1977–78 Southern Africa Tour

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1977–78 Southern Africa Tour season
Duration19 October 1977 (1977-10-19) – 3 December 1977 (1977-12-03)
Number of official events6
Most wins Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland (3)
Order of Merit Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland
1978–79

The 1977–78 Southern Africa Tour was the seventh season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.

Contents

Season outline

The season was dominated by John Bland and Gary Player. Bland won the first two events however Player won the consecutive events in the middle of the season to close in on Order of Merit honors. Bland, however, won the final event, the Holiday Inns Invitational, to capture the Order of Merit.

The season was dominated by John Bland and Gary Player. Bland won the first two events however Player won the consecutive events in the middle of the season to close in on Order of Merit honors. Bland, however, won the final event, the Holiday Inns Invitational, to capture the Order of Merit.

South African John Bland had much success at the beginning of the season. He won the first event of the year, the Lexington PGA Championship, by two shots over joint runner-up Player. [1] The following week, he also won the Victoria Falls Classic. [2]

Later in the season, Player had much success. In November, he played the Yellow Pages South African Open which held at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club. He shot a course-record 63 in the third round which helped him take a three shot lead over Dale Hayes. [3] He went on to defeat Hayes and Bobby Cole by the same margin. [4] He also won the ICL International the following week. [4] Bland, however, won the final event, the Holiday Inns Invitational. [5] This helped him secure the Order of Merit title over Player. [6]

Schedule

The following table lists official events during the 1977–78 season. [7] [8]

DateTournamentLocationPurse
(R)
Winner [a] Notes
22 Oct Lexington PGA Championship Transvaal50,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland (1)
29 Oct Victoria Falls Classic Rhodesia50,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland (2)New to Southern Africa Tour
6 Nov Rhodesian Dunlop Masters RhodesiaRh$14,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Allan Henning (6)
12 Nov Yellow Pages South African Open Transvaal40,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player (13)
19 Nov ICL International Transvaal25,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player (14)
3 Dec Holiday Inns Invitational Swaziland20,000 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland (3)

Order of Merit

The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand. [8] [6]

PositionPlayerPrize money (R)
1 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Bland 25,171
2 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Gary Player 21,450
3 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Bobby Cole 18,150
4 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Fourie 11,480
5 Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Dale Hayes 11,399

Notes

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

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References

  1. "Seven-shot victory for Pate". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 24 October 1977. p. 21. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via Google News Archive. John Bland won the South African PGA Championship on Saturday with a five-under-par total of 275.
  2. "Dunbarton double". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 31 October 1977. p. 21. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via Google News Archive. John Bland brushed off a late challenge by fellow South African, John Fourie, to win the £34,000 Victoria Falls golf classic by three strokes with 283.
  3. "Player takes lead with 63" . The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 12 November 1977. p. 27. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Undefeated champions". The Glasgow Herald. Glasgow, United Kingdom. 14 November 1977. p. 30 (29 in paper). Retrieved 12 September 2023 via Google News Archive. Gary Player won his eleventh South African open title in Johannesburg on Saturday...
  5. "1977 Holiday Inns Invitational". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Bland earns World Series spot". The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. 6 February 1978. p. 23. Retrieved 12 September 2023 via Newspapers.com. Bland, 32, won three of six events on the South African tour, earning $25,170. He edged Gary Player, who finished with $21,450.
  7. "1977/78 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. 1 2 Simms, George (1978). World of Golf 1978. Queen Anne Press. pp. 132–135. ISBN   0354090356 . Retrieved 24 November 2023 via Archive.org.