Thomas Aiken
Encyclopedia
Thomas Edward Aiken is a South Africa
n 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 Tour
s Winter Swing. The following year, he topped the money list on the Winter Swing with two further victories.
In 2007, Aiken competed on the Nationwide Tour
, but made only three cuts, with a best finish of tied 13th in the Price Cutter Charity Championship
. He gained his European Tour
card for 2008 through the qualifying school, and went on to finish 131st in the money list, with a best of tied 13th in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, his only finish inside the top thirty.
The 2009 season saw Aiken register his maiden top ten finish on the European Tour, with tied 4th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, having led going into the final day after a course record 61 in the third round. That, along with several other top ten finishes, including a win in the Platinum Classic
, meant Aiken ended the 2008 Sunshine Tour in third place on the Order of Merit.
A number of top 10 finishes on the European Tour in 2009, including one each in the Majors and the World Golf Championships, helped Aiken reach the Dubai World Championship
despite holding only partial status on the tour. He finished the season ranked 46th on the Race to Dubai.
Aiken has participated several times in the Gary Player Invitational charity tournament.
In May 2011, Aiken won his first event on the European Tour at the Open de España
, winning by two strokes from Anders Hansen
. After winning Aiken dedicated the win to home hero Seve Ballesteros who had died the previous day. "I definitely want to dedicate this win to him with it being his home Open and what he gave to his home fans and to golf," said Aiken.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
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...
n professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
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 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...
s Winter Swing. The following year, he topped the money list on the Winter Swing with two further victories.
In 2007, Aiken competed on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
, but made only three cuts, with a best finish of tied 13th in the Price Cutter Charity Championship
Price Cutter Charity Championship
The Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper is a regular golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It is played at the Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri, USA...
. He gained his 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...
card for 2008 through the qualifying school, and went on to finish 131st in the money list, with a best of tied 13th in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, his only finish inside the top thirty.
The 2009 season saw Aiken register his maiden top ten finish on the European Tour, with tied 4th in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, having led going into the final day after a course record 61 in the third round. That, along with several other top ten finishes, including a win in the Platinum Classic
Platinum Classic
The Platinum Classic is a golf tournament on the Sunshine Tour. It was founded in 1995, and is played at the nine hole Mooinooi Golf Club, North West Province, South Africa, although the first event had to be moved to Rustenburg when the greens at Mooinooi were vandalised.The tournament is...
, meant Aiken ended the 2008 Sunshine Tour in third place on the Order of Merit.
A number of top 10 finishes on the European Tour in 2009, including one each in the Majors and the World Golf Championships, helped Aiken reach the Dubai World Championship
Dubai World Championship
The Dubai World Championship is a golf tournament on the European Tour that was held for the first time from 19–22 November 2009 on the Earth course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates....
despite holding only partial status on the tour. He finished the season ranked 46th on the Race to Dubai.
Aiken has participated several times in the Gary Player Invitational charity tournament.
In May 2011, Aiken won his first event on the European Tour at the Open de España
Open de España
The Open de España is the national open golf championship of Spain. It was founded in 1912 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the inception of the Tour in 1972. Except for a five year period in the early 1980s, the tournament has been played in April or May. In 2005 it was one...
, winning by two strokes from Anders Hansen
Anders Hansen
Anders Rosenberg Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He turned professional in 1995...
. After winning Aiken dedicated the win to home hero Seve Ballesteros who had died the previous day. "I definitely want to dedicate this win to him with it being his home Open and what he gave to his home fans and to golf," said Aiken.
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 May 2011 | Open de España Open de España The Open de España is the national open golf championship of Spain. It was founded in 1912 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the inception of the Tour in 1972. Except for a five year period in the early 1980s, the tournament has been played in April or May. In 2005 it was one... |
2 strokes |  Anders HansenAnders Hansen Anders Rosenberg Hansen is a Danish professional golfer.Hansen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He turned professional in 1995... |
Sunshine Tour wins (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Jul 2004 | Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour The Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour is a series of pro-am golf tournaments in South Africa. The series began in 2004 and forms part of the winter swing of the Southern Africa based Sunshine Tour.-Tournament winners:... at Zimbali |
Playoff |  Keith HorneKeith Horne Keith Weller Horne is a professional golfer from South Africa.Horne was born in Durban and had a successful amateur career. In 1993, Horne won a Silver Medal at the World Games in Spain... |
|
| 2 | 23 Jul 2004 | Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour at Sun City | 3 strokes | Des Terblanche Des Terblanche Desmond Terblanche is a South African professional golfer who plays currently on the Sunshine Tour. He has won 12 times on the Sunshine Tour, along with three wins on the Asian Tour.... |
|
| 3 | 21 Oct 2004 | Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour Championship | 7 strokes | Jean Hugo |
|
| 4 | 2 Sep 2005 | Telkom PGA Pro-Am | 6 strokes | Henk Alberts |
|
| 5 | 15 Oct 2005 | MTC Namibia PGA Championship MTC Namibia PGA Championship The MTC Namibia PGA Championship is a golf tournament on the Sunshine Tour. It was founded in 2004, the year after the PGA of Namibia was formed, and played at the Windhoek Country Club, to the south of Windhoek, Namibia until 2009 when it moved to Rossmund Golf Club in Swakopmund... |
4 strokes | Michiel Bothma Michiel Bothma Michiel Frederick Bothma is a South African professional golfer.Bothma was born in Pretoria. He turned professional in 1993 and has played predominantly on the Southern Africa Sunshine Tour. He won for the first time in 2002 at the Telkom PGA Championship, one of the most prestigious tournaments... ,  Sean Farrell, Werner Geyer, Keith Horne |
|
| 6 | 6 May 2006 | Samsung Royal Swazi Sun Open | 9 points | Steve Basson |
|
| 7 | 1 Nov 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... |
Platinum Classic Platinum Classic The Platinum Classic is a golf tournament on the Sunshine Tour. It was founded in 1995, and is played at the nine hole Mooinooi Golf Club, North West Province, South Africa, although the first event had to be moved to Rustenburg when the greens at Mooinooi were vandalised.The tournament is... |
5 strokes | Desvonde Botes Desvonde Botes Desvonde Pierre Botes is a South African professional golfer.Botes was born in Pretoria. After winning the South African Amateur Championship in 1991 at the age of 16 years and 5 months, 20 days younger than the record set by Ernie Els, Botes turned professional at the start of 1992... , Nic Henning, Keith Horne |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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 | DNP | 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 | DNP | T39 | T8 |
| 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP |
| 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 |
| 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... |
T74 | CUT |
| 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 | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Results in World Golf Championship events
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture Match Play Championship WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is one of the annual World Golf Championships. It is a knockout event and is staged in January or February each year... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Cadillac Championship | T7 2009 WGC-CA Championship The 2009 WGC-CA Championship was a golf tournament that was contested from March 12–15 at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida. It was the tenth WGC-CA Championship tournament, and the second of four World Golf Championships events staged in 2009.... |
DNP | T35 |
| Bridgestone Invitational WGC-Bridgestone Invitational The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is one of the annual World Golf Championships for male professional golfers. It is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours and the prize money is official money on both the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| HSBC Champions | T68 | DNP | 70 |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
See also
- 2007 European Tour Qualifying School graduates2007 European Tour Qualifying School graduatesThis is a list of the 32 players who earned their 2009 European Tour card through Q School in 2008.*Players in yellow were 2008 European Tour rookies.-2008 Results:T = Tied...
- List of golfers with most Sunshine Tour wins