THE European Tour resumes its South African swing next week, first with the Joburg Open at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club from February 6 to 9, and followed the week after by the Africa Open at East London Golf Club, from February 13 to 16. And both are perfect examples of the dominance of South African golfers on their home fairways.
The last four Joburg Opens have been won by South Africans, while the Africa Open since its debut in 2008 has never been won by a foreigner.
In the combined 13-year history of two of the newest European Tour and Sunshine Tour co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa, there have only been two occasions when foreigners won.
It doesn’t make for great reading for the Europeans headed this way over the next few weeks. Denmark’s Thomas Björn recently enjoyed success in South Africa when he won the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
“It’s always a tough competition against the South Africans in their back yard. All of us know what the South African boys are capable of. Louis (Oosthuizen) and Charl (Schwartzel) are particularly tough to beat in South Africa,” he said.
European star Matteo Manaserro, already a four-time winner on the European Tour at the age of 20, is at a loss to explain why the South Africans are so tough to beat in their home events.
“South African players always start as favourites in their country. I don’t know if it’s because they really perform at their best in their country, or because of the courses or the grass or something. But they seem to always do well, and some of them are always in contention. They are strong players.”
But one foreigner who has taken a liking to competing against the South Africans is American Peter Uihlein. Uihlein won the 2013 Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year Award, and hr has a very simple take on his love for South Africa and his success here in the past. “It’s hot. I like being in the heat. It’s a lot like Florida. The food’s great, the people are fantastic. I feel very comfortable here.”
