2016 when he won by two from Luke Donald and Russell Knox at the RBC Heritage. Grace wrote his name in the record books when he become the first male to shoot 62 in a Major during the third round of The Open earlier in the year.

The event, which was first played in 1903 and has featured on the SA leg of the European Tour since 1997, will have Major champions Ernie Els, Retief Goosen (a two-time winner of the event) and Trevor Immelman in the field, along with 2016 winner Brandon Stone and several other recent South African winners on the European Tour, including Haydn Porteous, Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt and Dylan Frittelli.

‘The 2017 BMW South African Open Championship, proudly hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni, was highlighted by the fact that we had one of the world’s best players, Rory McIlroy, in the field. The 2018 tournament will be highlighted by some of our best local professionals making sure that this title comes back to South Africa,’ said Els on Monday.

Selwyn Nathan, executive director of the Sunshine Tour, praised the support of the country’s top golfers for the flagship tournament on the Sunshine Tour calendar.

‘The BMW South African Open Championship, proudly hosted by City of Ekurhuleni, has a rich history on our tour, and has been the foundation upon which many of our country’s leading professionals have built their illustrious careers.

‘This has been a title that our South African golfers have always defended with great pride, and we look forward to one of our homegrown stars adding their name to its incredible history.’

The BMW South African Open Championship, proudly hosted by City of Ekurhuleni, will be the first 72-hole tournament of the 2018 calendar year on the European Tour.

‘We are delighted to return to the City of Ekurhuleni and Glendower as the first 72-hole tournament of the year for our members,’ said European Tour chief executive, Keith Pelley.

‘The 2017 BMW South African Open Championship, proudly hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni, set a thrilling tone for the rest of the season, and I have no doubt that South Africa and the support of our partners, the Sunshine Tour, and sponsors BMW and the City of Ekurhuleni, will again make for the start of another exciting year on the European Tour in 2018.’