A history of the South African Open
The Sunshine Tour is South Africa's answer to the European Tour and the American PGA Tour. Over the years it has made a name for itself in the annals of golfing history. Among the various tournaments that are played during the Tour, one stands out from among
the rest: The South African Open.
Described as the Masters of the South African circuit, the South African Open is the second oldest tournament of the game. This year the tournament will be celebrating its 100th edition at the Durban Country Club.
The first South African Open was played in 1893, but back then it was only a series of exhibition matches played by very few professionals. The first official tournament took place in 1903, and was played over 36 holes in Port Elizabeth. Laurie Waters came
out on top at the event, and he went on to win the Open three more times.
In 1908 the tournament was expanded to a 72 hole format. From 1921 the tournament was dominated by the Brews brothers: Jock and Sid. The two brothers would go on to win 12 Open Championships between them, and finish runners up six times. Their contemporary
Bobby Locke, who was one of the greatest golfers of all time, became the youngest player to win the Open aged 17. He would eventually win the Open a total of nine times between 1935 and 1955.
The only player to win the Open more times than Locke was another South African legend; Gary Player. Player won the tournament a whopping 13 times between 1956 and 1981. He was the first golfer to break 70 in all four rounds of the tournament, and the first
to shoot a score of 64 in a round (1969) and a score of 63 (1977).
So far the tournament has been dominated by African players. International players have won the tournament only seven times. The first was England’s Tony Horton who won the tournament in 1970; the most recent being Richie Ramsay from Scotland who won the
last edition of the Open.
More recently the tournament’s major winner has been South Africa’s Ernie Els. The 41-year old has won the Open four times between 1992 and 2006 and finished in the top three on eight occasions. He also holds the record for shooting the lowest score ever
in the Open. He is the highest ranked player in the field this year, with a World Ranking of 12. However, he’s had a tumultuous year, with his last victory coming in March. In spite of this he is very confident about his form and ability to win the tournament.
His main competitor will be fellow South African Retief Goosen. Goosen won the first of his two titles in 1995 aged 26, and has described the feeling as ‘indescribable’ and the ‘proudest moment of my life’. His second victory in 2005 involved a dramatic
final round battle with Ernie Els. Both men were tied with two holes to go, Goosen made a birdie on both to win by just one stroke.
Also in contention for the win are Tim Clark and Louis Oosthuizen. Clark has also won the Open twice, in 2002 and 2005. This year he won the Players Championship on the PGA tour, and is hoping to carry his form into the tournament. Louis Oosthuizen meanwhile
has stood out this year with his performances. He became only the fourth South African to win the British Open Championship. That victory elevated him to number 15 in the World Rankings. Having perhaps his best year since turning professional, Louis has his
eyes set firmly on the prize.
The competition is tough! Who will be the South African Open Champion? Keep following us for more updates.
Tags: