Nigerian Open

Nigerian Open

Tournament information
Location	Nigeria
Established	1969
Tour(s)	Challenge Tour (1991–93)
Format	Stroke play
Tournament record score
Aggregate	255 Peter Tupling (1981)
To par	-29 (as above)

The Nigerian Open is (or was) a golf tournament in Nigeria. Founded in 1969, it was a Challenge Tour event between 1990 and 1993, having previously been part of what was known as the Safari Tour.

The Safari Tour can be traced back to the sixties, when British professionals escaped the northern European winter and taught at clubs throughout Africa. Many of the professionals also took their assistants with them to gain extra experience, and as the numbers involved in these tours increased, so events in the host countries evolved. The driving force behind the African events was Dai Rees, who would liaise with local sponsors and organisers on behalf of the professionals. By 1975 the size of the Safari Tour had become too much to administer, and so the European Tournament Players' Division (now known as European Tour) took over the representation of the professionals. As the European Tour began to expand its schedule globally, in 1991 the five Safari Tour events became part of the developmental Challenge Tour.

In 1981, England's Peter Tupling set the record low 72 hole score in professional tournament golf, when he won the title with a 29 under par total of 255.^[1] Notable past champions include major winners Vijay Singh and Sandy Lyle and former Ryder Cup player Gordon J. Brand.

Winners

This list of winners is incomplete.

Year	Venue	Winner	Score
1998		José Cantero
1995		Lateef Lasisi
1994
1993	Ikoyi Club 1938	Gordon Manson	274
1992	No tournament due to rescheduling
1991 (1992)	Ikoyi Club 1938	James Lebbie	270
1990 (1991)	Ikoyi Club 1938	Wayne Stephens
1989		Vijay Singh
1988		Vijay Singh
1987
1986		Gordon J. Brand
1985	Ikoyi Club 1938	Bill Longmuir	277
1984		Ewan Murray
1983		Gordon J. Brand
1982		David Jagger
1981		Peter Tupling	255
1980		Bill Longmuir
1979		John Morgan
1978		Sandy Lyle
1977		David Jagger
1976		Bill Longmuir
1975		David Jagger
1974		Jack Newton	275
1973		Tommy Horton	267
1972
1971	Ikoyi Club 1938	Lee Elder	267
1970		John Cook
1969		Marshall Douglas

Year in brackets indicates Challenge Tour season.

References

1. ^ Hopkins, John (March 19, 2003). "Matharu hints at bright future on day in sun". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/golf/article1121144.ece. Retrieved 2008-11-26.