1982–83 Southern Africa Tour
| Duration | 12 January 1983 – 5 March 1983 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 8 |
| Most wins |  John Bland (2) |
| Order of Merit |  Nick Price |
← 1981–82 1983–84 → | |
The 1982–83 Southern Africa Tour was the 12th season of the Southern Africa Tour, the main professional golf tour in South Africa since it was formed in 1971.
Season outline[edit]
The early part of the season was dominated by two unheralded Americans Corey Pavin and Charlie Bolling. They respectively won the top two events, the Lexington PGA and Datsun South African Open. In the middle of the season a number of local golfers won their first events on tour, including Wayne Westner, Gavan Levenson, and Teddy Webber. It was winless Nick Price, however, who won the Order of Merit by virtue of a number of runner-up finishes.
At the first event, the Gordon's Gin Classic, South Africa's David Frost won over Nick Price while Pavin finished joint third.[1] The following week, at the Lexington PGA, American Charlie Bolling had the 54-hole lead but "faded" with a final round 72 to finish third.[2] Pavin, meanwhile, recorded a 66 in the final round to defeat Price by a shot.[3] Bolling, however, came back and won the following week at the Datsun South African Open.[4] The Daily Telegraph noted, "both major Sunshine Circuit titles have gone to young Americans not good enough to win their players card on the United States tour."[4]
A number of South Africans won their first significant tournaments late in the year. Wayne Westner won the fourth event of the year, the ICL Tournament Players Classic.[5] It was his first win on tour. The following week, Gavan Levenson shot a course record 62 to win the Sigma Vaals Reef Open by two shots over Nick Price. He won $5,700.[6] It was also his first win on tour. In mid-February, at the Quindrink Golf Classic, Zimbabwean Teddy Webber shot a final round 68 to overcome a four stroke deficit and defeat third round leader Fulton Allem by one shot. It was also his first win on tour.[7] Though he did not win a tournament, Price won the Order of Merit.[8]
Schedule[edit]
The following table lists official events during the 1982–83 season.[9]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jan | Gordon's Gin Classic | Transvaal | 100,000 | David Frost (1) |
|
| 22 Jan | Lexington PGA Championship | Transvaal | 100,000 |  Corey Pavin (1) |
|
| 29 Jan | Datsun South African Open | Cape | 90,000 | Charlie Bolling (1) |
|
| 5 Feb | ICL Tournament Players Classic | Transvaal | 40,000 | Wayne Westner (1) |
|
| 12 Feb | Sigma Vaal Reefs Open | Transvaal | 40,000 | Gavan Levenson (1) |
|
| 19 Feb | Quindrink Golf Classic | Natal | 40,000 | Teddy Webber (1) |
|
| 26 Feb | Holiday Inns Pro-Am | Swaziland | 40,000 | John Bland (7) |
Pro-Am |
| 5 Mar | Kodak Golf Classic | Transvaal | 40,000 | John Bland (8) |
New tournament |
Unofficial events[edit]
The following events were sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (R) |
Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Dec | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | Transvaal | US$1,000,000 | Raymond Floyd
|
Limited-field event |
Order of Merit[edit]
The Order of Merit was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in South African rand.[8]
| Position | Player | Prize money (R) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Price |
31,969 |
| 2 | David Frost |
29,820 |
| 3 | Charlie Bolling |
23,669 |
| 4 | Corey Pavin |
23,659 |
| 5 | John Bland |
22,187 |
Notes[edit]
- ^ 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.
References[edit]
- ^ "Frost chips away to victory". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 17 January 1983. p. 22. Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Corey's first win". Sunday Sun. 23 January 1983. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Pavin pips Price with final 66". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 24 January 1983. p. 22. Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Frederick, Adrian (31 January 1983). "Bolling triumphs as Bennett slips". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. p. 19. Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Westner wins ICL". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. 6 February 1983. p. 527 (E7 in paper). Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golf". The Independent-Record. Helena, Montana. 14 February 1983. p. 11 (3B in paper). Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "South African overcomes deficit". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. 20 February 1983. p. 71 (3D in paper). Retrieved 21 September 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Berkovitz, Anton; Samson, Andrew (1993). South Africa and international sports factfinder. D. Nelson. p. 96. ISBN 1868061019. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "1982/83 Tournament schedule". Sunshine Tour. Retrieved 22 September 2023.