Africa Open
Encyclopedia
The Africa Open is a golf
tournament on the Sunshine Tour
that was first contested in February 2008, over the Gary Player
designed championship course at the Fish River Sun Country Club, near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape
, South Africa
.
In order to increase the profile of the tournament, since 2009 it has been held in January at the East London Golf Club in East London. In 2009, the Africa Open had a prize fund of R
5 million, over four times that of the inaugural event. The Sunshine Tour hoped that it would attract a stronger field as a result, and possibly lead to a co-sanctioning agreement with the European Tour
in subsequent years.
In October 2009, it was announced that the Africa Open would be included on the 2010 European Tour
schedule. It was the third event of the four tournament South African swing of the tour, held after the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open, and the week before the Joburg Open
. The purse for 2011 was €
1,000,000.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament on the Sunshine Tour
Sunshine Tour
The Sunshine Tour is a men's professional golf tour based in Southern Africa. For much of its history it was known either as the South African Tour or the FNB Tour, but it rebranded itself in an attempt to broaden its appeal...
that was first contested in February 2008, over the Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
designed championship course at the Fish River Sun Country Club, near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
In order to increase the profile of the tournament, since 2009 it has been held in January at the East London Golf Club in East London. In 2009, the Africa Open had a prize fund of R
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
5 million, over four times that of the inaugural event. The Sunshine Tour hoped that it would attract a stronger field as a result, and possibly lead to a co-sanctioning agreement with the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
in subsequent years.
In October 2009, it was announced that the Africa Open would be included on the 2010 European Tour
2010 European Tour
The 2010 European Tour is the second edition of the Race to Dubai and the 39th season of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972....
schedule. It was the third event of the four tournament South African swing of the tour, held after the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open, and the week before the Joburg Open
Joburg Open
The Joburg Open is a men's professional golf tournament on the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour. The event was founded in 2007, and is played in January at the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa....
. The purse for 2011 was €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
1,000,000.
Winners
| Year | Venue | Winner | Country | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa Open | |||||||
| 2011 | East London GC | Louis Oosthuizen Louis Oosthuizen Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen is a South African professional golfer, who won the 2010 Open Championship.-Early life and career:... |
276 (−16) | Playoff (1st hole) |
Chris Wood Chris Wood (golfer) Christopher James Wood is an English professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour. He was the low amateur in the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale and tied for third in the following year's tournament held at Turnberry.-Amateur career:Wood was born in Bristol, England... |
||
| Manuel Quirós | |||||||
| 2010 | East London GC | Charl Schwartzel Charl Schwartzel Charl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He won the 2011 Masters Tournament. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number seven, in May 2011.... |
272 (−20) | 1 stroke | Thomas Aiken Thomas Aiken Thomas Edward Aiken is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.Following a successful amateur career, which included being named the South African Amateur of the Year in 2001, Aiken turned professional at the start of 2002. In 2004, he won three times on the Sunshine... |
||
| Africa Open Golf Challenge | |||||||
| 2009 | East London GC | Retief Goosen Retief Goosen Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who has been in the top ten in the Official World Golf Rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. His main achievements have been two U.S... |
267 (−21) | 1 stroke | Branden Grace Branden Grace Branden John Grace is a professional golfer from South Africa. He was born in Pretoria and turned professional at the end of 2007, since when he has played on the Sunshine Tour. His best finish on tour through 2009 came at the 2009 Africa Open, where he finished tied for second, one stroke behind... |
||
| Michael Hoey | |||||||
| Darren Fichardt Darren Fichardt Darren Clive Fichardt is a South African professional golfer.Fichardt was born in Pretoria and grew up in Centurion, Gauteng. He attended Sutherland High School from 1988 to 1993, where his talent for golf was nurtured... |
|||||||
| Darren Clarke Darren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the European Tour and has previously played on the PGA Tour. He has won 22 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the European Tour, the PGA Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the... |
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| The Africa Open | |||||||
| 2008 | Fish River Sun CC | Shaun Norris Shaun Norris (golfer) Shaun Norris is a South African professional golfer.Norris plays on the Sunshine Tour where he has won twice. He won the inaugural Africa Open in 2008 and the Nashua Masters in 2011. He also began playing on the European Tour in 2011 after graduating from qualifying school.-Sunshine Tour... |
275 (−13) | 6 strokes | Nic Henning | ||