Is there anyone so influential in the game of golf, but simultaneously as discrete as Johann Rupert?
The South African billionaire is the host of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which combines a field of 168 amateurs and professionals in a unique event on the DP World Tour.
In 2024, you might have seen images of the Saudi governor who heads up the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, sharing laughs with five-time major champion Rory McIlroy, ex-PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour chief Guy Kinnings in Scotland in the first week of October.
This was a small yet significant piece of evidence of Rupert’s pursuit to end the game’s so-called civil war, but also his ability to influence the sport as a whole. Each Autumn, he also extends invitations to several LIV Golfers, such as Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and Louis Oosthuizen, who once seemed frozen out of the European circuit after moving to the start-up league.
Since last year’s Dunhill, the PGA Tour’s talks with the PIF, which bankrolls LIV Golf, have shuddered to a halt and appear in a state of non-existence.
“Sport is supposed to unite people, not divide. We need to get peace,” were Rupert’s words when speaking at the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Rupert’s desire for diplomacy in the sport is just one branch of his contribution to the game.
Who is Johann Rupert?
Rupert was awarded an honorary membership of the PGA of South Africa and became the first amateur golfer to receive this award. He was recognised for his outstanding work with golf in South Africa as chairman of the Sunshine Tour, his work with South Africa’s amateur golf scene and his founding and support of the South African Golf Development Board.
“Golf has given me far more than I’ve ever done in giving to golf. It has given me friendships worldwide that I treasure. Thank you very much. It’s a very big honour. The PGA of South Africa does an incredible job and I will really treasure this award,” he said.
