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.
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In 2021, the Sunshine Tour teamed up with the European Tour (DP World Tour) to celebrate 25 years of collaboration. The DP World Tour committed to helping to develop the South African circuit and improving international pathways for its competitors.
As reported by John Huggan of Golf Digest, it isn’t lost on some of the nation’s finest current talent on what Rupert, 75, has put into the sport, with none other than five-time DP World Tour winner and Nelspruit-born Thriston Lawrence singing his praises.
“Since I grew up near Leopard Creek, I have long been aware of just how much Johann does for South African golf and the game in general. After I turned pro, I met him through his involvement with Golf RSA. He’s everywhere. He creates so many opportunities for the young, up-and-coming kids. Kids of colour, kids who struggle. He helps everyone and tries to give them all advances to go after their dreams. I can only say I appreciate enormously all that he does.”
Rupert developed Leopard Creek Golf Club in Mpumalanga, which is used as a host venue for the DP World Tour.
“The tournaments Johann has put on here in St. Andrews are one thing,” McIlroy added. “He has been a great advocate for the game of golf. The support he has given to the South Africans is another thing, of course. So many great players owe a lot to him. I do too. He gave me an invite 17 years ago when he didn’t have to. That was a week that changed my life. I’ll always be grateful.”
Data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in August 2024 showed that Rupert had become Africa’s richest person. His net worth has reportedly grown from $1.9 billion to $14.3 billion, overtaking Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote.
Rupert runs Richemont which is one of the world’s largest luxury goods firms. His other holdings include Remgro which is a South African investment vehicle with stakes in over 30 companies, as per Bloomberg.
He attended the University of Stellenbosch and studied economics, but dropped out to join his father Anton’s business in 1984. Rupert lives in Cape Town but is said to own properties in Geneva and London too.
Rupert has earned numerous awards in his business career, having been voted three times as the most influential leader in Africa and named Business Leader of the Year on different occasions. He has honorary degrees from Stellenbosch University, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the University of St Andrews.
Rupert founded the Small Business Development Corporation, which has created over half a million jobs in his home country since its inception, according to the Michelangelo Foundation.
His legacy in both business and sport is essentially endless. He is an accomplished golfer and also a former cricketer who was inducted into the South African Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the South African Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.
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