1973–74 Southern Africa Tour

1973–74 Southern Africa Tour season
Duration28 November 1973 (1973-11-28) – 23 February 1974 (1974-02-23)
Number of official events11
Most winsSouth Africa Dale Hayes (3)
Order of MeritSouth Africa Bobby Cole

The 1973–74 Southern Africa Tour was the third season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.

Season outline

Dale Hayes had much success at the beginning of the season. He won the second tournament; the Rhodesian Dunlop Masters, shooting under-par every day.[1] At the next tournament; the Rolux Open, Hayes opened with a 64, breaking the course record.[2] He finished with a 68 to win for the second conescutive week.[3] He recorded a runner-up finish at the ICL Transvaal Open, one shot behind Hugh Baiocchi.[4]

After the Christmas break, Bobby Cole found much success. In late January, he won the Vavasseur Natal Open.[5] At the following event; the Dunlop South African Masters, Cole finished runner-up, losing in a playoff to Gary Player.[6] A few days later began the flagship event, the South African Open held at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club. In the second round, Cole broke the course record, shooting a 65 (−7) to take the lead. In the final round, Cole broke his own course record, shooting a 64 to secure a four-shot win.[7]

Dale Hayes found form again towards the end of the season. At the penultimate event; the Schoeman Park Open, he finished joint runner-up.[8] At the final event, the Holiday Inns Open, Hayes opened with a course record 64.[9] He ultimately defeated Bob Charles by two shots.[10] It was his third win of the season.[11] Due to his consistent play in the middle of the season, however, Cole won the Order of Merit, narrowly defeating Hayes who finished second.[11]

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1973–74 season.[11][12]

Date Tournament Location Purse
(R) 		Winner[a] Notes
1 Dec Luyt Lager PGA Championship Transvaal 35,000 United States Tom Weiskopf (n/a)
9 Dec Rhodesian Dunlop Masters Rhodesia Rh$10,000 South Africa Dale Hayes (5)
15 Dec Rolux Open Transvaal 15,000 South Africa Dale Hayes (6) New tournament
22 Dec ICL Transvaal Open Transvaal 15,000 South Africa Hugh Baiocchi (3)
12 Jan NCR Western Province Open Cape 14,000 South Africa John Fourie (4)
20 Jan Vavasseur Natal Open Natal 15,000 South Africa Bobby Cole (4)
26 Jan Dunlop South African Masters Transvaal 15,000 South Africa Gary Player (5)
2 Feb South African Open Transvaal 18,000 South Africa Bobby Cole (5)
9 Feb General Motors International Classic Cape 20,000 South Africa Gary Player (6)
15 Feb Schoeman Park Open Orange Free State 10,000 South Africa Cobie Legrange (1)
23 Feb Holiday Inns Open Swaziland 10,000 South Africa Dale Hayes (7)

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on tournament results during the season, calculated using a points-based system.[11]

Position Player Points
1 South Africa Bobby Cole 1,664
2 South Africa Dale Hayes 1,570
3 South Africa John Fourie 1,454
4 South Africa Hugh Baiocchi 1,377
5 South Africa Allan Henning 1,320

Notes

  1. ^ The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Southern Africa Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Southern Africa Tour members.

References

  1. ^ "Wood leads in Jamaican Open golf". Leicester Mercury. Leicester, United Kingdom. 10 December 1973. p. 48. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Hayes leads". Hull Daily Mail. Hull, United Kingdom. 14 December 1973. p. 22. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Sweden become tennis Kings". The Northern Echo. Darlington, United Kingdom. 17 December 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Baiocchi takes Transvaal Open". The Northern Echo. Darlington, United Kingdom. 24 December 1973. p. 17. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Victory for Cole". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Huddersfield, United Kingdom. 21 January 1974. p. 11. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Gary does it again". Western Daily Press. Bristol, United Kingdom. 29 January 1974. p. 10. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Title and record to Cole". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. 4 February 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Hunt Blunders With 76". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 18 February 1974. p. 27. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Hayes Leads on 64". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 21 February 1974. p. 28. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "South African wins". Waterloo Region Record. Waterloo, Canada. 25 February 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 14 December 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d Simms, George (1975). John Player Golf Yearbook 1975. Queen Anne Press. pp. 140–153. ISBN 0362002134.
  12. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1975). The World of Professional Golf. Collins. pp. 217–235, 408–418. ISBN 0002119552.