Home favourite Dean Burmester had the honour of hitting the first tee shot on the DP World Tour as a new era in golf dawned at the Joburg Open.
DP World and the European Tour group earlier this month announced a ground-breaking evolution to their long-term partnership, with DP World becoming the new title sponsor of the group’s main tour from the start of the 2022 season.
The action got under way at 6.30am in South Africa, one of 27 different countries the global Tour will visit across the next 12 months, with players competing in 47 tournaments for a total prize fund of more than US$200million.
Burmester - a two-time winner on the DP World Tour and the highest-ranked player in the field - hit the first tee shot of the season at Randpark Golf Club and was excited to get the new era under way on home soil.
"A great partnership and what a great name, DP World Tour," he said. "It's a world tour and what an honour to be able to hit that first tee shot.
"I think everybody here is going to be over the moon with the start of it and what better place than back home in South Africa for me."
Burmester carded a 71, a score matched by playing partner and 2021 European Challenge Tour Number One Marcus Helligkilde.
England's David Howell, playing in his 685th DP World Tour event this week, completed the three-ball and carded a 73.
