The South African Open is one of the oldest national open golf championships in the world, having first been played in 1903, and is one of the principal tournaments on the Southern-Africa-based Sunshine Tour. Since 1997 it has also been co-sanctioned by the European Tour.
History
The first formal event was organised in 1903, following a series of exhibition matches that had been held over the preceding ten years. The championship was initially contested over just 36 holes until 1908, when it was extended to become a 72-hole tournament.[1] Although non-whites had played in the South African Open before, most notably when Papwa Sewgolum finished second in 1963, it was not until 1972 that black golfers were allowed to compete.[2]
Gary Player has been the most successful player in the tournament's history, with 13 victories over four decades between 1956 and 1981. Bobby Locke won nine titles, Sid Brews won eight titles, and George Fotheringham won the event five times as did Ernie Els.
In December 2018, the event became part of the Open Qualifying Series, giving up to three non-exempt players entry into The Open Championship.
The 2021 event was scheduled to be a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. However due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in place in the UK from South Africa, the event was revised as a sole-sanctioned Sunshine Tour event.[3]
Flagship event
From 1999 to 2016, the tournament was the Sunshine Tour's flagship event for the purposes of the Official World Golf Ranking, earning a minimum of 32 OWGR points for the winner. It was replaced as the flagship event for 2017 by the Alfred Dunhill Championship before regaining its status the following year.[4] In 2020, the Alfred Dunhill Championship once again replaced the South African Open as the tour's flagship event.[5] In 2021, the Alfred Dunhill Championship was scheduled to be the flagship event for the second consecutive year. However due to the cancellation of the tournament, the South African Open regained its flagship event status for the first time since the January 2020 event.[6]
^Due to impending COVID-19 related travel restrictions in and out of South Africa affecting the makeup of the field, the event was removed from the European Tour schedule. It proceeded as a sole-sanctioned Sunshine Tour event.[7]
^Storm won with a par on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Sullivan won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^ abUnofficial scoring record as the 4th hole was unplayable during the 3rd and 4th rounds due to heavy rain. For scoring purposes, all players were deemed to have recorded a par for the hole.
^Ramsay won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Sterne won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Immelman won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^McNulty won on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
^Player defeated Bland with a birdie on the third hole of sudden-death after both had tied with 2 under-par 70s after an 18-hole playoff; Humphreys returned a level-par 72 in the playoff.
^Hayes won following an 18-hole playoff; Hayes 69, Fourie 72.
^Henning won the 36-hole playoff with a score of 144 to Guthrie's 146.
^Boyd won the 36-hole playoff with a score of 162 to Hayes 163.
^Janks won the 36-hole playoff with a score of 147 to Guthrie's 153.
^Olander won the 36-hole playoff with a score of 146 to Robertson's 151.
