The Nedbank Golf Challenge used to reward the best European players for a full season, and a field of 72 golfers usually featured the top guys from the Order of Merit standings. But the DP World Tour recently changed the rules for the new “Opening Swing” structure.

The Tour cut the field size down to just 66 players for the 2025 edition, and it prioritizes local Sunshine Tour players and global stars over loyal tour members. It creates a tough situation for consistent veterans who played well all year long, and one veteran player faced the harsh reality of this new system this week.

Joost Luiten shared a screenshot of the entry list on his Instagram recently and showed his name sitting painfully as the “first reserve” right below the red line.

“Sitting as first reserve for the Nedbank G

See Full Page