South African PGA Championship

The Eye of Africa PGA Championship, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It is generally played in February, depending on the Tour Schedule, with a prize fund of 2 million rand, and is currently held at Eye of Africa Signature Golf Estate in the Johannesburg suburb of Eikenhof.

South African
PGA Championship
Tournament information
LocationEikenhof, South Africa
Established1965
Course(s)Eye of Africa Signature Golf Estate
Tour(s)Sunshine Tour
European Tour (1995–1999)
FormatStroke play
Prize fundR 2,000,000
Month playedJanuary
Tournament record score
Aggregate259 David Frost (1994)
To par−28 Louis Oosthuizen (2008)
Current champion
Darren Fichardt

The current South African PGA Championship was founded in 1965, largely thanks to Gary Player and Brian Henning. New sponsors in 1972 gave the championship a home at The Wanderers Golf Club where it remained until 1995,[1] when it became the first tournament in South Africa to be co-sanctioned by the European Tour. The following year Alfred Dunhill took over from Lexington as title sponsors, breaking a 23-year association with the PGA.

Following the 1999 event, Dunhill decided to end their association with the South African PGA and create their own tournament, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which also replaced the PGA Championship on the European calendar. As a result, there was no PGA Championship held in 2000, but the tournament returned to the Sunshine Tour the following year with a new sponsor. It is one of the richest sole-sanctioned events on the Sunshine Tour.

The South African PGA Championship, along with the South African Open and the South African Masters formed the Triple Crown of South African golf. Winning all three titles in the same season is a feat only achieved by Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els.[2]

Winners
YearWinnerCountryScoreTo parMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-up
Eye of Africa PGA Championship
2020Darren Fichardt South Africa268−20Playoff Matías Calderón
2019Louis de Jager South Africa276−12Playoff Trevor Fisher Jnr
2018Matías Calderón Chile271−171 stroke Combrinck Smit
2017Erik van Rooyen South Africa272−16Playoff Dylan Frittelli
Makhetha Mazibuko
2016Jaco van Zyl South Africa268−20Playoff Dean Burmester
Telkom Business PGA Championship
2015No tournament
2014Titch Moore South Africa273−15Playoff Ulrich van den Berg
Telkom PGA Championship
2013Jaco Van Zyl South Africa268−201 stroke Dylan Frittelli
2012Keith Horne South Africa269−193 strokes Jaco Ahlers
Darren Fichardt
Alex Haindl
2011George Coetzee South Africa261−272 strokes Neil Schietekat
2010Michiel Bothma South Africa268−201 stroke George Coetzee
2009Jaco Van Zyl South Africa270−181 stroke Graham DeLaet
Trevor Fisher Jnr
2008Louis Oosthuizen South Africa260−2814 strokes Hennie Otto
2007Louis Oosthuizen South Africa266−221 stroke Richard Sterne
2006Grégory Bourdy France267−216 strokes Thomas Aiken
2005Warren Abery South Africa273−151 stroke Charl Schwartzel
Jaco Van Zyl
2004Warrick Druian South Africa267−215 strokes Michiel Bothma
Mark Murless
2003No tournament
2002 (Dec)Michiel Bothma South Africa273−15Playoff Mark Murless
2002 (Jan)Chris Williams England271−172 strokes Hennie Otto
2001Deane Pappas South Africa269−193 strokes Don Gammon
Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship
2000No tournament
1999Ernie Els South Africa273−154 strokes Richard Kaplan
1998Tony Johnstone Zimbabwe271−172 strokes Ernie Els
1997Nick Price Zimbabwe269−19Playoff David Frost
1996*Sven Strüver Germany202−143 strokes Ernie Els
David Feherty
Lexington PGA Championship
1995Ernie Els South Africa271−92 strokes Roger Wessels
1994David Frost South Africa259−217 strokes Nick Price
1993Mark McNulty Zimbabwe265−151 stroke John Bland
David Frost
Nick Price
Wayne Westner
1992Ernie Els South Africa271−91 stroke Ian Palmer
Kevin Stone
Wayne Westner
1991Roger Wessels South Africa271−9Playoff Mark James
Hugh Royer Jr.
YearPlayerCountryScore
Lexington PGA Championship
1990Fulton Allem South Africa266
1989Tony Johnstone Zimbabwe269
1988David Feherty Northern Ireland267
1987Fulton Allem South Africa268
1986Bobby Cole South Africa265
1985Chris Williams England272
1984Gavan Levenson South Africa271
1983Corey Pavin United States270
1982Gary Player South Africa272
1981No tournament
1980Hugh Baiocchi South Africa268
1979*Gary Player South Africa203
1978Hale Irwin United States275
1977John Bland South Africa275
1976Dale Hayes South Africa266
1975Dale Hayes South Africa266
Beck's PGA Championship
1974Dale Hayes South Africa271
1973Tom Weiskopf United States273
Luyt Lager PGA Championship
1972Harold Henning South Africa279
South African PGA Championship
1971 (Nov)Tienie Britz South Africa280PO
1971 (Feb)Tienie Britz South Africa277
1970Denis Hutchinson South Africa278
1969Gary Player South Africa272
1968No tournament
1967Harold Henning South Africa275
1966Harold Henning South Africa272
1965Harold Henning South Africa281

* – 1979 and 1996 events reduced to 3 rounds.

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References
  1. "The Lexington PGA". The Wanderers Golf Club. Archived from the original on 1 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. "History of the South African Masters sponsored by Nashua". Sunshine Tour. 30 January 2008. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
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