- South African Open (golf)
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South African Open Tournament information Location Ekurhuleni, South Africa
Established 1903 Course(s) Serengeti Golf Club Par 72 Length 7,761 yards (7,097 m) Tour(s) European Tour
Sunshine TourFormat Stroke play Prize fund €1,000,000 Month played November Tournament record score Aggregate 264 Ernie Els (2006) To par -24 (as above) Current champion Ernie Els
The South African Open Championship is one of the oldest national open golf championships in the world, and is one of the principal tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. Since 1997 it has also been co-sanctioned by the European Tour, and as the flagship event on the Sunshine Tour, the tournament also receives special status from the Official World Golf Ranking, with the winner being guaranteed a minimum of 32 points regardless of the strength of the field.[1]
The first formal event was organised in 1903, following a series of exhibition matches that had been held over the preceding ten years. The championship was initially contested over just 36 holes until 1908, when it was extended to become a 72 hole tournament. Although non-whites had played in the South African Open before, most notably when Papwa Sewgolum finished second in 1963, it was not until 1972 that black golfers were allowed to compete.[2]
The South African Open currently takes place at the Serengeti Golf Club in Ekurhuleni in November
Gary Player has been the most successful player in the tournament's history, with 13 victories over four decades between 1956 and 1981. Bobby Locke won nine titles.
Contents
Winners
Year Season Winner Score Sunshine European South African Open Championship 2010 2010 2011 Ernie Els
263 (−25)1 2009 2009 2010 Richie Ramsay
275 (−13)PO 2008 2008 2009 Richard Sterne
274 (−14)PO South African Airways Open 2007 2007 2008 James Kingston
284 (−4) 2006 2006–07 2007 Ernie Els
264 (−24) 20052 2005–06 2006 Retief Goosen
282 (−10) 20052 2004–05 2005 Tim Clark
273 (−15) 2004 2003–04 2004 Trevor Immelman
276 (−12) 2003 2002–03 2003 Trevor Immelman
274 (−14)PO Bell's South African Open 2002 2001–02 2002 Tim Clark
269 (−19) Mercedes-Benz South African Open Championship 2001 2000–01 2001 Mark McNulty
280 (−8) 2000 1999–00 2000 Mathias Grönberg
274 (−14) Mercedes-Benz – Vodacom South African Open 1999 1998–99 1999 David Frost
279 (−5) South African Open 1998 1997–98 1998 Ernie Els
273 (−15) 1997 1996–97 1997 Vijay Singh
270 (−18) - 1.^ Not an official record score because the 4th hole was unplayable during the 3rd and 4th rounds due to heavy rain. For scoring purposes, all players were deemed to have recorded a par for the hole.
- 2.^ Two events in 2005 due to rescheduling from January to December.
Prior to European Tour co-sanctioning
Year Winner Score Philips South African Open 1996 Ernie Els
275 1995 Retief Goosen
275 1994 No tournament due to two events in 1993 Dec 1993 Tony Johnstone
267 Feb 1993 Clinton Whitelaw
279 Protea Assurance South African Open 1992 Ernie Els
275 1991 Wayne Westner
272 1990 Trevor Dodds
285 1989 Fred Wadsworth
278 Southern Suns South African Open Championship 1988 Wayne Westner
275 1987 Mark McNulty
278 PO 1986 David Frost
275 South African Open Championship
Title sponsors unknown prior to 19861985 Gavan Levenson
280 1984 Tony Johnstone
274 1983 Charlie Bolling
278 1982 No tournament due to two events in 1976 1981 Gary Player
272 PO 1980 Bobby Cole
279 1979 Gary Player
279 1978 Hugh Baiocchi
285 1977 Gary Player
273 1976 Gary Player
280 1976 Dale Hayes
287 PO 1975 Gary Player
278 1974 Bobby Cole
272 1973 Bob Charles
282 1972 Gary Player
274 1971 Simon Hobday
276 1970 Tommy Horton
285 1969 Gary Player
273 1968 Gary Player
274 1967 Gary Player
279 1966 Gary Player
278 1965 Gary Player
273 1964 No tournament due to two events in 1963 1963 Allan Henning
278 1963 Retief Waltman
281 1962 Harold Henning
285 1961 Retief Waltman
289 1960 Gary Player
280 1959 Denis Hutchinson
282 1958 Arthur Stewart
281 1957 Harold Henning
289 PO 1956 Gary Player
286 Year Winner Score South African Open Championship 1955 Bobby Locke
283 1954 Reg Taylor
289 1953 Jimmy Boyd
302 PO 1952 Sid Brews
305 1951 Bobby Locke
277 1950 Bobby Locke
280 1949 Sid Brews
291 1948 Mickey Janks
298 1947 Ronnie Glennie
293 1946 Bobby Locke
285 1941–45 No tournament due to World War II 1940 Bobby Locke
293 1939 Bobby Locke
279 1938 Bobby Locke
279 1937 Bobby Locke
288 1936 Clarence Olander
297 PO 1935 Bobby Locke
296 1934 Sid Brews
319 1933 Sid Brews
297 1932 Charles McIlvenny
304 1931 Sid Brews
302 1930 Sid Brews
297 1929 Archie Tosh
315 1928 Jock Brews
297 1927 Sid Brews
301 1926 Jock Brews
301 1925 Sid Brews
295 1924 Bertie Elkin
316 1923 Jock Brews
315 1922 Fred Jangle
310 1921 Jock Brews
316 1920 Laurie Waters
302 1919 W. H. Horne
320 1915–18 No tournament due to World War I 1914 George Fotheringham
299 1913 James Prentice
304 1912 George Fotheringham
305 1911 George Fotheringham
301 1910 George Fotheringham
315 1909 John Fotheringham
306 1908 George Fotheringham
294 1907 Laurie Waters
146 1906 A. G. Gray
151 1905 A. G. Gray
1904 Laurie Waters
143 1903 Laurie Waters
163 Tournament held over 36 holes prior to 1908
Multiple winners
Eighteen men have won this tournament more than once through 2010.
- 13 wins
- Gary Player: 1956, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981
- 9 wins
- Bobby Locke: 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1955
- 8 wins
- Sid Brews: 1925, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1949, 1952
- 5 wins
- George Fotheringham: 1908, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914
- Ernie Els: 1992, 1996, 1998, 2006, 2010
- 4 wins
- Laurie Waters: 1903, 1904, 1907, 1920
- Jock Brews: 1921, 1923, 1926, 1928
- 2 wins
- A. G. Gray: 1905, 1906
- Harold Henning: 1957, 1962
- Retief Waltman: 1961, 1963
- Bobby Cole: 1974, 1980
- Wayne Westner: 1988, 1991
- Tony Johnstone: 1984, 1993 (Dec)
- David Frost: 1986, 1999
- Mark McNulty: 1987, 2001
- Trevor Immelman: 2003, 2004
- Tim Clark: 2002, 2005 (Jan)
- Retief Goosen: 1995, 2005 (Dec)
References
- ^ "How the System Works". Official World Golf Ranking. January 1, 2007. http://www.owgr.com/about_us/default.sps?iType=425&icustompageid=736. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
- ^ "South African Open Championship History and Highlights". South African Open Championship. http://www.southafricanopen.co.za/new/spectator_information/history_and_highlights/index.php. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
External links
Sunshine Tour events Tournaments in playing orderAfrica Open (E) · Joburg Open (E) · Africom Zimbabwe Open · Dimension Data Pro-Am · Telkom PGA Championship · MTC Namibia PGA Championship · Investec Royal Swazi Open · Nashua Golf Challenge · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour (Pretoria) · Lombard Insurance Classic · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour (Arabella) · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour (Simola) · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour (Wild Coast) · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour (Sishen) · Telkom PGA Pro-Am · Northern Cape Classic · Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour Final · Platinum Classic · KMC Zambia Open · Suncoast Classic · BMG Classic · Nashua Masters · Nedbank Affinity Cup · Alfred Dunhill Championship (E) · South African Open (E) · Nedbank Golf Challenge · Gary Player Invitational
(E) - co-sanctioned by the European Tour.Major golf championships Current Past Related See also Categories:- European Tour events
- Golf tournaments in South Africa
- Sunshine Tour events
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