Western Province Open
Tournament information
Established1936
Tour(s)Southern African Tour
FormatStroke play
Month playedJanuary
Final year1976
Tournament record score
Aggregate268 Gary Player (1971)
To par−16 as above
Final champion
South Africa Allan Henning

The Western Province Open was a golf tournament in South Africa as part of the Southern Africa Tour. In the early years of the tournament, Bobby Locke and Harold Henning had much success, winning the event multiple times each. In the mid-1960s, the event received international media coverage as colored golfer Sewsunker Sewgolum was notably prohibited from playing the event. During the middle and later phase of the tournament legend Gary Player had much success, ultimately winning the event five times.

History

Bobby Locke, Gary Player, and Harold Henning had the most success in the early years of the tournament. In 1956, Locke was victorious, defeating Australia's Peter Thomson by two shots. A young Gary Player finished solo third.[1] The following year, Player and Henning shared the championship, three ahead of Locke, the third place finisher.[2] Locke came back the following year with a blowout win, defeating joint runner-up Henning by 11 shots.[3] Henning won the following year, defeating Eric Moore by two. Locke finished third at 283.[4] Player won the following year but Henning captured the title again in 1961.[5]

In the mid-1960s, the colored golfer Sewsunker Sewgolum was notably barred from participating in the tournament.[6][7] On November 19, 1965, his application to participate in the following year's event had been rejected.[8]

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the tournament was dominated by Gary Player and Cobie Legrange. In 1968, Player set the course record in the third round on his way to an easy win.[9] The following year, Legrange was victorious, defeating England's Peter Oosterhuis down the stretch.[10] In 1970, Scotland's Bobby Walker won the tournament defeating fellow Briton Jimmy Hitchcock. According to The Guardian, Walker "became the first overseas player to win the Western Province open."[11] In 1971, however, Player came back and won easily, winning by seven.[12] The following year Player successfully defended his championship, defeating Legrange by four.[13]

In the final years of the event, a variety of golfers had success. In 1973, Hugh Baiocchi overcame a two shot deficit to Ireland's John O'Leary and win.[14] The following year, South African John Fourie won handily, defeating Legrange by seven.[15] Fourie finished joint runner-up the following year, one behind champion Bill Brask.[16] In 1976, at the final edition of the event, Allan Henning was victorious, defeating Baiocchi by six.[17]

Winners

Year Winner Score To par Margin of

victory

 Runner(s)-up Ref.
1936 England Alf Padgham 278 6 strokes South Africa Sid Brews
England Bill Cox		 [18]
1956 South Africa Bobby Locke (1) 287 2 strokes Australia Peter Thomson [1]
1957 South Africa Harold Henning (1)
South Africa Gary Player (1)		 285 Tied [2]
1958 South Africa Bobby Locke (2) 286 11 strokes South Africa Harold Henning
South Africa Ronnie Glennie (a)		 [3]
1959 South Africa Harold Henning (2) 280 2 strokes South Africa Eric Moore [4]
1960 South Africa Gary Player (2) 271
1961 South Africa Harold Henning (3) 284 1 stroke South Africa Bobby Verwey [5]
1962 South Africa Tommy Trevena 289
1963 South Africa Bobby Verwey 286 1 stroke South Africa Eric Moore [19][20]
1964 South Africa Retief Waltman
1965 South Africa Allan Henning
1966 South Africa Cobie Legrange (1)
1967 South Africa Denis Hutchinson
1968 South Africa Gary Player (3) 280 −12 4 strokes England Clive Clark [9][21]
1969 South Africa Cobie Legrange (2) 272 −12 2 strokes England Peter Oosterhuis [10][22]
1970 Scotland Bobby Walker 284 1 stroke England Jimmy Hitchcock [11][23]
1971 South Africa Gary Player (4) 268 −16 7 strokes South Africa Harold Henning
United States Craig Shankland		 [12]
1972 South Africa Gary Player (5) 278 −10 4 strokes South Africa Cobie Legrange [13][24]
1973 South Africa Hugh Baiocchi 292 E 1 stroke Republic of Ireland John O'Leary [14]
1974 (Jan) South Africa John Fourie 277 −11 7 strokes South Africa Cobie Legrange [15]
1974 (Nov) United States Bill Brask 280 −4 1 stroke South Africa John Fourie
South Africa Allan Henning		 [16]
1975 No tournament due to rescheduling from November to January
1976 South Africa Allan Henning 282 −6 6 strokes South Africa Hugh Baiocchi [17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bobby Locke Downs Peter Thomson". The Canberra Times. Vol. 30, no. 8751. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 January 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 15 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. 1 2 "Rees and Hunt fifth in South Africa". The Daily Telegraph. 14 January 1958. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Rees 5th to Locke". The Daily Telegraph. 13 January 1958. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Henning has win in Open". The Age. 12 January 1959. p. 14.
  5. 1 2 "Golf Victory to H. Henning". The Age. 9 January 1961. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Sewgolum is told no by S. Africa". The Toronto Star. 7 January 1966. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Papwa can beat par can't beat prejudice". The Toronto Star. 22 January 1966. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Indian Golfer Barred". The Guardian. 11 January 1966. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Player Triumphs". Western Daily Press. 19 February 1968. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Oosterhuis is edged out". The Observer. 19 February 1969. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Walker wins Western Province". The Guardian. 9 February 1970. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Player in winning form for U.S. trip". Evening Post. 8 February 1971. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Player wins by four strokes". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 17 January 1972. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  14. 1 2 "Baiocchi slips by O'Leary". The Glasgow Herald. 15 January 1973. p. 5.
  15. 1 2 "Seven-shot win for Fourie". The Glasgow Herald. 14 January 1974. p. 5.
  16. 1 2 "Gullane post for Hume". The Glasgow Herald. 2 December 1974. p. 5.
  17. 1 2 "Holiday sport". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 26 January 1976. p. 11 (18 in paper). Retrieved 10 September 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  18. ↑ "Padgham's record round". The Times. 23 November 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 27 December 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  19. ↑ "Bob Charles in Sixth Place". The Canberra Times. 7 January 1963.
  20. ↑ "Hill Shares Sixth Place". Daily Post (Merseyside edition). 7 January 1963. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Player's victory in Cape Town". The Glasgow Herald. 19 February 1968. p. 5.
  22. ↑ "Golf". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 February 1969. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  23. ↑ "Walker wins by one stroke". The Glasgow Herald. 9 February 1970. p. 5.
  24. ↑ "Player in top spot". Western Daily Press. 17 January 1972. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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