South Africa has the weather, the courses and the players. The country has produced some of the best in the game, including multiple major winners Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and a host of others that regularly challenge for titles around the world.
Golf was first played in South Africa in 1885 on Waterloo Green, Wynberg, near Cape Town. The first club to form was the Cape Golf Club (now the Royal Cape Golf Club.) In the USA, the game was only introduced in 1887. The first national championship was held in Kimberley in 1892, and the first Open Championship in Port Elizabeth in 1903.
In 1910, the South African Golf Union (S.A.G.U.) was formed. The South African Ladies Golf Union (S.A.L.G.U.) was formed in 1914.
The first great boost for South African golf was in 1959, when the Commonwealth Golf Tournament took place at the Royal Johannesburg Club.
Bobby Locke got South African golf on the world map, won 13 tournaments, the British Open four times and won the South African Open at the tender age of 17.
In 1970, female golfer, Sally Little posted the best individual score at the World team Championship in Madrid.
Gary Player, a nine-time major winner, will forever be associated with two of the greatest players in the history of the game, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Together, those three took golf to another level, pulling millions of new fans to the game with their great battles down the years.
Ernie Els is undoubtedly one of the most popular golfers in the world. He is also one of the best. His apparently easy-going appearance has earned him the nickname "The Big Easy." Although Els says that perception is not quite right, he admits to feeling big pressure, just like everyone else. Ernie’s big wins have come as the victor of the U.S. Open in 1994, 1997 and The Open Championship in 2002.
Retief Goosen is a quiet man—the only real noise he makes is by his achievements on the golf courses of the world.
He has been a regular top 10 ranked player for some time and, like Els, he fares well wherever he plays. Goosen captured the US Open title in 2001 and 2004, he is also a two-time winner of the European Order of Merit. The man who stopped his three-peat was Ernie Els.
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