Staff WriterJovan Rebula heads into this week’s Hainan Open with his eyes firmly fixed on the prize — a golden ticket to the DP World Tour. The 28-year-old South African has been quietly but steadily climbing the Road to Mallorca Rankings, and with only two events remaining before the Rolex Grand Final, he’s within touching distance of golf’s global stage.
Over the past month, Rebula has stitched together a run of form that would make a Swiss watch blush. Three consecutive top-20 finishes, including a sparkling top-five at the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour in Poland, have lifted him to 21st in the season-long standings. The magic number, of course, is 20 — the cutoff for DP World Tour promotion — and Rebula knows the next two weeks in China could define his season.
“I am happy to be where I am right now in the Rankings,” he said.
“I started the season off with no status really. If you had told me at the beginning of the year this is where I’d be right now, I would have taken it.
“Obviously there are more points available this week and I’m looking to take advantage so that the last couple of weeks aren’t too stressful. Pressure is why we play this game and to have an opportunity is amazing.”
New Territory, Same Ambition
The Hainan Open at Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club marks Rebula’s first competitive venture into China. For a man used to the dry heat of the Highveld, Sanya’s humid air is a different kind of opponent — but it’s one he seems ready to embrace.
“It’s my first time in China; I’m excited,” he said. “With the status that I had at the start of the season, it’s really cool to be here and I feel privileged to be in this position.
“Obviously, you want to finish inside the top 20 but you must jump the first hurdle, so definitely one of the goals was to be here and obviously try and make it to Mallorca and give myself a chance of a DP World Tour card.
“When it comes to the golf course it’s about seeing how far your ball goes. It’s very humid out here. I’m just trying to really get a feel for the course and get acclimatised. The golf course looks really nice, and it seems like a cool spot.”
Finding Form at the Right Time
Rebula’s confidence isn’t misplaced. His tee-to-green game has been razor-sharp, and his strategy refreshingly straightforward: fairways, greens, no drama.
“My game is solid at the moment,” he said. “I am playing some solid golf and not putting a lot of bogeys on the scorecard. I’ve been managing my game really well and have a good game plan going into every week.
“I’m looking to play to my strengths and sticking to that throughout the week. Being comfortable on a golf course is important and I’ve been hitting lots of fairways and greens and trying my best to hole a few putts. I’ve been playing to the widest parts of the golf course and I’ve been analysing that the last few weeks.”
This week’s event is the first leg of a Chinese double-header, with the HotelPlanner Tour heading north to Hangzhou next week. If Rebula keeps this form, Mallorca could soon be more than a distant dream.
Strong Field Awaits
It won’t be a stroll through the palms. Joining Jovan Rebula in Sanya is a formidable field including Road to Mallorca leader JC Ritchie, two-time DP World Tour winner James Morrison, and China Tour Order of Merit frontrunner Yanhan Zhou.
The opening round of the Hainan Open tees off Thursday at 7:05 am local time, with Rebula heading out at 7:50 am alongside Scotsman Daniel Young and China’s Yan Wei Liu.
Promotion is within reach. For Jovan Rebula, the next 72 holes could be the difference between “almost” and the DP World Tour.
