The SA Open is the second oldest National Open Championship in the world - the first ever tournament was played as an exhibition in Port Elizabeth in 1893 - and only The Open Championship, which started in 1860, is older.
The tournament became part of the European Tour International Schedule in 1997, and is co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour.
The legendary Gary Player has secured the most wins at the event, taking 13 titles between 1956 and 1981.
Since 1997, South Africans have won 13 of the 20 editions, with Ernie Els, David Frost, Mark McNulty, Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen, James Kingston, Richard Sterne, Hennie Otto and Stone all tasting victory in front of a home crowd.
Els has been the most successful player at the tournament since it became part of the European Tour, securing a trio of wins in 1998, 2007 and 2011, but Immelman is the only player to have successfully defended the title during that period, with back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004.