Richard Sterne (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Life and career
Sterne was born in PretoriaPretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. He was runner-up in the Boys' 15-17 Division at the 1999 World Junior Golf Championships and turned pro in 2001. He played on the European Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
in 2002 and graduated to membership of the main European Tour in 2003. He won his first European Tour title at the 2004 Open de Madrid and his second at the 2007 Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Wales Open
The Saab Wales Open, previously the Celtic Manor Wales Open, is a European Tour golf tournament which was founded in 2000 and is played each June. The event is hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, South Wales, also the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup...
. In 2008 he picked up his third victory at 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....
which is co-sanctioned by 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...
, and at the end of 2008 won a further two European Tour tournaments in South Africa.
His best year-end ranking on the European Order of Merit is 14th in 2007. His Celtic Manor win moved him into the top forty of the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
for the first time.
He has had five wins on the Sunshine Tour, and won that tour's Order of Merit in 2008. In January 2008 he reached a career high of number 29 in the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
. He missed most of the 2010 season with injury.
Sterne is friends with South African golf icon, 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...
(to whom he is often compared because of their similar small stature) and has played several times in the Gary Player Invitational charity event to help raise funds for less fortunate children's education.
Amateur wins
- 1999 South African Junior Strokeplay & Matchplay Championship, South African Amateur Championship
- 2000 Southern Cross
- 2001 South African Amateur Strokeplay Championship
European Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Oct 2004 | Open de Madrid | 2 strokes |  Anders HansenAnders Hansen Anders Rosenberg Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He turned professional in 1995... |
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| 2 | 3 Jun 2007 2007 European Tour The 2007 European Tour was the 36th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2007 season consisted of 52 official money events, breaking the record of the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the... |
Celtic Manor Wales Open Celtic Manor Wales Open The Saab Wales Open, previously the Celtic Manor Wales Open, is a European Tour golf tournament which was founded in 2000 and is played each June. The event is hosted at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, South Wales, also the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup... |
1 stroke |  Bradley DredgeBradley Dredge Bradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997... , Søren KjeldsenSøren Kjeldsen Søren Kjeldsen is a Danish golfer. He turned professional in 1995.Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included victory in the Volvo Finnish Open, earned him membership of the main European Tour for 1998. He has performed steadily at this level and won his first... ,  Mardan MamatMardan Mamat Mardan Mamat is a Singaporean professional golfer.Mamat was born in Singapore. He turned professional in 1994.Mamat plays on the Asian Tour, where he won for the first time at the 2004 Royal Challenge Indian Open. In 2006 he won the Singapore Masters, which was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and... , Mads Vibe-HastrupMads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup is a Danish professional golfer.Vibe-Hastrup was born in Helsingør. He turned professional in 1999.Vibe-Hastrup qualified for the European Tour after finishing 11th on the 2001 Challenge Tour rankings... |
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| 3 | 13 Jan 2008 2008 European Tour The 2008 European Tour was the 37th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2008 season consisted of 50 official money events, a drop of two from the previous year. This included seven major championships and World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the PGA... |
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.... |
Playoff |  Magnus A. CarlssonMagnus A. Carlsson Magnus A. Carlsson is a Swedish professional golfer.Carlsson was born in Västerås, Sweden. He turned professional in 2001.... ,  Garth MulroyGarth Mulroy Garth David Mulroy is a South African professional golfer.Mulroy was born in Durban. He attended college in the United States at North Carolina State University, where he was an NCAA Division I All-American... |
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| 4 | 14 Dec 2008 2009 European Tour The 2009 European Tour was the 38th series of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. There were major changes for the 2009 season as the tour entered a partnership agreement with Dubai based Leisurecorp... (2009 season) |
Alfred Dunhill Championship | 1 stroke | Johan Edfors Johan Edfors Johan Edfors is a Swedish professional golfer who plays primarily on the European Tour.Edfors was born in Varberg. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio on a Division I athletic scholarship for men's golf. He played for the team under the coaching of Barry Denton for two years.Edfors... ,  Robert RockRobert Rock Robert Rock is an English professional golfer. He was born in Armitage, near Lichfield in Staffordshire. He joined the European Tour as an affiliate member in 2003 and has remained a member ever since.... |
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| 5 | 21 Dec 2008 2009 European Tour The 2009 European Tour was the 38th series of golf tournaments since the European Tour officially began in 1972. There were major changes for the 2009 season as the tour entered a partnership agreement with Dubai based Leisurecorp... (2009 season) |
South African Open Championship | Playoff |  Gareth MaybinGareth Maybin Gareth Maybin is a Northern Irish professional golfer.Born in Belfast, Maybin turned professional in 2005 after completing a scholarship at the University of South Alabama. He remained in the United States and competed on the NGA Hooters Tour, where he finished fourth on the money list in his... |
Sunshine Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Feb 2005 | Nashau Masters South African Masters The Nashua Masters, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It is currently played in November with a prize fund of 1.2 million rand, and since 2001, has been held at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club in KwaZulu-Natal,... |
1 stroke | Titch Moore Titch Moore Trevor Richard "Titch" Moore is a South African professional golfer. He currently plays on the Sunshine Tour, where he has won seven times between 2000 and 2007.... , Grant Muller |
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| 2 | 18 Feb 2007 2007 Sunshine Tour The 2007 Sunshine Tour was the eighth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was rebranded in 2000, and the marked the beginning of a new era as the tour switched to a calendar based season, having previously been seasonal... |
Vodacom Championship | Playoff | Louis Oosthuizen Louis Oosthuizen Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen is a South African professional golfer, who won the 2010 Open Championship.-Early life and career:... |
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| 3 | 13 Jan 2008 2008 Sunshine Tour The 2008 Sunshine Tour was the ninth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the second since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
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.... |
Playoff | Magnus A. Carlsson Magnus A. Carlsson Magnus A. Carlsson is a Swedish professional golfer.Carlsson was born in Västerås, Sweden. He turned professional in 2001.... , Garth MulroyGarth Mulroy Garth David Mulroy is a South African professional golfer.Mulroy was born in Durban. He attended college in the United States at North Carolina State University, where he was an NCAA Division I All-American... |
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| 4 | 14 Dec 2008 2008 Sunshine Tour The 2008 Sunshine Tour was the ninth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the second since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
Alfred Dunhill Championship | 1 stroke | Johan Edfors Johan Edfors Johan Edfors is a Swedish professional golfer who plays primarily on the European Tour.Edfors was born in Varberg. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio on a Division I athletic scholarship for men's golf. He played for the team under the coaching of Barry Denton for two years.Edfors... , Robert RockRobert Rock Robert Rock is an English professional golfer. He was born in Armitage, near Lichfield in Staffordshire. He joined the European Tour as an affiliate member in 2003 and has remained a member ever since.... |
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| 5 | 21 Dec 2008 2008 Sunshine Tour The 2008 Sunshine Tour was the ninth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was relaunched in 2000, and the second since the tour switched a calendar based season in 2007... |
South African Open | Playoff | Gareth Maybin Gareth Maybin Gareth Maybin is a Northern Irish professional golfer.Born in Belfast, Maybin turned professional in 2005 after completing a scholarship at the University of South Alabama. He remained in the United States and competed on the NGA Hooters Tour, where he finished fourth on the money list in his... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T25 | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
CUT | CUT | CUT | T34 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | WD | DNP | WD |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing South Africa): 2006, 20082008 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 27 to November 30 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 54th World Cup. 28 countries competed and each country sent two players. The team purse was $5,000,000 with $1,600,000 going to the winner. The Swedish team of...
, 20092009 Omega Mission Hills World CupThe 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup took place from November 26 to November 29 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. It was the 55th World Cup. 28 countries competed as two player teams...