SA Amateur & Open Championship | SA Amateur & Open Championship

SA Amateur & Open

This is the replica of the advertisement announcing the first South African Amateur
Championship. That is one honour no one can take from Kimberley!

1892

As part of the great Kimberley Exhibition of 1892 the Kimberley Golf Club decided to hold a tournament, the main focus of which was to be a South African Championship.  No such championship had been held before.  The dates were set for 26^th September - 1^st October and invitations were sent to the golf clubs around the country.  But it was early days for a tournament of this kind and very few entries were received, none from the Transvaal or Natal. 

The format of this inaugural championship was matchplay. (One round (18 Holes) to be played in pairs.  Losers to fall out.  To be decided by holes.)  The winner was Denholm Walker of the Cape GC who beat local golfer H J Mackay by one hole.   He was presented with a gold medal on which was mounted a large uncut diamond.   Sadly, this medal has not survived.   On his way to the final Walker beat Pat Grant, also from the Cape GC, who was considered to be by far the best player at the Cape.   Besides Walker and Grant the Cape GC was represented by H H Carstens and Graham Tennant.   Port Elizabeth sent a team which included W Dewar, while other competitors were Dr McKenzie, J Ramsay, Judge Solomon and W H Solomon.

1893

The inaugural event in Kimberley was deemed to have been a great success and the golfers in Port Elizabeth took it upon themselves to host the event the following year. Thus it was that Port Elizabeth GC played host to the SA Tournament in 1893 for the first time. They would do so many times in the future and were to play a leading role in the staging of major events in the years before the establishment of the SA Golf Union in 1910. The second staging of the Tournament was looked forward to with much anticipation and to add to the importance of the occasion the Union Steamship Company presented a fine silver trophy, the Challenge Cup, to the Club for competition in the SA Amateur Championship. The title was won by D G Proudfoot from Graaff Reinet who went on to win the title eight years in a row from '93 through to '02. (No tournaments were held in the Boer War years '00 and '01.)

The records are not too clear but it would seem that the format was stroke play over 36 holes and that in 1893 Proudfoot scored 84 84 - 168 with H J Glennie, also from Graaff Reinet, second on 90 95 - 175 and O R Dunel from Port Elizabeth third on 89 87 - 176. No further results are on record until 1902 when Proudfoot is credited with a score of 361. It seems that the championship in the 'Proudfoot Years', notwithstanding the inaugural match play event in Kimberley, was decided by stroke play, initially over 36 holes and then later over 72 holes.

As part of the 1893 SA Tournament an exhibition challenge match over 36 holes was played between professionals W Day of the Cape GC and J Johnson, the home club professional. It was won by Johnson by 2 holes after the two had 'both scored 78 in the first round'. This was the small beginnings of what was to become the SA Open Championship in 1903. It has become urban legend popular with journalists and commentators that the SA Open was inaugurated on this occasion in 1893 and that, as such, it was the second oldest Open Championship in the world. This is not strictly true. The fact is that it was not until 1903 that the SA Open, a stroke play event open to professionals and amateurs alike, was started, credit once again to Port Elizabeth GC.

Going back to the professionals' challenge match, this was won by Johnson again in 1897 and by Day six times in the years '94, '95, '96, '98, '99 and '02. It must be repeated that Day was not the SA Open champion on these six occasions.

1894/95

In both 1894 and 1895 the SA Tournament was held in Port Elizabeth and in both years the winner was D Proudfoot. By winning three years in a row Proudfoot won outright the Union Steamship Challenge Cup which had been presented to the Port Elizabeth GC in 1893.

Years later in 1928 shortly before his death Proudfoot donated the trophy to the SAGU and in 1931 it was played for during the SA Tournament as the Proudfoot Trophy for the first time; 18 holes strokeplay on handicap. It was won by Clarence Olander. In 1934 the rules were changed and the Proudfoot Trophy was (and still Douglas Proudfoot is) awarded to the leading qualifier in the Amateur. It was again won by Olander.

There is some ambiguity in the records vis a vis the 1895 meeting. The venue is shown as being Port Elizabeth in some cases and Johannesburg in others. The Johannesburg GC staged a major tournament at Christmas-time in 1895, the year of the Jameson Raid, and the main event was a scratch stroke play competition for the Lionel Phillips Challenge Cup. This is on record as being the inaugural Transvaal Amateur Championship. It was won by Proudfoot with a score of 95 88 - 183 from F Goodall (Pretoria) and O R Dunell (PE) both on 193. It seems likely that this tournament was later assumed to be the SA Tournament when in fact the latter was held in Port Elizabeth. More work needs to be done to unearth the correct facts.

1896:

King William's Town played host to the SA Tournament for the first time and true to form Proudfoot won his fourth Amateur title. The Union Steamship Company presented another trophy to replace the one won by Proudfoot the year before, this time a floating trophy which could not be won outright, and to this day it is the trophy presented to the winner of the SA Amateur Championship.

1897: Port Elizabeth continued to play a leading role and the SA Tournament was held here yet again, with Proudfoot yet again the winner. No further details of the tournament are on record.

1898:

East London played host to the SA Tournament for the first time and Proudfoot won his sixth title. Tournament golf in the years 1893 to 1903 was very much centred on the Eastern Cape/Border region and it was the clubs in that part of the country that hosted the majority of the main championships.

1899:

The SA Tournament was held at Kimberley for the second time (Proudfoot's seventh win) shortly before the outbreak of hostilities between the Boers and Britain. Strangely, the records of this Tournament are very few and far between, even in the Kimberley GC archives, and there is little to be said other than the fact of Proudfoot's win. A complicating factor was the staging of the Transvaal Amateur at nearly the same time and the records of that event are sometimes mixed with the records of the SA Tournament. (Cf 1895)

With regard to the Professionals Exhibition/Challenge, there is evidence that this year for the first time there were four participants, Walter Day, Ben Day, Jack Johnston and Laurie Waters, the last newly arrived from the UK. Ben Day and Waters were beaten in the first round and the final between Walter Day and Johnston was won by the former. Exactly who Ben Day was is not known – perhaps Walter's brother on a visit from the UK? His name doesn't appear again anywhere in the history.

At the dinner given for the visitors R J Dick of King William's Town, in the course of a speech, pleaded for the formation of a golf union to regulate the championship. The seed fell on stony ground. 

1900 - 1901: No championships played

1902:

When the hostilities came to an end regular golf activities were resumed and King William's Town hosted what was now called the SA Golf Tournament for the second time. Proudfoot won the SA Amateur title for the eighth and, as it subsequently proved, the last time. His 72 hole score was 361, none too impressive but nevertheless good enough to win the title. After two rounds there were four players ahead of him; Ben Wynne (PE) on 180 and AB Henderson, G P Weir (KWT) and R Law (Cape) all on 187. Proudfoot was on 188 but came through strongly in the final two rounds. There were 14 competitors.

It is almost certain that 1902 was the year when the 36-hole stroke play format was extended to 72 holes. This latter was to remain in place until the championship of 1925 when the format was changed to match play to bring the SA Amateur in line with the British and US.

R J Dick again brought up the matter of the golf union but, like Kimberley, the ground was still stony.

This is the earliest programme that is on record. In addition to the three main events, i.e. The Amateur, The Inter-ClubFoursomes and the SA Teams' Match, there were four handicap events, the 'Border Handicap', the 'KWT Handicap', the 'Foursomes Handicap' and the 'Consolation' Handicap.

1903:

The SA Open Championship was inaugurated at the SA Tournament in Port Elizabeth in 1903 and played for over 36 holes strokeplay.   There were 10 entries, four professionals and six amateurs, and the title was won by Laurie Waters.

The full scoresheet was as follows: * denotes amateur

Waters won the Open title again in '04, '07 and '20. Only George Fotheringham, Sid Brews, Bobbie Locke and Gary Player have won the SA Open more times than Waters.

The SA Amateur, played over 72 holes separately from the SA Open, was won by R Law (336) from Ben Wynne (337) and T Rollo (343). Law was from Cape Town, Wynne and Rollo from Port Elizabeth. D Proudfoot was in the field, finishing fourth on a score of 345. One wonders why he and Law did not enter for the newly inaugurated SA Open. The records show that they did not.

The leading scores were:

Some of the Cape players had obtained the new rubber-cored Haskell balls and wanted to use them in the Championship. It was not to be and their use was banned on the basis that it would be unfair on the other players.

EP Herald, 16 April 1903:  “The question of forming a Golf Union for South Africa was again mooted.   The advantages of forming such a Union were agreed upon but no definite steps were taken.”

1904:

The SA Tournament was hosted for the first time by Johannesburg GC and played on the Houghton Estate Links. The greens had all been coated with

Kimberley 'blue ground' and they were reported to have "proved a little trying" to those golfers accustomed to playing on grass. The Open was won by L Waters (J'burg) for the second time (143) with A G Gray (PE) second (147), G L Fotheringham (Ntl) third (150) and J W Stewart (CT) fourth on 153 in a tie with leading amateurs F H Mitchell and T C Alison. 

Leading scores were: * denotes amateur

The SA Amateur, played quite separately from the Open, was won by J R Southey (301) from F H Mitchell (314) and T C Alison (317).

Leading scores were:

The Transvaal Amateur Championship was played concurrently with the SA Open over 36 holes and ended in a tie between F H Mitchell and T C Alison on 153. They played off for the title, Mitchell winning with a score of 153 to Alison's 159. Mitchell and Alison, both from Johannesburg, had a busy week with Mitchell seemingly gaining the upper hand!

1905:

The SA Tournament was hosted for the first time in Bloemfontein and was played at the Garrison Club in Tempe. The Open was won by a single stroke by A G Gray (151) in a play-off after tieing with George Fotheringham and the Amateur was won by H C V Nicholson (322) from H Gunn (328). Detailed scores of this championship meeting are few.

The matter of the formation of the Golf Union was much discussed to the point where C W M Kingsley (Royal Cape) was deputed to make a concrete proposal at the Bloemfontein meeting. He found a reluctant seconder for his motion "for the sake of argument" but, to use Kingsley's words, the idea was turned down by "a somewhat scoffing majority". 

1906:

The SA Tournament went to East London for the second time. There was a record entry for the SA Open, five professionals and 18 amateurs. A G Gray, the pro at Port Elizabeth GC, won the title (151) and he was followed home by amateur H Fraser Watson (154) from Johannesburg. Tied for third were another amateur A Wilson of East London (156) and L Waters (156).

The leading scores were: * denotes amateur

Total prize money was 70 pounds (R140), of which 25 pounds (R50) went to Gray, 15 pounds (R30) to Waters and 10 pounds (R20) to each of the other three professionals.

The Amateur was won by Lt. H M Ballinghall from Aiden Wilson. No final 72 hole scores are on record. After 36 holes the leaders were Gunn and Ballinghall on 171 followed by Gebbie and Hill on 173. Wilson was seven shots behind on 178. He lead the field after an 83 in the morning but fell back following a somewhat disastrous 95 in the second round.

The inaugural SA Ladies Championships was played in King William's Town in 1906 and won by Miss Grinsell.

1907:

The SA Tournament was hosted by Kimberley for the third time and the Open was won by L B Waters (147) for the third time.   W Day (152), professional at the Kimberley Club, was runner-up.

The leading scores were: * denotes amateur

There is some confusion in the records. One result shows Gray on 155 as the winner and somehow the scores of Waters and Day have been forgotten.  What seems to be the more correct record of the event shows Waters as the winner but it is not certain whether he scored 73 73 - 146 or 74 73 - 147 as shown above.

Lt. H M Ballinghall (307) successfully defended his Amateur title scoring a comfortable nine shot win over J A W Prentice (316). Notwithstanding this result, in the years up to WW1 Prentice was to take over the mantle of Doug Proudfoot as South Africa’s leading amateur.

The leading scores were:

1908:

The SA Open, hosted by Port Elizabeth GC, was played for the first time over 72 holes concurrently with the SA Amateur and attracted a field of 30, seven professionals and 23 amateurs.  The Open was won by George Fotheringham with an amazing score for that time of 294.   To be under 300 was unheard of!

The leading scores were: * denotes amateur

Fotheringham went on to win the SA Open again in '10, '11, '12 and '14, five times in all. He tied with A G Gray in '05 only to lose the play-off, and was runner-up to his brother Jack Fotheringham in '09. In the pre-WW1 years George Fotheringham was in a class of his own, his closest challenger being Laurie Waters.

The SA Amateur was won by J A W Prentice (310) from Ben Wynne, father of Bernard Wynne, and H Gordon Stewart, both on 311. In an exciting climax Wynne finished first on 311; then came Prentice who chipped and putted for 310 on the last hole; last to finish was Stewart who was left with a 6 foot (2 m) putt to tie with Prentice but missed with the ball hanging over the hole. Prentice went on to win the SA Amateur title in '09, '11 and '13, four times in all. Only Proudfoot has won it more times.

The leading scores were:

1909:

The SA Tournament was hosted by Potchefstroom GC for the first time but of interest is that the tournament was run by the Johannesburg GC. Potchefstroom

George Fotheringham, SA Open Champion 1908, '10, '11, '12, '14

was possibly the best course in the country at that time and has the distinction of being the first course hosting the championship to have grass greens. Lawrie Waters, now attached to Johannesburg GC, had much to do with the design and development of the course. There were 56 entries for the championship; the numbers kept growing year by year. The SA Open was won by Jack Fotheringham (306) who beat his more famous brother George (308) into second place. 

The leading scores for the SA Open title were:

The Amateur, played for the second time concurrently with the Open, was won by Jimmy Prentice (321) for the second time with H Gordon Stewart (323) as runner-up, also for the second time.   There were 56 entries for the two championships.

The leading scores in the Amateur were:

Following many years without success, the first positive steps were taken at Potchefstroom to form the South African Golf Union and a special committee consisting of A B Godbold (CT), H Gunn (OFS) and F Black (Jhb) was appointed to draw up a constitution for consideration at the next annual tournament.

1910:

The SA Tournament was hosted by the Cape G C for the first time. The number of entries was disappointing being only about half that of the previous year at Potchefstroom. Except for Prentice, few of the better golfers from the further provinces turned up and as a result many of the events lost some of their interest. The Open was won by George Fotheringham (315) from A G Gray (320) and J Fotheringham (325). The pity was that Lawrie Waters had not made the trip. There was much pre-championship interest in Cape Town to see how he would match up with Fotheringham. Waters was, however, busy with the construction of the new Johannesburg GC course at Orange Grove and he could not spare the time. 

Leading scores were:

The Amateur was played concurrently with the Open and was won by Cape GC member Dr E L Steyn (330).   In spite of scoring 90 in the second round, he beat hot favourite J Prentice (331) against all odds by a single shot thanks to two closing rounds of 79 and to wonderful putting on fiery greens.   Steyn has often been described as the first South African-born South African Champion but in fact Proudfoot, although brought up as a youngster in Scotland, was also born in South Africa.

Leading scores were:

"Then the Union was formed and this fact alone will render the Wynberg meeting historic." So reported 'Dormie' in the Cape Times. He continued, "If the fine spirit shown is going to pervade the SA Golf Union I have not the least doubt that it has a bright future before it."

A final note about 1910 and the Cape Golf Club was that this was the year when the club was given the right to call itself Royal Cape Golf Club. In later years four other southern African clubs were afforded the same privilege, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Alfred and Salisbury/Harare.

1911:

The SA Tournament was hosted for the first time by Durban GC and was the first tournament run by the newly formed SAGU. The Open was won comfortably by G Fotheringham (301), the local professional, with D Guthrie (312) second followed by W Robertson (317) and amateur J Prentice (320).

Leading scores were: 

J Prentice won the Amateur on a score of 318, two shots better than his score in the Open. The Open and the Amateur were not played concurrently as they had been in the previous three years. Instead the low ten scores in the Amateur qualified to play in the Open. These were:

1912:

The SA Tournament was held in Potchefstroom for the second time on a course which was described as having 'big greens and fine turf fairways'. The Open was won by George Fotheringham (305) for the fourth time with L Waters (315) a somewhat distant runner-up.

The scores of the leading professionals were as follows:

The Amateur was won by H Gordon Stewart at that time based in the Transvaal and playing out of Randfontein GC. Runner-up was W C E Stent from Royal Cape.

The scores of the leading amateurs were:

There was a field of 44 for the 72-hole championship, 10 professionals and 34 amateurs. The two events were again played concurrently. 

1913:

The SA Tournament was hosted by Kimberley for the fourth time.   History was made when Jimmy Prentice became the first amateur to win the SA Open title and to ward off the challenge of the country’s leading professionals, all of whom with the exception of Laurie Waters were in the field.   Thanks to the fact of the Open and the Amateur being played concurrently, Prentice also won the SA Amateur title. 

The leading scores were:

Prentice was killed in action in Flanders in 1914 but not before bequeathing money in his will for the development of junior golf.   His legacy continues to today with the Prentice Memorial Tournaments held around the country.

1914:

Jock Brews’s name again appeared on the leader board when he finished second to George Fotheringham in the SA Open played at Royal Cape for the second time.  The SA Tournament was held over the 1913/14 Christmas/New Year holidays as opposed to the normal Easter weekend.  For the second time in his career Fotheringham, on a score of 299, was under the 300 mark, a huge 20 shots ahead of Brews. 

Leading scores were:

W H Smith was the Royal Cape pro, having succeeded J Stewart in 1909.

Played concurrently with the Open, the SA Amateur was won by Stuart MacPherson (324) from W C E Stent (326), both of them Cape GC members. 

Leading scores were:

1915 - 1918: No championships played.

1919:

The SA Tournament was resumed at Durban GC.   The Open was won by W H Horne (320) in the highest score ever in very severe flood conditions and the Amateur by H Gordon Stewart (329), who had won the Amateur title in 1912 and would defend successfully in 1920.   Stewart’s score of 329 was good enough to place him second in the Open and 21 shots ahead of A L Mandy (350), who finished second in the Amateur.    The Open and the Amateur were still being played concurrently.

The leading scores were:  *  denotes amateur

As can be seen scores went sky high in the atrocious conditions.   Stent had four rounds in the nineties and Kingsley had two rounds over 100 for a total of 394!   MacPherson, Amateur Champion in 1914, withdrew after three rounds.

1920:

Johannesburg GC, for the first time on their new course at Orange Grove, were hosts for the SA Tournament when the Open was won by L Waters (302) for the fourth time from B H Elkin (304).   Waters was the professional at the Johannesburg GC and was largely responsible for the design, construction and development of the new course.  It was perhaps appropriate that he should have won the title.

The Amateur was won by H Gordon Stewart (315), his third win, from A L Forster (317). 

The leading scores were:

Kingsley improved on his Durban performance.  With all four scores just under the 100 mark, he totalled 391!

1921:

The SA Tournament returned to Port Elizabeth GC and was notable for the fact that the Open was won by Jock Brews (316) for the first time.   This heralded the start of the ‘Brews Era’ with Jock and his younger brother Sid dominating the golf scene for many years to come.  Second was Archie Tosh (319).

The Amateur was won in a play-off by A L Forster after a tie with H Gordon Stewart (322), thus reversing the result of the previous year.  In the play-off Forster scored 78 79 - 157 to Gordon Stewart’s 83 83 - 166. 

The leading scores were:

1922:

Port Alfred hosted the SA Tournament for the first time.  The Open was won by Fred Jangle (310), the first SA-born golfer to do so and the professional at the Metropolitan GC in Cape Town.   Second was Jock Brews (317).   Strong winds were a feature of the tournament and scoring was not easy in the difficult conditions.

The Amateur was won by W C E Stent after a tie with L P Vernon on a score of 324.    Stent won the 36-hole play-off  by a large 19 shot margin scoring 78 76 - 154 to Vernon’s 84 89 - 173 

The leading scores were:

The SA Professional Golfers Association was formed.

1923

On the basis that the courses in Cape Town were in better condition in the late spring than at Eastertime, it was agreed at Port Alfred that the SA Tournament, scheduled to be played at Royal Cape, should break with tradition and be postponed until late September early October.  Jock Brews (315) won his second SA Open with Archie Tosh second (316).

The leading scores in the Open were:

W C E Stent defended successfully the Amateur title he won at Port Alfred after a tie with Humphrey McMaster on 322.  He won the play-off 77 78 - 155 to 83 73 - 156.   This was the third year in a row that the Amateur went to a play-off.

The leading scores in the Amateur were:

The Open and Amateur were played concurrently.  Nevertheless it appears that not all the entrants for the Amateur entered for the Open.  No mention is made in the listing of the Open results of the scores of, for example, McMaster and Solomon.

1924

Played at the Durban Country Club which had only been opened the year before, the Open was won by B H Elkin (Pretoria) on 316 from the Brews brothers who tied for second on 325.  Gale force winds on the second day (final two rounds) provided a stern test for the golfers as witness the totals posted by the Brews brothers and others.  The third Brews brother, George, no mean golfer, posted 104 in the fourth round.  Scores under 80 were few and far between. 

The winner of the Amateur was A L Forster with a total of 329, his second title, with P F McLeod and H Gordon Stewart in a tie for second on 333.

The leading scores were:

Grimsdell was professional at Mowbray and Tosh at Hermanus. 

Not without opposition from certain quarters, the decision was taken in Durban that the format of the SA Amateur be altered to match play for the 1925 championship, bringing it into line with the British and US Amateur championships.   It has remained such ever since.

1925

The 1925 SA Tournament, hosted by Johannesburg GC for the third time and for the second time at Orange Grove, was significant for two main reasons; firstly, because it was the first time that the Amateur was played as matchplay and, secondly, because Sid Brews won the first of his eight SA Open titles.

Leading scores in the Open were: *  denotes amateur

There were no qualifying rounds for the Amateur.   Fifty two players (26 matches) teed up in the first round and with six players having byes, 32 went through to the second round.  As it turned out the leading amateurs in the Open ended up contesting the final of the Amateur, the title going to T G McLelland who beat defending champion A L Forster by two holes in the 36-hole final.   This result would seem to indicate that there is nothing to choose between strokeplay and matchplay in the determination of the true champion.   In the semi-finals McLelland beat A W Ogilvie 2 and 1 and Forster beat R L Lowson 4 and 3.

At this time Charles Kingsley (WP) and Percy Barker (Tvl) were entrusted with a mission to St Andrews on behalf of the SAGU with the idea of persuading the R and A to send a visiting team of amateurs to South Africa.  The mission was successful and in the summer of 1927 the R and A sent out a team of four for what turned out to be a most memorable tour.  With money left over from the tour a trophy was purchased and named the Freddie Tait Cup.  As from 1929 it was presented to the leading amateur in the SA Open. 

1926

The SA Tournament was back in Port Elizabeth for the eighth time.  The region was experiencing a very serious drought and the course as a result was in poor condition with little or no grass on the fairways and greens.  This was a great disappointment as a great deal of money had been spent on improvements to the course during the previous year.  Notwithstanding these problems the Tournament was a great success.

Winner of the Open was Jock Brews (301), his third title, from B H Elkin (310).    Sid Brews and R J Grimsdell tied for third place on 312 . 

The leading scores were: *  denotes amateur

 In a closely contested Amateur Championship final in which youth was pitched against experience, it was youth that came out on top.  W S Bryant won the title by beating W C E Stent 2 and 1 in a major upset.   Stent had twice won the championship and was confidently expected to do so again.  In the semi-finals Bryant beat Hunt 4 and 3 and Stent beat defending champion McLelland by one hole.  There were no qualifying rounds.

An innovation at this meeting was a long-driving competition.  Winning professional was George Brews with a longest drive of 280 yards (256 m) and an aggregate of three drives of 780 yards (713 m)   The winning amateur was D P Inggs with a best drive of 268 yards (245 m).  His aggregate of three was 720 yards (658 m). These distances were achieved with hickory-shafted clubs.  It was not until 1929 that steel shafts were legalised by the R and A.

1927

Maccauvlei, a relatively new course laid out in 1922 but opened for play only nine months before the event, was the venue for the SA Tournament for the first time.   The clubhouse complex included a dormie house, an innovation previously unknown in South Africa and one that proved to be very popular.  All the competitors and officials were housed at the club, either in the dormie house or in an adjacent temporary tented village.
   
The Open was won by Sid Brews (his second title) from B H Elkin  and C McIlvenny.   There were 78 entries of whom 14 were professionals.  The large entry was an indication of the increase in the popularity and standard of amateur golf in the Transvaal.  Chantler, who went on to win the Amateur, was way down the field on a score of 343.

Leading scores were:

In the semi-finals of the Amateur G J Chantler beat W C E Stent at the 19th against all odds, having been two down with three to play against a very experienced opponent and former champion, while E J Hunt beat A Neville 7 and 6.  Chantler, something of a surprise outsider hailing from Burgersdorp, won the final 4 and 3.  There were no qualifying rounds.

The winners of the long-driving competition were McIlvenny for the professionals (276 yards – 252 m) and R Brinton for the amateurs (271 yards – 248 m).  It is reported that there was a slight wind against and that the ground was fairly hard.

Discussions were held regarding the merits and demerits of splitting the Open from the Amateur in order to reduce the number of rounds played by the amateur golfers in the Tournament.  No decisions were made at the time.

1928

Due to be played at Royal Port Alfred, the venue was changed at their request owing to the serious drought in the Eastern Cape and was moved to Durban Country Club, who thus hosted the SA Tournament for the second and by no means last time.

Jock Brews (297) won the Open in dramatic style with an eagle two on the 72nd hole to beat his brother Sid by a single shot (298).    This was quite the most exciting finish in the whole history of the SA Open.   Also of interest is that four Brews brothers were in the field, Jock, Sid, Douglas (310) and George (318).

Leading scores were:

Youth came into its own in the Amateur Championship and the old guard were forced to make way for the new.  Both finalists were 20-year-olds and both hailed from the Eastern Province.   In the semi-finals B Wynne beat A S P Johnson 6 and 5 and R Broadly beat A W Ogilvie 3 and 2.    Wynne won the final in emphatic style 9 and 7.   Playing flawless golf he was five under par in the morning round, turned four up and after that was never threatened.   Again, there were no qualifying rounds.  But this was about to change.
 
There is no record of a long-driving competition which, it must be assumed, was discontinued never to be repeated. 

On a motion put by the Natal delegates, it was resolved and agreed that in future the 16 leading amateurs in the Open should qualify for the matchplay.
   
A further motion was put by the Transvaal that the SAGU should approach the R and A for permission to use steel-shafted clubs.  The motion was defeated.   However, they did not have long to wait. Steel shafts were legalised in 1929.

1929

Played at Royal Cape over its remodelled course, this was the 15th occasion that the Tournament had been held under the control of the SAGU and during all that time AB Godbold had been President.  There were fears that the ‘new’ course might not be ready for a major championship but the powers that be at the Club were up to the challenge and in the event the course was presented in fine condition.

The Open was won to the delight of the crowd by local professional Archie Tosh (315) from Jock Brews (316).   Sid Brews was not in the field.   As a measure of the improvement that was taking place within amateur golf, there were 14 amateurs in the first 24 places with Bernard Wynne in third place.

Leading scores were:

 As had been resolved the previous year, the top 16 amateurs in the Open qualified to play for the Amateur Championship.   In the semi-finals C Hunter beat T A Fuller 4 and 3 while P Coetzer beat A L Forster 3 and 1.   Hunter went on to win the 36-hole final 8 and 6.

The method of playing the Amateur was again reviewed but no decisions were taken. 

1930

Now with grass greens and after an absence of 24 years the SA Tournament returned to East London and was another success for the Brews brothers, Sid winning the Open (297), his third title, with Jock second (308) and R J Grimsdell third (311).  With the notable exception of Sid Brews, the scoring was none too impressive.  Professionals occupied 12 of the first 15 places.

Leading scores were:

Qualifying for the Amateur was based on the 72-hole scores in the Open, the first 16 going through to the matchplay stages.  Leading qualifier was Ben Ryan (316), a local player and the ‘find’ of the Tournament.  In the semi-finals of the Amateur B Wynne beat W I V Quinn by 2 holes and C Olander beat G J Chantler by one hole.   Wynne won the final 4 and 3 for his second SA Amateur title.   He was being dubbed as South Africa’s Bobby Jones.

After 20 years in office as SAGU President A B Godbold retired, to be replaced by Percy Barker from the Transvaal.   From this time on, and with the exception of the war years 1941-1946, the Presidents have held office for only two years.
   
In order to reduce the number of rounds required of the leading amateurs in the SA Tournament, the decision was taken at East London to split the 1931 SA Open and Amateur Championships and to play them at separate venues and on different dates.  ( This decision remained in place for three years (’31, ’32, ’33) but was not deemed a success.   In 1934 the two major championships were once again played as part of the SA Tournament at the same venue.)   Another decision made at East London was to re-instate the very popular Inter-Club Foursomes event.

1931

The SA Tournament, now excluding the SA Open and the Professionals Match Play, was played at the Johannesburg GC (later in July 1931 to be Royal Johannesburg) where R Grimsdell was the professional and responsible for many improvements to the course. Without the Open the Tournament was reduced to a more manageable nine days.

In 1930 shortly before his death Doug Proudfoot had given the SAGU the Union Steamship Challenge Cup which he had won in 1895 following his three consecutive wins in the Amateur. This was competed for in 1931 for the first time as the Proudfoot Trophy, 18 holes strokeplay on handicap. It was won by C Olander after a tie with A J Bond.

Another trophy introduced in 1931 was the AB Godbold Trophy, named such in recognition all that Godbold had done for the game and competed for by those players knocked out in the early rounds of the Championship. The format was 36 holes strokeplay on handicap played concurrently with the 3rd and 4th rounds of the Amateur. This was also won by C Olander, again after a tie. The record says that he tied with A Rolfe. This is surely not possible in that Rolfe was busy beating B Wynne in the 3rd round of the Amateur and B Ryan in the 4th round on his way to the semi-finals.

There was no qualifying for the Amateur. All 84 entries, handicap limit 4, teed off in the Championship. With byes as necessary in the first and second rounds, it took five rounds to reach the final and then another 36 holes to win the title. This was won by C Coetzer who beat C Hunter 4 and 3. In the semi-finals C Hunter beat A Rolfe by one hole and C Coetzer beat S Robertson 4 and 3.

The SA Open was played on the Cape Road Course of the Port Elizabeth GC and brought with it Sid Brews' fourth title (302). Joint runners-up were C McIlvenny (305) and R Grimsdell (305). As at East London the year before the professionals occupied 12 of the first 15 places. This was perhaps due in part to the fact of the Open and Amateur being played at different venues and many prominent amateurs being absent as a result. 

Leading scores were:

1932

The SA Tournament, and with it the SA Amateur Championship, returned to what was now Royal Port Alfred.   It attracted a disappointing entry of only 38 and many of the country’s leading players were not able to make the trip.   Despite this, the meeting was a great success and the Amateur final, won by C Olander who beat F O Agg at the 37th hole, was one of the best in the history of the event.   Semi-finalists were J H E Smale who lost 8 and 6 to Olander and C Coetzer who lost 4 and 2 to Agg.   Again there were no qualifying rounds.

The Open was played at Mowbray GC for the first time and was won by C McIlvenny (304) from R Grimsdell (308) and  B H Elkin (309).    They were followed by the Brews brothers, Sid and Jock, and Clarence Olander all on 310.  Olander was leading amateur.   In all the years of his successes in the SA Open Sid Brews was never able to win in Cape Town, whether at Mowbray or at Royal Cape.

Leading scores were:

The separation of the Open and the Amateur had not proved popular and it was confirmed that the two championships would be brought together again in 1934.

1933

The SA Tournament was hosted for the third time by Durban CC. Noticeable was the absence of all the best players from the Western Cape. There were fears too for the condition of the course which was undergoing alterations but the course was in fact better than anticipated. The Amateur was won for the third time by B Wynne, who beat L M Jacobs in the final at the 37th hole. In the semi-finals Wynne beat C Lewis 6 and 4 and Jacobs beat C C Taylor 4 and 2. There were no qualifying rounds.

The Proudfoot Trophy (36 holes strokeplay) was won by B Ryan, one of his rounds being a course record of 71, while the Godbold Cup (18 holes strokeplay) was won by G R McCubbin (76 - 2 = 74).

It was restated that in 1934 the Open and the Amateur would be re-united and played at the same venue.

The Open was played at Maccauvlei and Sid Brews won his fifth title (297). Runner-up was C McIlvenny (300). Total entry for the championship was 95 of whom 27 were professionals. Only two amateurs finished in the top 15, A H Matthews, whose home club was Maccauvlei, and B Wynne, certainly the country's leading amateur golfer at that time. 

Leading scores were:

1934

Humewood GC, opened in October of 1931 and perhaps the only true links course in South Africa, was chosen as the venue for the SA Tournament for the first time. After a separation of three years the Open and Amateur were re-united. Comparatively new course that it was, Humewood stood up to the rigours of the tournament better than expected and made claim to being South Africa's premier championship course.

Qualifying for the Amateur was over 36 holes with the leading qualifier receiving the Proudfoot Trophy. This went to C Olander with the none too startling scores of 76 78 - 154, albeit in very unkind weather. The Inter-Centre Teams event was played concurrently with the qualifying rounds. 

Leading qualifying scores were:

In the Amateur final C Olander beat H E P (Jack) Watermeyer 3 and 2. Olander beat his brother J Olander 3 and 1 to reach the final and Watermeyer beat J W Verwey by one hole.

The Open was won by Sid Brews for the sixth time (319). This was the second highest winning score ever in the Open and bears testimony to the difficulty of the course and the severity of the wind and weather. Second was J W Verwey (326), who was leading amateur and, as such, winner of the Freddie Tait Cup. There were 78 entries for the Open of whom 26 were professionals. The amateurs did better than in previous years and seven finished in the top 15 places. 

Leading scores were:

An approach was made to the SAGU by the professionals to discuss the matter of the re-forming of a South African Professionals Association.   As a result Percy Barker was asked to head up a three-man sub-committee to meet with the pros.  The SAPGA was formed in 1922 and was certainly still active in 1929 when the SA Tournament was held at Royal Cape.  What happened in the interim is not recorded.

1935

Another new venue was chosen for the SA Tournament, Parkview GC, and with it emerged one of golf's super stars, 17 year old A D 'Bobby' Locke. The Bobby Locke era had begun. It was to last for 20 years.

Locke won both the Open and the Amateur, the Open with scores of 70 76 75 75 - 296 from J W Verwey 73 71 79 76 - 299 and the Amateur by beating Frank Agg in a nail-biting match at the 38th hole. Agg was two up with three to play. Locke beat A H Matthews in the semi-final at the 21st hole, another nail-biter after being two down with two to play. In the other semi-final Agg beat J Olander 4 and 3. Locke swept the boards, winning the Proudfoot Trophy as leading qualifier in the Amateur with rounds of 70 and 69, and automatically winning the Freddie Tait Cup as leading amateur in the Open. There was an entry of 94 for the Amateur and 134 for the Open, of which 40 were professionals, but not including Sid Brews who was away overseas making history in the Open Championship. The amateurs made a strong showing and 13 finished in the top 20 . 

Leading qualifying scores in the Amateur were:

Leading scores in the Open were: *  denotes amateur

1936

The SA Tournament was played at Royal Cape and belonged to amateur golfer Clarence Olander who, like Locke the year before, won both the Open and the Amateur titles. Locke was away overseas competing in the British Amateur but otherwise Olander beat all of the country's best, amateur and professional, including Sid Brews, who finished in third place in the Open. Olander and J Robertson tied first on a score of 297 and the championship went to a 36-hole play-off which Olander won 146 to 151. There were 80 entries for the Open, 23 of which were professionals. Again the amateurs did well occupying 11 of the top 20 places. 

Leading scores were:

Leading qualifier for the Amateur and winner of the Proudfoot Trophy was Royal Cape member Jack Watermeyer with two rounds of 74, two strokes ahead of Olander.   But it was Olander who won the Amateur title beating F M Bodmer in an extraordinary match which should have gone the other way.  Bodmer was 7 up at the 21st and on the next hole, par 3 (now the 13th at Royal Cape), played a fine shot to some 2 m from the pin.  Olander missed the green and would surely lose the hole to go eight down.  But no; he chipped in and Bodmer missed.   Now only six up and with 14 holes to play, Bodmer went to pieces and lost ten of the next 11 holes.  Victory went to Olander four and three.  Olander had beaten L I Braun by 2 holes in the semi-finals, while Bodmer beat C M Goldsbury 4 and 3.

Leading qualifying scores were:

Decisions made by the SAGU at the meeting were that the handicap limit for entry to the Amateur should be reduced from six to five and that an invitation from the R and A to send a team of four amateurs to Britain in 1937 should be accepted.   This would be the first ‘Springbok’ team.

1937

It was East London again for the SA Tournament and another major triumph for Bobby Locke who, still an amateur and now aged 19, again won both the Open and the Amateur titles. His scores in the Open were 72 70 71 75 - 288, an all-time record. C Olander was second on 299. The Open was dominated by the amateurs. In an entry of some 60 there were only 12 professionals with S Childs the best finisher in a tie for fourth place on a score of 306. For reasons not known none of the Brews brothers was in the field. The Open had now been won by amateurs for three years in a row. 

The leading scores were:

Locke and Olander also did battle in the 36-hole final of the Amateur with Locke winning 4 and 3 after being one hole ahead at lunch.  In the semi-finals Locke beat J F Webb 6 and 5 and C Olander beat W Rosensweig 6 and 4.   In addition to the main titles Locke won everything; the Freddie Tait Cup as leading amateur in the Open and the Proudfoot Trophy as leading qualifier in the Amateur; the Inter-Club foursomes for Parkview with partner A B Frank.

The leading qualifying scores in the Amateur were:

The team to tour Britain later that year as guests of the R and A was announced:  A D Locke, C Olander, O Hayes and F Agg, with J Hirsch as manager.

1938

In 1938 Locke turned professional, opening the way for the other leading amateur golfers when the SA Tournament was played at Maccauvlei for the second time.  Locke duly won the Open (279) with yet another record score, beating the 288 he had posted the previous year.  Second was Sid Brews (284) followed by S Childs (285).  In any other year Childs’s score would have won him the title. The Freddie Tait Cup for the leading amateur in the Open was won by Paddy Rolfe, who it seems did not enter for the Amateur championship.

The leading scores were:

Bernard Wynne came through to win his fourth Amateur title with an 8 and 7 victory over B R Ryan.   Wynne beat J W Verwey at the 20th in the semi-final and Ryan beat J Jourdan by 2 holes.   Wynne’s fourth title equalled the record of  Jimmie Prentice.  S Boshoff won the Proudfoot Trophy as best qualifier and J H Davies won the Godbold Trophy with a score of 73 – 2  =  71.

The leading qualifying scores were:

1939

Bobby Locke continued to dominate the Open, played at the Durban CC, and won comfortably (279) from amateurs F M Bodmer (287) and C Olander (287), who shared the Freddie Tait Cup.   The championship was notable for the showing of the amateurs, who filled nine of the top ten places.   There were just on 90 entries for the Open of whom only 19 were professionals.   After Locke the next best professional was S Childs on a score of 301

The leading scores were:

A new champion emerged in the Amateur, Otway Hayes, who beat C deG Watermeyer 3 and 1 in the final.  In the semi-finals Hayes beat J W Verwey 2 and 1 and Watermeyer beat M Janks 4 and 3.   The Proudfoot Trophy for the leading qualifier was won by H E P (Jack) Watermeyer (146) from Bernard Wynne (147).   The Watermeyer brothers had a very good tournament, winning the Inter-Club Foursomes for Royal Cape and being in the winning Western Province team for the Inter Centre event.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The rules for the Godbold Cup were changed, the new format being matchplay knockout for the second 32 qualifiers.  The cup was won by Eric Hunt who beat C W Klein in the 36 hole final.

1940

The last SA Tournament before war clouds brought all tournament golf to a halt for five long years was hosted by Port Elizabeth GC in what was their Jubilee Year.   Both of their courses were used, Humewood for all championship events and the Hill for most of the handicap competitions.  The weather on occasion was none too good, heavy rain and wind , and the scores suffered as a result.  Bobby Locke again won the Open (293), his fifth, followed by amateur S Boshoff (303) and A N Thomas (309).

The leading scores were:

Another new champion was crowned in the Amateur, H E P ‘Jack’ Watermeyer, who beat H R ‘Rick’ Dorrington 5 and 4.     Watermeyer beat B R Ryan 4 and 3 in the semi-finals and Dorrington beat S Boshoff by the same score.   Jack Watermeyer at that time was on the Executive of the SAGU and then later went on to be President of the Union in 1961 and 1962.   To be national champion while serving on the national executive and then some years later to be national president must surely rank as a unique achievement in world golf.   Watermeyer only just made the cut, his score of 168 being only two shots off the cut line.   However, in the match play stages he came storming through and earned the nickname of the ‘Giant Killer’.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The Proudfoot Trophy for the leading qualifier was won by C Olander.  He tied with Boshoff on a score of 154 but his better first round score of 75 vis a vis Boshoff’s 77 won him the trophy.  The top 32 qualifiers went through to the matchplay stages of the championship proper while the second 32 played for the Godbold Trophy, also on a matchplay knockout format.  The latter was won by G A Packer who beat T C Baker 6 and 5 in the final.

And then came the war!

1941 - 1945:  No Championships played  -  WW11

1946

The SA Tournament resumed after the war years and was hosted by Royal Johannesburg. It was called 'The Victory Meeting'. There was a record entry of 173 for the SA Open. Only once before had the entry exceeded 100 and that was in Durban in 1939 when 102 players teed off. Bobby Locke had not yet embarked on his world-wide campaigning and was on hand to win the Open for the sixth time (285) from S Boshoff (299) and A Guthrie (300).

Leading scores were:

The Amateur also attracted a record entry of no less than188 players. The previous record, again Durban in 1939, was 107. The title was won by J R Boyd who beat G Packer 4 and 3 in the final. In the semi-finals Boyd beat R C Anderson by the same score and Packer beat R Glennie by 1 hole.

Leading Qualifying Scores were:

The cut was made at 160, seven players on this score playing off for the 32^nd spot in the match play.  The cut for the Godbold Cup was made at 165 and in this event no less than ten players had to play off for one place.

1947

Ronnie Glennie's turn was to come in 1947 when the SA Tournament was played at Mowbray and it was the SA Open title that he was to win and not the Amateur. Locke was in the US but otherwise Glennie beat all the best golfers amateur and professional to win the Open by a single shot (293) from E Moore (294) and fellow amateur E L Dalton (298). Following in the footsteps of Prentice, Locke and Olander, Glennie was the fourth amateur to win the Open title but he was not the last. In the following years through to 1959 the Open was won by no less than five amateurs.

Leading scores were:

The SA Amateur title was won by C deG Watermeyer who beat B R Ryan by the very comfortable margin of 9 and 8. The Boshoff brothers, A B and S, both reached the semi-finals and both lost by 1 hole. Watermeyer's older brother, Jack, won the Amateur in 1940. This was the first and only time that the title had been won by brothers.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The cut off for the Championship was 164 and for the Godbold Cup 171.  Of the seven players on this total only three were present when their names were called for the play off.  The final of the Godbold was won by G A Packer who beat C Morris, a visitor from Nkana, 3 and 2.

1948

Hosted by the East London GC, the Open was won by amateur M Janks (298) after a tie with A R Guthrie (298). In third place was S Boshoff (300), so often so close but never a winner. Janks won the 36-hole play-off (74 73 - 147 to 81 72 - 153) by a comfortable six shot margin. Janks was Sid Brews's brother-in law under whose watchful eye Janks learnt the game.

Leading scores were:

Ryan had his revenge in the Amateur championship, beating his victor of the previous year, C Watermeyer, 3 and 2. Ryan beat Janks in the semi-final by 1 hole and Boyd lost to Watermeyer in the other semi-final by 2 holes.

Leading qualifying scores were:

The cut was on 169 with seven players tieing for the 32nd place. The cut for the Godbold Cup was 176. The high qualifying scores reflect the bad weather that was experienced, the storm on the opening day being described as 'incredibly severe'. The Godbold was won by H R Hickson who beat D Wilson by the large margin of 9 and 7.

1949

The SA Tournament returned to Maccauvlei and, following his Open success in 1947, Ronnie Glennie came through to take the Amateur title with a 3 and 2 win over J R Boyd. Glennie was the fourth player to win both Open and Amateur titles. In the semi-finals Glennie beat R D Evans 4 and 3 and Boyd beat D A Leitch 2 and 1.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 158 and that for the Godbold Cup was 164. This latter was won by L Brown who beat G H Melville, a member of Royal Salisbury, by the huge margin of 10 and 8.

Locke was again playing overseas. This was the year when he won the first of his four Open Championship titles. His absence opened the way for the home based players in the SA Open. Sid Brews (291) took the gap and won for a record-breaking seventh time with E Moore (294) runner-up. V Beuthin (296), leading amateur, and R Dailey (296) tied for third.

Leading scores were:

SA Open champion for the seventh time, Sid Brews is carried shoulder-high by members of the family; Mickey Janks (brother-in-law), Roger Brews (son) and Jock Brews (brother)

1950

Bobby Locke was home for the SA Open Championship played at the Durban CC and duly obliged by winning his seventh title and equalling Sid Brews' record. Eleven shots back was A R Guthrie (291) with J R Boyd (297) third 17 shots off the pace and leading amateur.

Leading scores were:

The Amateur was won Durban-based golfer and former Springbok cricketer E L Dalton who beat F O Agg 5 and 4. Dalton beat A G Pearson 5 and 4 in the semi-finals and Agg beat Boyd by 1 hole.

Leading qualifying scores:

Seven players finished on 160 and played off over six holes for the 32nd qualifying spot. The Proudfoot Trophy went to Dalton thanks to a better first round score. Of interest is that the final was contested between the two leading qualifiers. The qualifying score for the Godbold was 164 and the winner was C Watermeyer who beat J S Kemp 2 and 1.

Ronnie Glennie, defending champion, was disqualified from the SA Amateur for playing a practice round on the course after the first qualifying round.

1951

Returning to the Transvaal and played at Houghton for the first time, the SA Tournament was dominated by players from the Transvaal. Bobby Locke (277) won the Open for the eighth time, a new record, and his score of 277 for the four rounds was also a record. Runners-up were J R Boyd (286) and H Bradshaw from Ireland (286). 

Leading scores were:

Locke also won the Professionals Matchplay Purse which carried with it for the first time the new trophy presented by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London to the SAPGA to celebrate the winning of the Open Championship by Bobby Locke the previous year.

A team of four professional golfers from Britain was touring South Africa (Daly, Bradshaw, Panton and Bousfield) and played a series of matches against local professionals for the Oppenheimer Cup. They won this with some ease. They all finished in the top ten of the SA Open.

E S (Teddy) Irwin was another new SA Amateur champion when he beat M Janks 4 and 3 in the final. In the semi-finals Irwin beat C Faivelsohn 4 and 2 and Janks beat J Gorley 2 and 1.

Leading qualifying scores (132 competitors) were:

Janks won the Proudfoot Trophy thanks to a better first round. The cut off was on 158 and that for the Godbold Cup on 164. Glennie failed to make the cut for the championship but went on to win the Godbold by beating J Edelstein 3 and 2 in the final.

1952

As in previous years the result of the SA Open depended on whether or not Locke was playing and in 1952 at Humewood he was not. The result was a win for Sid Brews (305), his eighth title and equal to the record set by Locke the year before. In very windy conditions Brews picked up eight shots on runner-up A R Guthrie (306) in the final round to win by a single shot. Guthrie had opened with a 67, the best round of the championship, and after three rounds was leading Brews by seven. An 81 in the final round was all he needed to win. It was not to be. He opened the round with a disastrous 9 on the first hole and could only manage 83, leaving him one shot off the pace. He was followed in a tie for third by A D Jackson (307) and O Hayes (307). Sid Brews was 53, the oldest winner of the SA Open before or since. To add to his achievements that year he also won the Professionals' Matchplay.

Leading scores were:

The qualifying score for the last two rounds of the Open was 162, the leading forty players and ties on fortieth place going through.

Micky Janks, Sid Brews' brother-in-law, added the Amateur title to the Open title he had won in East London in 1948, thus joining the elite band of amateur golfers who had won both events. He beat K Treloar 5 and 3 in the semi-final and R Glennie 2 and 1 in the final. Glennie's semi-final win was against G Packer whom he beat 2 and 1. 

Leading qualifying scores were:

The cut line for the first 32 was on 163 and that for the second 32, the Godbold, on 174. B A Robertshaw won the cup, beating J D Whipp 5 and 3.

1953

Hosted by Royal Cape, the Amateur championship was played immediately before the Open and the winner was Roger Brews, the son of Sid Brews. He beat J R Boyd 4 and 3 in the final and by so doing established what must surely be a unique record in world golf. Sid was currently SA Open champion, having won the previous year at Humewood, and Roger's win meant that father and son were simultaneously Open and Amateur national champions. But this was only for a few days. In the SA Open which followed Sid was not able to retain his title and victory went to yet another amateur, J R Boyd (302) who tied with O Hayes (302). In the 36-hole play-off Boyd scored 82 80 - 162 to Hayes' 81 82 - 163 in the most appalling weather conditions. Boyd came close to winning both titles in the same year as had Olander in 1936. Boyd had already won the Amateur title in 1946 and would win it again in 1958.

Leading scores in the Open were:

There was a record entry of 41 professionals for the SA Open, due possibly in part to the extra money on offer. Dunlop were the sponsors of the Professionals Match Play to an amount of 500 pounds (R1000) but then made available a further 500 pounds (R1000) as 'appearance' money to be divided amongst all the professionals taking part in the meeting.

The last two rounds of the SA Open were, as was usual at that time, scheduled to be played on the same day. However, the weather was so bad on the morning of the third day that the round was called off. The few who had started were recalled and one round only was played in the afternoon. The final round was played the following day.

While Boyd was duly presented with the trophy following his play-off win, an appeal was later lodged by Hayes based on an alleged infringement of the rules by Boyd on the 16th par-5 hole (present 7th) of the first round of the play-off. Boyd drove into the thick rough and immediately played a provisional ball. His first ball was found in deep rough, Boyd declared it to be unplayable and he went back to the tee, playing what he deemed to be three off the tee. He holed out with this ball and was marked down for a seven. Subsequently the query was raised as to whether Boyd should have played his provisional ball and whether, by going back to the tee, he was in fact playing five off the tee and scoring a nine for the hole. If this was so, Boyd's one shot win would have turned into a one shot loss. A decision hung in the air for some weeks. Eventually the SAGU Executive found in favour of Boyd and made the following statement:

" . . . . the declaration of Mr Jimmy Boyd as winner of the play-off of the tie for the SA Open Golf Championship stands. The circumstances of the play-off of the tie were such that, in the view of the tournament executive committee, the protest by Mr Hayes was made at too late a stage to be countenanced."

Strangely, there was no comment at all on whether or not there had been an infringement of the rules. By today's rules Boyd's action was quite correct. A provisional ball can only be played for a lost ball or a ball out of bounds. It would be interesting to know what the rule was in 1953.

An innovation at the 1953 meeting was the use of walkie-talkies to relay scores back to the clubhouse where they were placed on a leader board. This initiative was set up by Jack Plummer and proved to be very popular.

As already mentioned, Roger Brews beat Jimmy Boyd 4 and 3 in the Amateur final. He beat M Janks 5 and 3 in the semi-finals, while Boyd beat E S Irwin to get through.

The leading qualifying scores were:

Three players finished on 161, including Harry Brews, and had to play off for the 32nd place. The cut off for the Godbold was 166, no less than 11 players finishing on this mark. The weather on the first day was fine but on the second day the heavens opened and the rain came bucketing down. Conditions were very severe as witness the second round scores. Four of the Godbold qualifiers were late on the tee for their first round matches and were disqualified. The cup was won by G Hemming who beat R Misplon 8 and 7.

Comment in the records: The rainfall at Wynberg during the ten days of the championships was exactly 8,37 inches (212 mm). It is doubtful if there was ever previously such a heavy rainfall in so short a period.

1954

In the SA Open at East London in 1954 amateurs continued to dominate, albeit in the absence of Bobby Locke, and the first four places were filled by golfers from the non-paid ranks. R C Taylor was the winner (289) from J G le Roux (291), V Beuthin (294) and D Hutchinson (295).

The Leading scores were:

There were seven amateurs in the top ten and eight amateurs in the top 14. Included amongst the leading professionals were the names of Gary Player and Harold Henning. Prize money was still only 175 pounds (R350) but the decision was taken to increase this to 350 pounds (R700) the following year.

The Amateur was won by A Jackson who beat D Hutchinson at the 37th hole after being five down at lunch. Jackson beat B Wolpowitz 4 and 3 in the semi-finals and Hutchinson beat Boyd at the 19th hole.

The leading qualifying scores were:

Hutchinson was leading qualifier and winner of the Proudfoot Trophy for the second year running. The cut off for the championship was 158 and that for the Godbold 164. The latter was won by E W Giles who beat P J Ryan 3 and 2.

The South African team to tour Britain later in the year was announced as follows: J R Boyd, R Brews, E L Dalton, D Hutchinson, A D Jackson, R C Taylor with V Beuthin first reserve and J G le Roux second reserve.

1955

This time Locke was there when the SA Tournament was played at Zwartkop CC for the first time and he duly won, but only just. In a championship much affected by rain, his 72 70 67 74 - 283 was only one shot better than defending champion Reg Taylor on 74 74 66 70 - 284. This was Locke's ninth win and the ninth time that he had entered. In third place was Harold Henning (285). It must be mentioned that Locke was not well and had been suffering from symptoms of 'flu.

The Leading scores were:

The cut (top 40 and ties) for the final two rounds was made on a score of 157.

B Keyter (Natal) won the Amateur beating K Cowan (OFS) 10 and 9 in the final and A A Stewart 3 and 2 in the semi-finals. Cowan won his semi-final 5 and 4 against A J Quinn. He was the first player from the Free State ever to reach the final.

Leading qualifying scores were:

Jackson's 137 was a record for the Proudfoot Trophy. The cut for the championship was on 154, four players on this score having to play off for the final two spots in the top 32, while the cut for the Godbold was 160, ten players having to play-off for three places in the second 32. The Godbold winner was C S Walker who beat W B Cowen 3 and 2. Boyd and Dalton, two of the previous year's Springbok team, had not entered.

In a championship full of surprises the greatest sensation was on the morning of the final when Keyter failed to make an appearance on the first tee for the 9.30 start. Search parties scoured the roads for the missing finalist when eventually he arrived 12 minutes late and much upset. Keyter explained to an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee that his car had failed to start and that he had been unable to contact the Club by phone. He had eventually managed to borrow a car. The Committee accepted the explanation and, when asked for his take on the matter, Cowan, the other finalist, had no objection to the match proceeding. They teed off 30 minutes late at 10 o'clock. Somewhat ruffled by the experience, Keyter got off to a shaky start making six at the first hole but he soon settled down and at lunch was eight up. He went on to win 10 and 9. How would this incident be treated in the modern era?

The meeting at Zwartkop was a triumph for golfers from the Transvaal who won every event with the exception of the SA Amateur.

1956

In 1956 the SA Tournament was played at the Durban CC and was the occasion of Gary Player's (286) first win in the SA Open. This was the start of a career both at home and abroad that was to eclipse even that of Bobby Locke. In second place was B Keyter (289), last year's SA Amateur Champion but now a professional, and again in third place H Henning (290). The Meeting was yet again seriously affected by rain, eight inches (200 mm) having been measured on the days before the start of the golf and Beachwood was on standby as an alternative venue. Thanks to a major effort on the part of the greens staff the course was drained and play could commence.

Leading scores were:

The cut for the final two rounds was made on a score of 158.

R C Taylor added the Amateur title to the Open title he had won in 1954, beating A Walker at the 37th hole. Taylor was five up at lunch and went six up at the third. But Walker then started to play brilliant golf and after being six down with 15 to play got to one up with one to play. There it ended. Taylor won the 36th hole and a birdie at the 37th clinched the title. Taylor was the seventh player to have won both the Amateur and the Open. The others were Prentice, Locke, Olander, Janks, Glennie and Boyd. In the semi-finals Taylor beat R D Evans 2 and 1 and Walker beat R C Williams at the 22nd hole.

Leading qualifying scores were:

The cut for the first 32 was on 158, the same as the cut for the last two rounds of the Open. The cut for the Godbold was 162 and was won by A J McCraken who beat S J Hersch by one hole. The leading four qualifiers were all from Natal. Evans won the Proudfoot Trophy thanks to a better first round.

Again golfers from the Transvaal had a field day and won everything that was to be won with the exception of the Professionals Match Play which was won by Ken Redford (King David CC) who beat Gary Player.

1957

Played at Humewood, this was Harold Henning's year and he won the SA Open (71 75 68 75 - 289) after a tie with A R Guthrie (72 73 76 68 - 289). After two rounds Guthrie was leading by one but a 76 in the third round to Henning's 68 put Henning ahead by a seemingly comfortable seven shots. But Guthrie was not finished yet and a brilliant 68 in the third round made up all the ground he had lost. In the end it was Henning who was battling and who needed a four at the last to tie. In the 36-hole play-off Henning scored 76 68 - 144 to Guthrie's 74 72 - 146. This was the third time that Guthrie had been runner-up.

The leading scores were:

Defending champion Gary Player was not in the field. He and Trevor Wilkes were campaigning in the US and starting to make their mark over there. Henning delayed his departure for overseas to take part and won many friends by so doing. A feature of the golf was the speed at which the majority of the competitors played. Important matches were taking 2 hours 35 minutes. Would that be possible today!?

Amateur champion was A A Stewart who beat P Vorster in a marathon final at the 41st hole. In the semi-finals Stewart beat T van der Riet 5 and 3 and Vorster beat J R Boyd 2 and 1. A most remarkable thing about the 1957 Amateur was that Stewart and Vorster were both among the seven players on a score of 165 who had to play off for the last five places in order to qualify for the match play stages of the championship.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying scores were 165 for the championship and 173 for the Godbold. The latter was won by W Cowen who beat R Bacon 3 and 2.

The Springbok team to tour the Rhodesias later in the year was announced as follows: J R Boyd, D Hutchinson, A Jackson, J le Roux, A Stewart, R Taylor, A Walker and P Vorster with R Brews and B Keartland as reserves.

1958

Coming to Bloemfontein as defending SA Amateur champion A A Stewart went home as SA Open champion notwithstanding the presence of both Bobby Locke and Gary Player in the field. Stewart's score of 281 was enough to finish one shot ahead of Locke (282) and two shots ahead of Player (283). This was the first time that Locke had played and been beaten for the SA Open title. He was destined never to win again. 

Leading scores were:

The qualifying score for the last two rounds is not on record.

J R Boyd won his second SA Amateur title 12 years after winning his first by beating A Walker 5 and 4. Losing semi-finalists were J le Roux to Boyd by 1 hole and D Hutchinson to Walker by a similar amount. 

Leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 159, five players on this score having to play-off over six holes for the 32nd place. The Godbold qualifying score was 172 and the winner was W P Cochrane who beat G Muller 4 and 2.

The Springbok team to tour Kenya later in the year was announced as follows: J R Boyd, D Hutchinson, J le Roux, A Stewart, R Taylor and A Walker.

It had been 53 years since the SA Tournament had last been held in Bloemfontein and the Meeting was another clear indication of the superiority of Transvaal golf..

The Commonwealth Tournament was scheduled to be played in South Africa in November 1959 and the decision was taken that it should be held at Royal Johannesburg. 

1959

Twice a losing finalist, A Walker came into his own at Royal Johannesburg in 1959 and beat D Muller 11 and 10 to win the Amateur crown. Muller was SA Universities champion in 1955. Walker beat D Hutchinson in the semi-finals at the 21st hole and Muller beat R C Taylor 2 and 1.

Leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 158, no less than ten players finishing on this mark. The cut off for the Godbold, the second 32, was on 164. This was won by D Symons who beat N Osselton 6 and 5 after being seven up at lunch.

The SA Open was again won by an amateur, this time D Hutchinson, and he was the last ever to do so. The possibility of an amateur golfer winning the SA Open in the modern era seems very remote. Hutchinson's win was all the more noteworthy in that in winning the title (282) he beat both Gary Player (283) and Harold Henning (285) with Bobby Locke further back in fifth place (290). Hutchinson and Player had a titanic struggle in the last round and victory went Hutchinson's way on the final hole thanks to Player three putting. This was all on Hutchinson's 27th birthday. All the other amateurs who had won the SA Open had also been SA Amateur champions. Not so Denis Hutchinson who came close but was never able to win the Amateur title.

Leading scores were:

The cut for the final two rounds was on 161.

1960

The SA Tournament returned to Cape Town and was hosted by Mowbray GC in its Golden Jubilee year. The winner of the Open by the large margin of seven shots was Gary Player (280), his second title, with T Trevena (287) and H Henning (287) tied for second. Henning and Moore were both one ahead of Player going into the last round and Trevena was level but Player came storming in with 31 over the last nine holes and his total of 66 left the field standing.

The leading scores were:

Gary Player, SA Open Champion 1956 and 1960; Denis Hutchinson, SA Open Champion in 1959; Harold Henning, SA Open Champion 1957.

Defending champion Denis Hutchinson, winner as an amateur, had turned professional. Bobby Locke was not in the field. He and Maurice Bodmer had been involved in a serious motor accident, an event which, sadly, more or less put an end to Locke's ability to continue competing at the highest levels when he was still at the relatively young age of 43.

The Amateur produced some new names. The title was won by M Grindrod, recently returned from Cambridge, who beat C le Grange 3 and 2 in the final. Le Grange was only 17 years old. Grindrod beat A Brooks by 1 hole in the semi-finals and le Grange beat D H Symons by a similar margin. The defeated semi-finalists were 18 and 22 respectively. Certainly it was the year of the young golfers.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 154 and that for the Godbold 159. This latter was won by S P Spilkin who beat W McWilliams at the 19th hole. McWilliams was two up with two to play but Spilkin came with a burst to win the next three holes and the cup.

SA Golf – March 1960: One fine day perhaps South Africa will have a Golf House, which could not only be a repository for all the ancient treasures of the Union but which could also be a golf museum.

1961

Another first time winner came to the fore at East London in the SA Open and that was 22-year-old R Waltman (289). He won by eight shots from Free State amateur B Franklin (297), himself only 17 years old, with A D Locke (298) a further shot back in third place. Also noteworthy at East London was the acceptance of the entry from Papwa Sewgolum. He finished way down the field (76 77 75 79 - 307) but important was not what he scored but the fact that he was able to play at all.

Leading scores were:

The qualifying score for the last two rounds was 156. There were 118 entries for the Open of which 40 were professionals. Gary Player was not in the field.

SA Golf – March 1961: GOLF HISTORY: For the first time in the history of the SA Open championship a Non-European golfer, Sewsunker (Papwa) Sewgolum, was a competitor. Papwa is holder of the Dutch Open Championship, winning also in 1959, and is also the SA Non-European champion. In view of the tension attached to his entry - he had no practice over the course - not to mention a damaged finger, it is generally conceded that Papwa did well to qualify and to finish as high as he did.

Prize money for the SA Open was R2000 of which half was given by Cadbury-Fry, Wilson-Rowntree and Nestle (SA)

Grindrod made a bold defence of his Amateur title before losing to J Hayes in the semi-finals by 1 hole. Hayes, however, lost the final to J G le Roux 3 and 2, le Roux having won his semi-final against D Symons by 2 holes. Le Roux won the title after ten attempts and his victory brought him to the pinnacle of a great career.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 160 and that for the Godbold 167. Seven players finished on this mark with three to go through. The winner was a youthful A Henning who beat E J Eustice by one hole after being three down at lunch.

1962

Hosted by Houghton for the second time, the SA Open was won by H Henning for the second time (285). He sneaked in ahead of D Hutchinson (286) and T Westbrook (287). It appears that Sewgolum did not play but the records do not say why. He certainly played in 1961 and then again the following year as will be seen. Gary Player was away in the US.

Leading scores were:

The cut was made on a score of 150. It was noted that, 'because of this very low qualifying score, many prominent golfers failed to go forward.' Franklin won the Freddie Tait Cup for the second year in a row.

Losing finalist from the previous year, J Hayes, won the Amateur title beating B Franklin by 2 and 1 in the final. Both finalists were in their teens, some sort of age record for South African golf at that time. Hayes accounted for his victor of 1961, J G le Roux, by 3 and 1 in the semi-finals and Franklin beat R Simpson 2 and 1.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The 36 hole qualifying score was 154, no less than ten players on this mark having to play-off for the last two places in the top 32 qualifiers for the championship. The qualifying score for the second group of 32 for the A B Godbold Cup was 157. This was won by D Kemp who beat J A Vorster 3 and 1.

A comment in the press following the Championship Meeting was to express surprise that the SA Open was played after the SA Amateur. The feeling was that, if the Open was played first, the first 36 holes of that event could be used as the qualifying rounds for the Amateur with 64 going through to the match play stages. This would seem to make sense.

1963

History was very nearly made at the Durban CC when Papwa Sewgolum (70 71 71 70 - 282), leading after 36 holes and tied the lead after 54 holes, chased R Waltman (74 71 67 69 - 281) all the way in the final round of the SA Open and was eventually beaten by a single shot. Sewgolum needed a 15 foot (5 m) putt on the last green to tie. It just slid by the hole. Sewgolum was the only player to score under par in all four rounds. Again Player was not in the field.

The leading scores were:

The top 36 players and ties went through to the final two rounds, the cut being made on a score of 153.

Defending Amateur champion J Hayes came through once again to the final but was beaten 5 and 4 by D Symons. In the semi-finals Hayes beat R S Shepherd 3 and 1 and Symons beat J G le Roux by 1 hole.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score for the championship was 156, five players having to play off for three places. Qualifying for the Godbold was 162. This was won by J Fourie who beat E J Eustice 4 and 2, the second time he had lost in this final.

The South African team to tour the Rhodesias later in the year was announced as follows: B Franklin, J Hayes, D Kemp, M Grindrod, D Symons and R Taylor. New caps were Symons and Kemp. Jan le Roux was selected but had to withdraw.

1964

The SA Tournament was played in Bloemfontein for the third time. Unusual was that the 1964 Tournament was in fact played in December 1963. Another first time winner of the SA Open emerged, Alan Henning (278). He was followed by B Keyter (280) and, tied for third place on 281, G Player, R Charles from New Zealand and S Sewgolum. Bob Charles had a four shot lead after two rounds and was tied with Henning after three, but he finished weakly with 74. Three Henning brothers were in the field, Alan, Harold and Graham. Sewgolum again was under par in all four rounds.

Leading scores were:

The top 36 and ties qualified for the final two rounds, the qualifying score being exceptionally low on 148. Stewart Davies and Sandy Guthrie were disqualified for signing incorrectly marked cards.

Barry Franklin, winner of the Freddie Tait Cup and runner-up for the Proudfoot.

The Amateur title was won by J R Langridge who beat D Wharton-Hood by 1 hole. Langridge beat D Symons by 1 hole to reach the final and Wharton Hood beat J R Boyd 3 and 1.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score was 155, six players being on this total with only one going through to the match play stages. There were eight players on 161, the qualifying score for the Godbold, four of whom got through. The eventual winner was I Dorrington who beat G Muller 5 and 4.

It was decided to send a team to the Eisenhower which was scheduled for Rome in October 1964. It was also decided to assist the Benoni Municipality to build an 18-hole course at Daveyton Native Township

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At the meeting of the SAGU in Bloemfontein it was decided that from 1965 the SA Open would be played separately from the SA Amateur, the Open to become a fixture on the professional summer circuit and the Amateur to revert to its traditional date at Easter-time.

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1965

Under this new arrangement the Open was played at Royal Cape and was noteworthy in that Gary Player broke 70 in all four rounds, the first time that this had ever been done. He also set a scoring record, his 273 beating Locke's 277 at Houghton in 1951. In spite of these fine scores, Player did not have things all his own way and was run closely by J Hayes (276) and H Inggs (277). This victory was the start of a remarkable run by Player who went on to win five SA Open titles in a row.

The leading scores were:

Alan Hofmann was leading amateur on 296 way back in 32nd place and winner of the Freddie Tait Cup. The cut after the first two rounds was on 154. The sponsor of the championship was Grosvenor Motors to an amount of R3000 with a first prize of R900. There were 102 entries of which 12 were from Britain and Ireland.

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The Amateur Championship was played at Humewood. P Vorster beat I Dorrington in the final 7 and 6 and R Cole in the semi-finals 3 and 1. Dorrington beat A Hofmann in his semi-final 8 and 6. Dorrington's older brother, Rick, was a losing finalist in the Amateur in 1940. On the first day of the matchplay stage four Springboks and four former champions were eliminated.

The leading qualifying scores were:

Six players finished on 157 and had to play off for one place in the top 32. The Godbold qualifying score was 162 and the winner was R Pybus who beat R D Oosterlaak 7 and 6 in the final. It was unusual for the leading qualifier to win the matchplay title, as was done by Vorster.

1966

Houghton GC hosted the SA Open for the third time and in an exciting finish with Harold Henning (279) and Cobie le Grange (279) running him close, Gary Player (278) successfully defended the title he had won the previous year at Royal Cape. This was Player's fourth SA Open title.

The leading scores were:

SA Golf – March 1966: The brilliant Indian golfer of Durban, Papwa Sewgolum, possibly playing in a White golf tournament in SA for the last time, did not qualify for the last two roumds.

There were 148 in the field, 80 amateurs and 68 professionals. Of the amateurs 63 were from the Transvaal, four from Eastern Province, four from Natal, three from the OFS, two from Western Province, one from Kimberley, two from Rhodesia and one from Zambia. Of the professionals 47 were from South Africa, two from Zambia, one from Rhodesia and 16 from the United Kingdom.

The sponsor was again Grosvenor Motors to the tune of R3000.

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The Amateur was played at Mowbray and was won by Comrie du Toit at this his first attempt when he beat Brian Lefson, also a first timer, by one hole in an exciting final. In the semi-finals du Toit beat D H Symons 3 and 2 and Lefson beat G Muller by the same score.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score for the championship was 156 and that for the Godbold 163. H Green won the Godbold beating C Gillis 3 and 2, both local golfers.

The South African team for the Eisenhower Trophy was announced as follows: D H Symons, C du Toit, R E Cole and J Fourie with H Marquard as Manager. The tournament was to be played at Mexico City in October.

1967

The SA Open was played at the East London GC and won by Gary Player. This was his fifth title and the third in a row. The championship has now been won three times in succession or more three times, the first by George Fotheringham and the second by Locke who won had five consecutive wins before and after WW2.

The leading scores were:

The top 36 and ties went through to the last two rounds, the cut being made at 151. Prize money was a record R6000 thanks to Grosvenor Motors and BP Southern Africa.

A Pro-Am was played two days before the Open, a pro being partnered by three amateurs in a fourball Stableford. The sponsors provided an additional R700 for prizes. The winning pro was Peter Townsend from the UK.

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There were 132 entries for the SA Amateur which was played at Royal Johannesburg. D Kemp showed his intentions when he posted a record-breaking 66 on the East Course in the first qualifying round and, true to this form, went on to win the title, beating R Mullan 7 and 6. Thus it was that the leading qualifiers contested the final. Defending champion Comrie du Toit had been injured in a car accident and was unable to play.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score for the championship was 156 and that for the Godbold, the second 32, 162. This was won by G Carter who beat M Kerby by the huge margin of 10 and 9.

The team to play in the Commonwealth Tournament in Canada later in the year was announced as follows: D Symons, C du Toit, D Kemp, R Cole, J Fourie and R Mullan, the only new cap. The reserves were: H Baiocchi, R Pybus and D Wharton-Hood. Non-playing captain was Basil Keartland and the manager was Louis du Plessis.

1968

Gary Player won his sixth title and fourth in succession when the SA Open was played at Houghton in 1968. His superiority on the local golf scene was unchallenged and, although Cobie le Grange remained in contention through the first three rounds, Player won by a commanding seven shots. The final two rounds were scheduled for the Saturday but heavy rain fell during the third round and caused postponement of the final 18 holes until the Monday. Golf on Sundays was still taboo!

The leading scores were:

The qualifying score for the last two rounds is not on record.   The Open was preceded on the Tuesday by a Pro-Am, won by Bobby Cole with a score of 67.

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The SA Amateur was played at the Bloemfontein GC and produced what many thought as a surprise winner in R C Williams.  Opinion was that he would be beaten by John Fourie in the semi-finals.  The pundits were wrong.  This meant that every one of the recent Springboks, Fourie, du Toit, Baiocchi, and Symons had come to grief in the matchplay while defending champion, Derek Kemp, failed to qualify.   R C Taylor, now 41 years old and champion in 1956, came through in the other half of the draw after beating du Toit, Baiocchi and Thornton on the way but he lost the final 4 and 3.

The leading qualifying scores were:

The qualifying score for the championship was 155 and for the Godbold 161. In the final of the Godbold D Kemp beat I Dorrington 3 and 2.

At the prize-giving two Springbok teams were announced. The first to play in the Eisenhower Trophy in Australia in October was H Baiocchi, D Symons, J Fourie and C du Toit with L H Marquard as manager. The second to play in an invitational tournament in Brazil was R Williams, H Baiocchi and D Symons with C Oldridge as manager.

1969

Press report 11/2/69: The South African Open has come of age. In keeping with the international trend, and rather belatedly, the country's premier golf event, beginning at the Durban Country Club tomorrow, will be held over four days instead of three as in the past.

In addition, the field has been limited for the first time – 116 players have been accepted from a far larger entry – and the purse of

R10 000 is the biggest offered in a South African tournament.

A fact of the SA Open was that it had never been won by a foreign player and, although that was to change in the not so distant future, Gary Player was there to see that it did not happen at the Durban CC in 1969. There was a strong overseas representation in the field, Hitchcock, Barnes, Oosterhuis and others, but not strong enough to unseat Player. Player registered his seventh win and fifth in succession. This latter equalled Bobby Locke's record. Leader after two rounds on 136 was Denis Hutchinson but, sadly, he was forced to withdraw through injury.

The leading scores were:

The amateurs were having a close tussle for the Freddie Tait Cup and here it was that young Dale Hayes triumphed with scores of 71 74 72 73 - 290. The qualifying score for the final two rounds was 149, the top 36 and ties going through, 39 players in all.

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This was an important year in the history of amateur championship golf in South Africa in that it saw the inauguration of the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Humewood GC. As had been the case more than once many years ago it was again in Port Elizabeth that this new championship was introduced onto the amateur schedule. The winner of this inaugural championship was Dale Hayes. In fearsome weather conditions with gale force winds sweeping across the course Hayes had rounds of 73 89 76 and 76 for a total of 314. Runner-up one shot behind was D Kemp (315) followed by D Symons (316). A glance at the scores below will give a good idea as to how severe the weather was, on the second day in particular.

The leading scores and 16 qualifiers for the Amateur were:

The Proudfoot Trophy was contested over the first two rounds of the Stroke Play and here again Symons was pipped at the post. He and Blaize McIntosh were level on 73 after the first round but McIntosh managed 82 to Symons's 83 in the second to win the Trophy. Symons dropped seven shots over the first five holes in that second round and then another three after the turn. He was also involved in an unsettling incident on the 10th hole when a caddie was chased by another intent on caving his head in with a brick and the two nearly ran over Symons as he prepared to putt. This can't have helped his concentration.

The wind finally dropped and the SA Amateur championship was played in relatively benign conditions. There was no separate qualifying event, the first 16 players in the Stroke Play going through to the match play stages. The final was between local champion Derek Thornton and John Fourie, who had won their semi-final matches respectively against G Smith (4 and 2) and J Murray (4 and 3). The match was all square after 18 holes and with 9 holes to play Thornton was one ahead. Birdies at the 11th 12th and 13th put him four up. Fourie chose this moment to mount his charge. He birdied the par-3 14th, made eagle at the par-5 15th and birdied the par-4 16th. He was now only one down with two to play. At the par-5 17th both players were putting for birdies. Fourie missed from 15 feet; Thornton under pressure holed from 12 feet, giving him the hole, the match (2 and 1) and the title.

In the Godbold E Erasmus beat D Brito 6 and 5. The format was still match play knock-out for the second 16 qualifiers.

The Inter-Club Foursomes Competition was discontinued to make way for the four rounds of the Strokeplay Championship.

1970

History was made when the SA Open was played at Royal Durban and won by T Horton (285), the first overseas player ever to do so. Runner-up was T Westbrook (288) and he was followed by A Henning and T Britz, both on 289. Gary Player was a long way back on 294. This ended his succession of SA Open titles. There was a strong representation of overseas players in the field.

The leading scores were:

The 1970 Championship was marked by somewhat strained relations between the SAGU and the SAPGA. Differences arose over the dates of the following year's tournaments and, of perhaps greater importance, the appointment of a Tournament Director or Promoter. The PGA had appointed Reg Taylor as Promoter, the SAGU wanted to appoint a man of their own choosing as Director. In the end Brian Henning, PGA Chairman, stepped into the breach. He would be Tournament Director for the PGA and run their tournaments, while the SA Open and the Provincial Opens would fall under the SAGU. In addition, the PGA would be represented on the SAGU tournament committees and vice-versa. For the moment everyone was happy.

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The opening event of the SA Championship meeting held at Mowbray GC was the SA Stroke Play Championship which had been inaugurated the previous year. Dale Hayes (291) made a successful defence of the title, winning for the second year in a row. Runner-up was John Pickering (293) and he was followed by D Kemp (295).

Leading scores and 16 qualifiers for the Championship were:

Four players tied on 305, Kerby, Loubser and Wren winning through for the last three places. The Proudfoot Trophy was also won by Hayes whose scores of 71 and 73 in the first two rounds were the best. The qualifying score for the Godbold, those finishing in the second 32, was 312.

In what was variously described as "the greatest final in living memory" and "the most dramatic finish in the history of the championship", Hugh Baiocchi had a supercharged finish to beat Roy Joubert at the 37th hole and win the SA Amateur title. Baiocchi was three down with three to play and then fired three birdies in a row to take the match into extra holes. A par at the 37th was enough to snatch the match from under Joubert's nose and to win the title. Baiocchi beat J Loubser 6 and 4 in the semi-finals and Joubert beat R Mullan 2 and 1.

In the final of the Godbold Dennis Bruyns beat Roydon Pybus by one hole.