South African PGA Championship
The South African PGA Championship is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It has most recently been played in September, with a prize fund of R 2,000,000. It is currently held at St Francis Links in St Francis Bay.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | St Francis Bay, South Africa |
| Established | 1965 |
| Course(s) | St Francis Links |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,192 yards (6,576 m) |
| Tour(s) | Sunshine Tour European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | R 2,000,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 259 David Frost (1994) |
| To par | −28 Louis Oosthuizen (2008) |
| Current champion | |
 Rupert Kaminski | |
| Location Map | |
  St Francis Links Location in South Africa  St Francis Links Location in the Eastern Cape | |
History
The current South African PGA Championship was founded in 1965, largely thanks to Gary Player and Brian Henning. The inaugural event was held in February 1965 and was won by Harold Henning who beat Player by 3 strokes.[1]
New sponsors in 1972 gave the championship a home at The Wanderers Golf Club where it remained until 1995,[2] when it became the first tournament in South Africa to be co-sanctioned by the European Tour. The following year Alfred Dunhill took over from Lexington as title sponsors, breaking a 23-year association with the PGA.
Following the 1999 event, Dunhill decided to end their association with the South African PGA and create their own tournament, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which also replaced the PGA Championship on the European calendar. As a result, there was no PGA Championship held in 2000, but the tournament returned to the Sunshine Tour the following year with a new sponsor. It is one of the richest sole-sanctioned events on the Sunshine Tour.
The South African PGA Championship, along with the South African Open and the South African Masters formed the Triple Crown of South African golf. Winning all three titles in the same season is a feat only achieved by Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els.[3]
Winners
| Year | Tour(s)[lower-alpha 1] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PGA Championship | ||||||
| 2023 | AFR | Rupert Kaminski | 280 | −8 | 1 stroke | Matthew Spacey |
| 2022 | AFR | George Coetzee (2) | 273 | −15 | 3 strokes | Casey Jarvis |
| 2021 | AFR | Dean Burmester | 271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Pieter Moolman |
| Eye of Africa PGA Championship | ||||||
| 2020 | AFR | Darren Fichardt | 268 | −20 | Playoff |  Matías Calderón |
| 2019 | AFR | Louis de Jager | 276 | −12 | Playoff | Trevor Fisher Jnr |
| 2018 | AFR | Matías Calderón | 271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Combrinck Smit |
| 2017 | AFR | Erik van Rooyen | 272 | −16 | Playoff | Dylan Frittelli Makhetha Mazibuko |
| 2016 | AFR | Jaco van Zyl (3) | 268 | −20 | Playoff | Dean Burmester |
| Telkom Business PGA Championship | ||||||
| 2015: No tournament | ||||||
| 2014 | AFR | Titch Moore | 273 | −15 | Playoff | Ulrich van den Berg |
| Telkom PGA Championship | ||||||
| 2013 | AFR | Jaco van Zyl (2) | 268 | −20 | 1 stroke | Dylan Frittelli |
| 2012 | AFR | Keith Horne | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes | Jaco Ahlers Darren Fichardt Alex Haindl |
| 2011 | AFR | George Coetzee | 261 | −27 | 2 strokes | Neil Schietekat |
| 2010 | AFR | Michiel Bothma (2) | 268 | −20 | 1 stroke | George Coetzee |
| 2009 | AFR | Jaco van Zyl | 270 | −18 | 1 stroke | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Graham DeLaet Trevor Fisher Jnr |
| 2008 | AFR | Louis Oosthuizen (2) | 260 | −28 | 14 strokes | Hennie Otto |
| 2007 | AFR | Louis Oosthuizen | 266 | −22 | 1 stroke | Richard Sterne |
| 2006 | AFR |  Grégory Bourdy | 267 | −21 | 6 strokes | Thomas Aiken |
| 2005 | AFR | Warren Abery | 273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Charl Schwartzel Jaco van Zyl |
| 2004 | AFR | Warrick Druian | 267 | −21 | 5 strokes | Michiel Bothma Mark Murless |
| 2003: No tournament | ||||||
| 2002 (Dec) | AFR | Michiel Bothma | 273 | −15 | Playoff | Mark Murless |
| 2002 (Jan) | AFR | Chris Williams (2) | 271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Hennie Otto |
| South African PGA Championship | ||||||
| 2001 | AFR | Deane Pappas | 269 | −19 | 3 strokes | Don Gammon |
| 2000: No tournament | ||||||
| Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1999 | AFR, EUR | Ernie Els (3) | 273 | −15 | 4 strokes | Richard Kaplan |
| 1998 | AFR, EUR |  Tony Johnstone (2) | 271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Ernie Els |
| 1997 | AFR, EUR | Nick Price | 269 | −19 | Playoff | David Frost |
| 1996 | AFR, EUR |  Sven Strüver | 202[lower-alpha 2] | −14 | 3 strokes | Ernie Els.svg.png.webp){kind=small} David Feherty |
| Lexington South African PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1995 | AFR, EUR | Ernie Els (2) | 271 | −9 | 2 strokes | Roger Wessels |
| Lexington PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1994 | AFR | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} David Frost | 259 | −21 | 7 strokes | Nick Price |
| 1993 | AFR | Mark McNulty | 265 | −15 | 1 stroke | John Bland David Frost Nick Price Wayne Westner |
| 1992 | AFR | Ernie Els | 271 | −9 | 1 stroke | Ian Palmer Kevin Stone Wayne Westner |
| 1991 | AFR | Roger Wessels | 271 | −9 | Playoff |  Mark James Hugh Royer III |
| 1990 | AFR | Fulton Allem (2) | 266 | −14 | 2 strokes | Chris Davison |
| 1989 | AFR | Tony Johnstone | 269 | −11 | Playoff | Chris Williams |
| 1988 | AFR | David Feherty | 267 | −13 | 1 stroke |  Eamonn Darcy |
| 1987 | AFR | Fulton Allem | 268 | −12 | 2 strokes | Hugh Baiocchi |
| 1986 | AFR | Bobby Cole | 265 | −15 | 5 strokes | David Frost Teddy Webber |
| 1985 | AFR | Chris Williams | 272 | −8 | 1 stroke | Mark McNulty Jay Townsend Denis Watson |
| 1984 | AFR | Gavan Levenson | 271 | −9 | 3 strokes | Nick Price |
| 1983 | AFR | Corey Pavin | 270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Nick Price |
| 1982 | AFR | Gary Player (3) | 272 | −8 | 3 strokes |  Gordon Brand Jnr Mark McNulty Bill Rogers |
| 1981: No tournament | ||||||
| 1980 | AFR | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Hugh Baiocchi | 268 | −12 | 1 stroke | Mark McNulty Gary Player |
| 1979 | AFR | Gary Player (2) | 203[lower-alpha 2] | −7 | 1 stroke | Bobby Cole Harold Henning.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nick Price Denis Watson |
| 1978 | AFR | Hale Irwin | 275 | −9 | 1 stroke | Hugh Baiocchi.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Mark McNulty Robbie Stewart |
| 1977 | AFR | John Bland | 275 | −5 | 2 strokes | Gary Player |
| Sportsman Lager PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1976 | AFR | Dale Hayes (3) | 266 | −14 | 1 stroke | Gary Player |
| Beck's PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1975 | AFR | Dale Hayes (2) | 266 | −14 | 6 strokes | Allan Henning |
| 1974 | AFR | Dale Hayes | 271 | −9 | 1 stroke | Gary Player |
| 1973 | AFR | Tom Weiskopf | 273 | −7 | 3 strokes | Vin Baker |
| Luyt Lager PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1972 | AFR | Harold Henning (4) | 279 | −1 | 1 stroke | Hugh Baiocchi |
| South African PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1971 (Nov) | AFR | Tienie Britz (2) | 280 | −8 | Playoff | Don Gammon Peter Oosterhuis |
| 1971 (Feb) | Tienie Britz | 277 |  | |||
| 1970 | Denis Hutchinson | 278 | | |||
| 1969 | Gary Player | 272 | | |||
| 1968: No tournament | ||||||
| 1967 | Harold Henning (3) | 275 | | |||
| 1966 | Harold Henning (2) | 272 | | |||
| 1965 | Harold Henning | 281 | | |||
Notes
- AFR − Sunshine Tour; EUR − European Tour.
- Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
References
- "Golf". The Herald. Glasgow. 22 February 1965. p. 4. Retrieved 20 November 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- "The Lexington PGA". The Wanderers Golf Club. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "History of the South African Masters sponsored by Nashua". Sunshine Tour. 30 January 2008. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
External links
- Coverage on the Sunshine Tour's official site
- Professional Golfers Association of South Africa – official site
- Coverage on the European Tour's official site (1995–1999)
