How much do you know about the SA Open? Compleat Golfer brings you up to speed with all the stats you need to know about the famed national open.
5
Gary Player won the tournament five years i n a row, raising the trophy in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.
6
Shots Louis Oosthuizhen won by in 2019 after rounds of 62, 70, 67 and 67 for a total of 266. It is the largest winning margin since Tim Clark won in 2005 (also by six shots). Tony Johnstone won by seven shots in 1993.
10
The number of countries represented on the winner’s list. The nine countries apart from South Africa are: England (Tommy Horton, Andy Sullivan, Graeme Storm, Chris Paisley), New Zealand (Bob Charles), United States (Charles Bolling, Fred Wadsworth), Zimbabwe (Tony Johnstone, Mark McNulty), Namibia (Trevor Dodds), Fiji (Vijay Singh), Sweden (Mathias Gronberg, Henrik Stenson), Scotland (George Fotheringham, Richie Ramsay) and Denmark (Morten Orum Madsen).
17
The age at which Bobby Locke won the first of his nine SA Opens, the youngest golfer to have done so.
13
It might be expected but South Africa’s greatest golfer, Gary Player, has won his home Open a record 13 times. Next in line are Bobby Locke (9), Sid Brews (8) and George Fotheringham and Ernie Els with five each.
25
Strokes under par for the record score of 263. Ernie Els posted rounds of 65, 65, 67 and 66 to win by one shot ahead of countryman Retief Goosen in 2010.
117
The number of years since the birth (1903) of the first SA Open as we know it. Before then (since 1893) it had been a series of exhibition matches between small groups of professionals in a challenge format. It is called the second-oldest Open championship in the world, behind The Open Championship, and while there is some debate about that – if you consider that the US Open was the earlier strokeplay event over 72 holes – in terms of pros competing against each other, the SA Open is older.
1909
The year in which the tournament was played for the first time on a course with 18 grass greens: at Potchefstroom Golf Club.
2.8m
The prize money Louis Oosthuizen banked for winning the 2019 SA Open at Randpark
17.5m
Total prize money at stake, in rands, at this year’s SA Open.
