JOHANNESBURG—Four golfers have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the start of the South Africa Open on Thursday in a further blow to a tournament already downgraded after the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in the country. The list includes Darren Fichardt, who is an 18-time winner on the local Sunshine Tour. Travel from southern Africa has been curtailed due to the Omicron variant and as a result, the European Tour withdrew its sanctioning of the event, with the tournament purse cut by $1 million. The three other golfers who tested positive were Teaghan Gauche, Dylan Mostert, and Siyanda Mwandla, local media reported. By Mark Gleeson