Natal Open

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Natal Open
Tournament information
Established1925
Tour(s)Southern African Tour
FormatStroke play
Month playedJanuary
Final year1975
Tournament record score
Aggregate277 Bobby Cole (Dec 1972)
Final champion
South Africa John Fourie

The Natal Open was a golf tournament in South Africa. It was organised by the Natal Golf Union and ran from 1925 through to 1975. In latter years it was part of the Southern African Tour Order of Merit schedule.

During the mid-20th century, major champions Bobby Locke and Gary Player had much success, winning several times each. In the 1960s, the tournament received international media coverage as Sewsunker Sewgolum, a colored golfer, controversially was allowed to enter the event and won it twice. In the final years of the Natal Open, Bobby Cole dominated, winning four times apiece.

History[edit]

The early years of the tournament were dominated by the Brews brothers, Jock Brews and Sid Brews, who won the first four tournaments. In 1935, a young Bobby Locke won the Natal Open. He repeated the following year. Due to his amateur status, he also won he amateur division of the event too.[1] In the late 1950s, a young Gary Player had much success at the event. In 1958, Player won the event defeating runner-up Trevor Wilkes by five shots. Locke and Harold Henning finished a further shot back.[2] The following year, Player defeated Locke in a 36-hole playoff, 135-142.[3]

In the 1960s, the tournament was dominated by coverage of colored golfer Sewsunker Sewgolum. Sewgolum, recent back-to-back champion of the Dutch Open, had his application for entry into the 1961 event rejected.[4][5] However, in 1963, Sewgolum was allowed to participate in the tournament. He won the event, defeating Denis Hutchinson and Bobby Verwey by a stroke. Sewgolum earned a 400 pound cheque and a silver trophy. He had to accept these prizes outside in the rain, however, due to the country's racial discrimination laws prohibiting non-whites from the clubhouse.[6][7] Sewgolum's win and discriminatory victory celebration received international media attention, including from the The New York Times.[8] He became the first non-white person "to win a sanctioned golf tournament in competition with whites" in South Africa.[9] Sewgolum also won the event two years later, defeating Gary Player and Harold Henning. Once again he had to accept his prizes outside of the clubhouse.[10][11]

The later years of the tournament were dominated by Bobby Cole. In 1969, he defeated Peter Oosterhuis by a shot.[12] Cole repeated as champion.[13] The following year, Cole was tied for the third-round lead with Terry Westbrook. Cole shot a final round 69 but was overtaken by Westbrook's 68. He finished solo runner-up.[14] Cole, however, came back and won the following year, in December 1972.[15] Cole again repeated as champion a year and a half later.[16]

In December 1975, the Natal Open scheduled for January 1976 was cancelled. New owners of tournament sponsors, Vavasseur International, withdrew support for the event, and the Natal Golf Union were unable to find a replacement.[17]

Winners[edit]

Year Winner Score Margin of

victory

Runner(s)-up Ref.
1925 South Africa Jock Brews
1926 South Africa Sid Brews
1927 South Africa Sid Brews (2)
1928 No tournament
1929 South Africa Sid Brews (3)
1930-34 No tournament
1935 South Africa Bobby Locke (a)
1936 South Africa Bobby Locke (a) (2) 1 stroke South Africa Sid Brews [1]
1937 South Africa Sid Brews (4)
1938 South Africa Otway Hayes (a)
1939 South Africa Jock Verwey
1940-45 No tournament due to World War II
1946 South Africa Otway Hayes (2)
1947 South Africa Eric Moore
1948 South Africa Otway Hayes (3)
1949 No tournament
1950 South Africa George Van Niekerk 299
1951 South Africa Sandy Guthrie 279
1952 South Africa Sandy Guthrie (2) 291
1953 South Africa Bobby Locke (3)
1954 South Africa Bruce Keyter (a)
1955 South Africa Denis Hutchinson (a)
1956 South Africa Harold Henning 289
1957 South Africa Bruce Keyter 286
1958 South Africa Gary Player 289 5 strokes South Africa Trevor Wilkes [2]
1959 South Africa Gary Player (2) Playoff

[a]

South Africa Bobby Locke [3]
1960 South Africa Gary Player (3) 282
1961 South Africa Harold Henning 278 Playoff

[b]

South Africa Alan Brookes [18]
1962 Scotland Stewart Davies 285 [19]
1963 (Jan) South Africa Sewsunker Sewgolum 293 1 stroke South Africa Denis Hutchinson
South Africa Bobby Verwey 		[20]
1963 (Dec) South Africa Cedric Amm 291 Playoff

[c]

South Africa Bobby Verwey [21][22]
1965 South Africa Sewsunker Sewgolum (2) 285 1 stroke South Africa Gary Player
South Africa Harold Henning 		[10][11]
1966 South Africa Gary Player (4) 286 2 strokes South Africa Cobie Legrange [23][24]
1967 South Africa Cobie Legrange 281 1 stroke South Africa Bobby Verwey [25]
1968 South Africa Gary Player (5) 281 6 strokes South Africa Cobie Legrange [26]
1969 South Africa Bobby Cole 282 1 stroke England Peter Oosterhuis [12]
1970 South Africa Bobby Cole (2) 285 1 stoke South Africa Cobie Legrange [13]
1971 South Africa Terry Westbrook 283 1 stroke South Africa Bobby Cole [14][27]
1972 (Jan) South Africa Tienie Britz 282 1 stroke Rhodesia Simon Hobday [16]
1972 (Dec) South Africa Bobby Cole (3) 277 1 stroke South Africa Dale Hayes [15][16]
1974 South Africa Bobby Cole (4) 284 1 stroke South Africa Tienie Britz [16]
1975 South Africa John Fourie 281 1 stroke South Africa Hugh Baiocchi
South Africa David Wren 		[16]

Sources:[28][29]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Player defeated Locke 135-142 in a 36-hole playoff.
  2. ^ Henning defeated Brookes 141-144 in a 36-hole playoff.
  3. ^ Amm defeated Verwey in a 36-hole playoff.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Locke Defeats Brews". Cairns Post. 17 December 1936. p. 10.
  2. ^ a b "Gary Player wins Natal open golf". The Guardian Journal. 10 February 1958. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Gary Player wins in play-off". Liverpool Daily Post (Merseyside edition). 3 March 1959. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  4. ^ "PGA asked to act on colour bar". The Guardian Journal. 15 February 1961. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Late Decision Over Golfer". The Age. 24 February 1961. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Coloured golf winner gets cup in rain". Evening Chronicle. 28 January 1963. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  7. ^ "I'm Off To See How Good Emile Is". Daily Mirror. 2 February 1963. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Gary Player Ties for Second". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. ^ Boyd, Denny (19 April 1967). "Denny Boyd". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Sewgolum wins in Durban". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 1 February 1965. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Indian Golfer Humbles Player". The Boston Globe. 1 February 1965. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Cole wins by one". Western Daily Press. 20 January 1969. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Cole Retains Golf Title". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Oosterhuis top Briton in Natal". The Glasgow Herald. 25 January 1971. p. 13.
  15. ^ a b "Cole Just Holds Off Hayes". The Daily Telegraph. 11 December 1972. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e The Allied Book of South African Sport & Sports Records. SASBOR. 1988. pp. 1941–1943. ISBN 0620128828 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1977). The World of Professional Golf 1977. Collins. pp. 254–255. ISBN 0002168790.
  18. ^ "Henning Wins Natal Open". The Press. New Zealand Press Association. 1 February 1961. p. 6. Retrieved 16 January 2024 – via Papers Past.
  19. ^ "Natal Golf Champion". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 12 February 1962. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Apartheid Forces Golf Champion To Wait in Rain". The Montreal Star. 28 January 1963. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Play-off in Natal Open". The Age. 31 December 1963. p. 14. Retrieved 20 December 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Seitzinger, Jack (20 June 1964). "Puttin' Around". Pottsville Republican. p. 7. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Horton third". The Glasgow Herald. 7 February 1966. p. 15.
  24. ^ "Natal Win to Player". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Barnes shares third place". The Glasgow Herald. 6 February 1967. p. 6.
  26. ^ "Player win is record". Western Daily Press. 12 February 1968. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Bad putting foils Jacklin". Hull Daily Mail. 25 January 1971. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  28. ^ Donaldson, K. C. (1949). The South African Sporting Encyclopaedia and Who's Who. Donaldson's. p. 50 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ Scharff, Robert, ed. (1970). Golf Magazine's Encyclopedia of Golf. Harper & Row. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-06-011579-1 – via Google Books.
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